Ontario Expression of Interest System

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) operates an Expression of Interest system for applications to five of its most popular streams.

Those streams are:

1. Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker
2. Employer Job Offer: International Student
3. Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills
4. Masters Graduate
5. PhD Graduate

Before applying to these streams, candidates must submit a profile to the Expression of Interest system.

Each profile is scored based on factors including education, language ability, skill and work experience among others (see below).

Ontario then selects candidates who are issued invitations to submit applications to one of the above streams.

Profiles in the Expression of Interest system can be updated at any time. An EOI profile is valid for 12 months or until an ITA is received.

Invitations to apply are issued periodically by the OINP. Draws are conducted on a general basis, by inviting the overall highest-scoring candidates, or on a targeted basis, by targeting candidates who meet specific labour market or human capital requirements.

Candidates who receive an ITA have 14 days to submit a complete application.

Ontario Expression of Interest: Scoring Factors

EMPLOYMENT / LABOUR MARKET FACTORS

Job Offer: NOC TEER

• NOC TEER category 0 or 1 – 10 Points
• NOC TEER category 2 or 3 – 8 Points
• NOC TEER category 4 – 0 Points
• NOC TEER category 5 – 0 Points

Job Offer: Broad Occupational Category

• Occupational Category 0,2,3 – 10 points
• Occupational Category 7 – 7 points
• Occupational Category 1,9 – 5 points
• Occupational Category 4,8 – 4 points
• Occupational Category 5,6 – 3 points

Job Offer: Wage

• $40 per hour or higher – 10 points
• $35 to $39.99 per hour – 8 points
• $30 to $34.99 per hour – 7 points
• $25 to $29.99 per hour – 6 points
• $20 to $24.99 per hour – 5 points
• Less than $20 per hour – 0 points

Work Permit Status

• With valid work permit – 10 points
• Without valid work permit – 0 points

Job Tenure With Job Offer Employer

• 6 months or more working in job offer position – 3 points
• Less than 6 months working in job offer position or not currently working in position – 0 points

Canadian Work Experience: Earnings History

Based on a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency in the last five years.

• $40k or more earnings in a year – 3 points
• Less than $40k earnings in a year – 0 points

EDUCATION

Highest Level Of Education

Canadian credential or Educational Credential Assessment required.

• PhD – 10 points
• Masters – 8 points
• Bachelors or equivalent – 6 points
• College diploma or trade certificate – 5 points
• Less than college or trade certificate – 0 points

Field Of Study

Canadian credential required.

• STEM/health (engineering, health, math, computer science) and trades – 12 points
• All other fields [except arts and humanities] (business and administration, social, legal, education, behavioral science) – 6 points
• Arts and humanities – 0 points

Canadian Education Experience

Credential must be for a degree or diploma program from a Canadian public institution that takes at least two years to complete on a full-time basis, or for a degree, diploma or certificate program from a Canadian public institution that takes at least one year to complete on a full-time basis and requires a degree as an admission requirement.

• More than one Canadian credential – 10 points
• One Canadian credential – 5 points

LANGUAGE

Official Language Ability

• CLB 9 or higher – 10 points
• CLB 8 – 6 points
• CLB 7 – 4 points
• CLB 6 or lower – 0 points

Knowledge Of Official Languages

• 2 Official Languages – 10 points
• 1 Official Language – 5 points

REGIONALIZATION

Regional Immigration: Location Of Job Offer

• Northern Ontario – 10 points
• Other areas outside GTA (except Northern Ontario) – 8 points
• Inside GTA (except Toronto) – 3 points
• Toronto – 0 points

Regional Immigration: Location Of Study

• Northern Ontario – 10 points
• Other areas outside GTA (except Northern Ontario) – 8 points
• Inside GTA (except Toronto) – 3 points
• Toronto – 0 points

How The EOI Scoring Is Applied To Each Stream