Ontario revises CRS minimum rule for Human Capital Priorities Stream

A further update asks candidates to indicate their interest in immigrating to either Ontario or “all provinces and territories” when creating an Express Entry profile. (Pixabay photo)

Ontario has revised the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score requirement for its Express Entry-linked Human Capital Priorities immigration stream.

Whereas candidates previously were required to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 400, the stream’s guidelines now say the minimum score will be “as determined by the director.”

A further update asks candidates to indicate their interest in immigrating to either Ontario or “all provinces and territories” when creating an Express Entry profile.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) did not immediately respond to a request from CIC News for more information regarding these updates.

The OINP has waived the CRS minimum of 400 in three draws so far this year, two of which targeted Express Entry candidates with a job offer in Ontario and another that targeted those with French language abilities of CLB 7 or higher.

For these draws, Ontario dropped the CRS minimum and even pushed it as low as 350 in its August 9 targeted job offer draw.

The Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP) is one of the Ontario’s most active and popular immigration pathways. It allows the OINP to search the federal Express Entry pool for candidates who match the stream’s established eligibility criteria.

Ontario has issued a total of 3,534 Notifications of Interest to selected Express Entry candidates through the HCP in 2018.

Express Entry candidates who receive a Notification of Interest can then apply to Ontario for a provincial nomination.

The Express Entry system manages the profiles of candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination for permanent residence from Ontario are awarded an additional 600 points toward their CRS score, effectively guaranteeing them an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a subsequent draw from the Express Entry pool.

In order to be considered for the HCP, the first step is to find out if you are eligible to enter a profile in the federal Express Entry pool.