Ontario will be allowed to nominate more immigrants for permanent residence through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) than ever before in 2019.
Canada’s most populous province has been granted permission to nominate up to 6,900 newcomers for permanent residence this year – up by 300 on last year’s target.
Ontario’s 2019 allocation consists of a principal allocation of 6,650 nominations and an additional 250 spaces for intermediate-skilled temporary foreign workers (TFWs).
The main allocation of the 6,650 nominations will be issued through the Ontario Immigration Nomination Program’s (OINP) various immigration pathways. Ontario has three immigration streams that are linked to the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic immigration categories. These are the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.
The OINP also has a number of streams that operate independently of the Express Entry system, known as ‘base’ nomination streams. The Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream was the base stream that issued the most nominations in 2018 (1,254).
Ontario’s allocation boost for 2019 reflects the fact Canada’s annual admissions target for the PNP has been increased for both 2019 and 2020. This year’s national target of 61,000 new permanent residents through the program is an increase of 6,000 over 2018’s target of 55,000.
The PNP grants nine Canadian provinces (Quebec has its own separate immigration program) and two of its territories the power to select a set number of immigrants for Canadian permanent residence in order to fill specific labour market needs.
Article published 25th March 2019