You will be astonished to learn that you can immigrate to Canada without a job offer. In contrast with several nations globally, Canada offers opportunities to overseas nationals to migrate even without having a job offer.
The Canada immigration system is extremely dynamic and versatile. It consists of numerous immigration pathways for individuals lacking a job offer to assist them to immigrate to Canada. The Express Entry Program is the most coveted and common immigration route to Canada. However, there also exists a similarly promising option known as the PNP – Provincial Nominee Program.
Ontario PNP is one of the various PNPs of Canada. PNPs were launched for ensuring a fair distribution of immigration benefits across the nation. These programs offer the participating territories and provinces the chance to select a fixed number of economic class immigrants for Permanent Residency annually. You must first be offered the nomination by the territory or province for being able to immigrate to Canada via a PNP.
Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream
9 Provinces and 2 Territories in Canada participate in the PNPs inclusive of Ontario. The Canadian provinces welcome 1/3rd of the total fresh immigrants to Canada annually. Many of them choose Ontario due to its population diversity, high wages, and job opportunities.
The OINP – Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program is amongst the highly active PNPs of Canada. Around 8,000 ITAs for Canada PR are offered annually through its multiple streams.
Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream is one of the immigration pathways under Ontario PNP. It offers you the opportunity to immigrate to Canada and reside in Ontario even without a job offer. It aims at skilled overseas workers who intend to be employed and settle permanently in Ontario province.
The HCP stream permits Ontario to seek and select qualified candidates for a Provincial Nomination. The candidates are required to have filed a profile through the Express Entry system. They must fulfill diverse criteria specified by Ontario including work experience and language proficiency required for participating in its labor market.
A job offer is not mandatory but candidates are required to have an active profile in the Express Entry system. They must have work experience in targeted sectors or occupations for being considered and receiving application invitations through HCP.
You will be sent a message through your account in Express Entry inviting you to file an application to the OINP online. This is if you are successful in your application for nomination and receive an NOI – Notification of Interest.
A Nomination Letter will be offered to you if you are successful in your application. The Express Entry system will seek your acceptance or rejection of the nomination. You will receive extra 600 points added to your CRS score in Express Entry if you accept. It effectively assures that you will receive ITA for Canada PR from the Government of Canada.
So far in 2021, the HCP stream has emerged as among the highly active streams of Ontario PNP. It has already offered NOIs to 4, 851 candidates in the Express Entry pool.
Ontario PNP: Express Entry HCP Overview
Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream is an immigration pathway under the Ontario PNP. It offers overseas workers the chance to apply for Canada PR to reside and work in Ontario if they have the necessary education, language proficiency, and skilled work experience. If you are successful in your nomination application, you can apply for a Permanent Residency with IRCC.
Express Entry Profile
Human Capital Priorities Stream of Ontario is linked with the federal Express Entry Program. You must have an active profile in Express Entry in either the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program for being considered.
Federal Skilled Worker Program
FSWP requires you to have at least one year of skilled, continuous full-time work experience and a High School Diploma. Work experience obtained in NOC – National Occupational Classification Skill Level B, A, or 0 is regarded as skilled. You must also prove proficiency in the language in French or English on par with CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark Level 7.
Canadian Experience Class
CEC does not have any requirement for minimum education. The candidates are required to have at least 1 year of skilled, full-time work experience in Canada. The work experience need not be continuous as such but must have been accumulated within 3 years before filing the application.
Work experience obtained in NOC – National Occupational Classification Skill Level B, A, or 0 is regarded as skilled. You must also prove proficiency in the language in French or English on par with CLB 7 for work experience accumulated in NOC Skill level A or 0. For NOC Skill level B it is CLB 5.
Requirements for Ontario PNP Express Entry Human Capital Priority Stream
To qualify for the Human Capital Priority Stream of OINP, you have to:
- Possess an active profile in the Express Entry system
- Fulfill the eligibility criteria for CEC – Canadian Experience Class or FSWP – Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Fulfill the work experience requirements for the HCP stream
- Posses a Doctoral, Master’s, or Bachelor’s degree or a corresponding overseas education credential
- Prove proficiency in language on par with CLB Level 7 or higher
- Have the intention to stay in Ontario province
- Possess adequate funds for covering costs of settlement in Ontario
Application Procedure
Express Entry Human Capital Priority Stream of Ontario PNP operates on the basis of only invitation. For applying to this stream, you must first create a profile in the Express Entry system. You must then wait to receive an NOI – Notification of Interest from OINP. It must be noted here that merely fulfilling the eligibility criteria does not assure that you will receive an NOI.
The Ontario province looks for profiles of candidates in the Express Entry pool and offers NOIs to only select candidates. You can file an application for receiving Provincial Nomination from Ontario only if you have been offered the NOI.
OINP frequently publishes the details of the recently offered NOIs and the range of CRS scores of the successful candidates. You have 45 calendar day’s time to arrange and file an application online through the E-Filing Portal of OINP after you receive the NOI.
If Ontario PNP accepts your application, you will be notified by OINP that you have been chosen for Provincial Nomination. The notification will be shared with your IRCC digital account.
Your CRS score in the Express Entry system will increase by 600 points once you accept the nomination from the province. It virtually assures receiving an Invitation to Apply for Canada PR in the subsequent draw conducted in the Express Entry pool.
The application for Canada Permanent Residency must be filed within the specified timeline after you receive the ITA. Usually, Canada PR applications filed via Express Entry are processed within 6 months.
OINP HCP Draws
Ontario PNP targeted ten occupations and offered 283 NOIs in the first draw held in 2021 through the Express Entry Human Capital Priority Stream. The draw held on 2nd February witnessed the selection of candidates in the Express Entry pool having CRS scores in the range of 467 to 466 points. For qualifying, the candidates need to have created profiles in Express Entry from 2nd February 2020 to 2nd February 2021.
Targeted Occupations for 2nd February 2021 Draw:
0122 – Credit, Banking, and other Investment Managers
0124 – Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations Managers
0125 – Other Managers – Business Services
0601 – Managers – Corporate Sales
1111 – Accountants and Financial Auditors
1112 – Investment and Financial Analysts
1121 – Professionals in Human Resources
1122 – Business Management Consulting Professional Occupations
3012 – Registered Psychiatric Nurses and Registered Nurses
4163 – Marketing Researchers and Consultants and Business Development Officers
HCP Draws Targeted at Tech Workers
Ontario PNP also conducts draws through Human Capital Priorities Stream that are aimed at Tech workers. The intention of the draws is to identify candidates with tech work experience to participate in the thriving Tech Sector in Ontario. Aspiring candidates must have an active profile in the Express Entry system and fulfill the eligibility criteria for the Human Capital Priorities Stream. They must also be able to demonstrate work experience in any one of these NOC codes:
2173 – Software Designers and Engineers
2174 – Interactive Media Developers and Computer Programmers
2147 – Computer Engineers
2175 – Web Developers and Designers
2172 – Data Administrators and Database Analysts
0213 – Information systems and Computer Managers
Do you want to immigrate to Canada without a job offer?
Canada has a skilled worker and immigrant-friendly immigration system that offers multiple opportunities to aspiring candidates who do not have a job offer. We at Nationwide Visas can help you in identifying the most suitable immigration pathway for this by a thorough assessment of your profile and credentials. Contact us now to book your consultation today with our Immigration Consultants.