Ontario’s popular Human Capital Priorities immigration stream has reached its registration intake limit after reopening for registrations last Thursday, November 2. This popular Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream is part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a Canadian immigration program through which the province can welcome newcomers who have the ability to integrate quickly into the labour market.
No additional registrations will be accepted for the time being. However, OINP staff confirmed to CICNews last week that the program is likely to issue more Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to eligible Express Entry candidates in the pool before the end of the year.
In a statement, the OINP stated that it is ‘monitoring the intake of applications with respect to the limits of Ontario’s federal nomination allocation, and will determine if any more applications can be accepted for this stream.’
A NOI works in the same way as an invitation to apply. However, in the case of the OINP Human Capital Priorities stream, the process of obtaining a NOI is passive in the sense that Ontario immigration authorities search the Express Entry pool for eligible potential applicants. There is no guarantee that eligibility for the stream will result in a NOI being issued.
Eligibility
To be eligible under the Ontario Human Capital Priorities stream, candidates must:
- Have a profile in the Express Entry pool and score a minimum of 400 points under the CRS. The score must remain at or above 400 during both the Ontario nomination processing stage and at the federal application for permanent residence processing stage;
- Have a minimum level of work experience;
- Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC) criteria must have at least one year of continuous and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a National Occupation Classification (NOC) level 0, A, or B occupation in the five years prior to the date of the Notification of Interest from the OINP.
- Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) criteria must have at least one year of cumulative and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a NOC 0, A, or B occupation in Canada in the three years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP.
- Have a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a designated organization indicating that their foreign education credential is equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD;
- Demonstrate English or French language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies (speaking, reading, writing, and listening);
- Intend to reside in Ontario;
- Possess sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario; and
- Meet the additional criteria under either the FSWP or CEC.
The province has, on occasion, removed the requirement for certain candidates to have at least 400 CRS points, notably in June when the requirement was temporarily waived for certain Express Entry candidates with work experience in the Information and Communications Technology Sector (ICT).
Ontario also issued the following notes in its recent updates regarding the Human Capital Priorities stream.
- Notifications of Interest (NOI) issued prior to November 1, 2017 are valid for six months or to December 31, 2017, whichever comes first. This means that candidates must submit an application for the HCP Stream in the OINP e-Filing Portal within six months of receiving their NOI from Ontario.
- NOIs issued after November 1, 2017 are valid for 45 days or to December 31, 2017, whichever comes first. This means that candidates who received their NOI after November 1, 2017 must submit an application for the HCP in the OINP e-Filing Portal within 45 days of receiving their NOI from Ontario.
- All NOIs issued in 2017 are no longer valid after December 31, 2017.
- If an application is approved after the OINP reaches its nomination allocation for 2017, the nomination certificate will be issued in early 2018.
To find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool, the first step to immigrating to Canada through Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities stream, please fill out a free online assessment.
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