Ontario is one of the most popular provinces for Canada Immigration. You must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) before applying to any non-express entry OINP streams. The OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) system manages and scores the applications of the following pathways:
- Employer Job Offer-Foreign Worker Stream: This stream is for international workers with a valid job offer in Ontario.
- Employer Job Offer-International Student Stream: Dedicated pathway for fresh graduates with a job offer in the province.
- Employer Job Offer-In-Demand Skills Stream: This OINP pathway is for international workers with a job offer in an in-demand trade in Ontario.
- Masters Graduate Stream: Eligible for applicants who have a master’s degree from an institute in Ontario
- PhD Graduate Stream: Eligible for applicants who have a PhD from Ontario.
The Expression of Interest informs the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) that the applicant is interested and wants to receive an ITA to apply for provincial nomination. Once the candidate becomes a provincial nominee, they can apply for Canada PR through the PNP pathway within 6 months.
Registering an EOI should not be confused with applying to the OINP. Submitting an Expression of Interest is not the same as applying to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. Instead, it is the first mandatory step before applying to the OINP. You can apply to the OINP only if you receive an invitation (ITA) in the OINP draws.
Once you register an EOI profile, you will be scored and placed in the selection pool. To get a score, you will be asked certain questions about your academic proficiency, work experience, language proficiency, possession of an eligible job offer, etc. Once you answer these questions, you will be scored based on the information provided.
The OINP program conducts draws from the EOI pool and issues ITAs as per the cut-off. Once you get an ITA from the OINP, you must apply for provincial nomination within 14 days. While applying, you will need to submit documents such as your earning history, reference letters from Canadian employers
How do you register in the EOI system?
Submitting the OINP Expression of Interest requires the following steps.
STEP 1: Create a My Ontario Account and sign in
Create a My Ontario account. Similar to the SINP online application portal OASIS, the My Ontario account helps you to avail government services securely.
STEP 2: Select your stream
Visit the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program e-filing portal and select the stream you wish to apply for.
STEP 3: Submit information
At this stage in the OINP Expression Of Interest, you will be asked to provide personal information. This information will be used by the EOI system to evaluate and score your profile and place you in a selection pool. You will need to submit:
- Personal Details such as your name, contact number, email, country of residence, and passport number.
- The NOC code of your job offer
- Location of your job.
- Tenure of your job offer
- Hourly base wage
- Work experience acquired in the specific NOC code
- Highest level of Canadian or foreign education
- The field of highest education acquired
- Score of the language proficiency test. OINP accepts test scores of TEF, and TCF for French proficiency and IELTS, and CELPIP-G for English language proficiency. The test scores are converted into CLB or Canadian Language Benchmark.
- Date of the language test taken and the date of the test results. The test results should not be older than 2 years.
STEP 4: Get a score by the OINP Expression of Interest.
You will now get a score based on the information provided by you. The scoring factors along with their points are tabulated below.
Broad Occupational Category of your job offer
OINP Expression of Interest awards the maximum points for BOC 0, 2, and 3. The BOC is depicted by the first digit of your NOC code.
| Broad Occupational Category (BOC) | EOI points |
|---|---|
| BOC 0: Occupations in legislation and senior management | 10 |
| BOC 1: Occupations in Business, finance and administration | 05 |
| BOC 2: Occupations related to Natural and Applied science | 10 |
| BOC 3: Occupations in Healthcare | 10 |
| BOC 4: Occupations in academics, law and social, community and government services | 04 |
| BOC 5: Art, culture, recreation and sports occupations | 03 |
| BOC 6: Occupations in Sales and Services | 03 |
| BOC 7: Occupations related to trades, transports and equipment operators | 07 |
| BOC 8: Occupations in natural resources, agriculture and agricultural production | 04 |
| BOC 9: Manufacturing and utilities occupations | 05 |
TEER level of your Job Offer
| TEER level | EOI points |
|---|---|
| TEER level 0 or 1 | 10 |
| TEER level 2 or 3 | 8 |
| TEER level 4 or 5 | 0 |
Wage per hour of your job offer
| Wages | EOI points |
|---|---|
| $40 per hour or above | 10 |
| $35.00-$39.99/ hour | 08 |
| $30.00-$34.99/hour | 07 |
| $25.00-$29.99/hour | 06 |
| $20.00-$24.99/hour | 05 |
| >$20/hour | 0 |
Location of job-offer
OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) also scores applications based on the location of their job offered by a valid employer in Ontario.
| Location | EOI points |
|---|---|
| Northern Ontario | 10 |
| Area outside Greater Toronto (excluding North Ontario) | 08 |
| Inside Greater Toronto | 03 |
| Toronto | 0 |
Availability of Work Permit
OINP Expression of Interest awards 10 points if an applicant gets a valid work permit along with a positive LMIA (if applicable)
| If you have a valid work or study permit | 10 points |
| If you don’t have a work permit | 0 points |
Tenure of the job with the employer who has given the job offer
| If you have been working in job-offer position for more than 6 months | 03 points |
| If you have worked in the offered position for less than 6 months or have never worked in the offered position | 0 points |
Canadian Work Experience
You must have a Canadian earning history issued by the Canada Revenue Agency. The experience must have been gained in the last 5 years.
| If you earned $40k or more in a year | 3 points |
| If you earned less than $40k in a year | 0 points |
Highest Academic degree
OINP Expression of Interest awards the following points for academic proficiency.
| Academic degree | EOI points |
|---|---|
| PhD | 10 |
| Masters | 08 |
| Bachelors | 06 |
| A college diploma or a trade certification | 05 |
| Less than a college diploma or a trade certification | 00 |
Field of Academic proficiency
| STEM, healthcare, computer science, architecture, mechanics and repair, construction and precision production, natural resources and agricultural operations | 12 points |
| Fields of business, administration, behavioral science, social, legal, academics, transport, personal and security services | 06 points |
| Arts, Humanities, and BHASE programs | 0 points |
Points for Canadian Education
You must have a degree from a Canadian public institution. It must be a full-time program and must take at least two years to complete. If you have pursued a diploma or a certification program, it should be full-time, from a Canadian public institute, and for at least one year.
- If you have more than one Canadian academic degree, diploma, or certificate, you will earn up to 10 points.
- If you have only one degree, diploma, or certificate from a Canadian institute, you will get 05 points.
Location of Study
OINP Expression of Interest system scores profiles based on their location of study. The scores are tabulated below
| Northern Ontario | 10 points |
| Areas outside the Greater Toronto Area | 08 points |
| Greater Toronto Area | 03 points |
| Toronto | 0 points |
OINP Expression of Interest score for Language proficiency
| CLB | EOI Points |
|---|---|
| 9 or above | 10 |
| 8 | 06 |
| 7 | 04 |
| 6 or lower | 0 |
Applicants who are proficient in both English and French languages can get additional points. If you score CLB 7 in one of the official languages and at least CLB 6 in the other, you will get 10 points.
If you are proficient in only one official language, you will get 05 points.
Points to remember while registering in the EOI system
▶️ All the information provided in the OINP Expression of Interest must be accurate upon submission
▶️You can update the information of OINP Expression of Interest in the e-filing portal till you are issued the ITA or till your EOI expires and is removed.
▶️The validity of the EOI profile is 12 months. However, if your profile receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you must apply to OINP for your nomination within 14 days.
▶️ Registering in the EOI system does not require any fee payment. You will only be required to pay the fee when you apply to OINP for nomination.
▶️ You must have filled and submitted the attestation form on the same date as your EOI registration. The image of the attestation form is given below.
How can you increase your chances of getting an ITA in the OINP draws?
One of the deciding factors in getting an ITA to OINP is to ensure that your paperwork is complete. There are many details an applicant must be mindful of while registering in the OINP Expression of Interest system. Talent Connected Worldwide is India’s only CICC-authorized immigration consultancy and provides premium immigration services. We guarantee that all your paperwork is complete and you score the maximum points possible for your EOI profile. The higher your points, the better your chances of being invited to apply to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
Contact us and get your ITA to apply for Ontario provincial nomination now.
