January 31, 2019 – Ontario immigration issued hundreds of Notifications of Interest in error in its recent Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream draw, the province has revealed.
The number of candidates issued NOIs in the January 24 draw has been revised down by more than half, from 889 to 371.
NOIs issued in the draw can only be used to apply to the Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream, the province warned.
A statement said: “A number of Notifications of Interest (NOIs) were issued in error to candidates who do not meet the stream criteria.
“The NOIs issued on January 24 may be only used by candidates applying to Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream and will not be accepted to support applications under any other stream.”
Ontario says it will contact the affected candidates directly.
Ontario Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream
The Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream targets skilled trades workers in the construction and agricultural sectors but could be expanded in the future.
To qualify applicants must have:
- Pending application under the Federal Express Entry system;
- At least 12 months of paid cumulative or continuous Ontario work experience with the last two years prior to your Notification of Interest in National Occupation Classification 633, or major groups 72, 73 or 82;
- Proof of Ontario license or certification if your occupation so requires;
- A valid work permit and be resident in Ontario at the time of application;
- English or French-language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 or above in reading, writing, listening and speaking;
- Proof of settlement fund to cover you and your dependents, with the minimum amount determined by official Low-Income Cut-Offs.
Skilled Trades candidates were the subject of 18 Ontario draws in 2018, with a total of 1,626 ITAs issued.
The stream has no minimum points requirement.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) began publishing information about specific draws at the beginning of 2018.
Ontario also conducts draws for its Human Capital Priorities, French Speaking Skilled Worker and Entrepreneur Stream throughout the year.
Ontario NOIs Issued So Far in 2019
| Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP) | 1,493 |
| French Speaking Skilled Worker Stream (FSSW) | 99 |
| Skilled Trades Stream (ST) | 371 |
| Entrepreneur Stream | 13 |
Source: www.ontarioimmigration.ca
The OINP is yet to announced its federal government nomination allocation for 2019.
It received an allocation for 2018 of 6,600 nominations, extended by 250 in December to make a total of 6,850 nominations issued.
The province is currently accepting applications for all but one of its immigration streams.
Status of Ontario Streams
| Immigration Stream | Status |
| Human Capital Priorities (Express Entry) | Open |
| French-Speaking Skilled Worker (Express Entry) | Open |
| Skilled Trades (Express Entry) | Open |
| Employer Job Offer | Open |
| International Student (Masters Graduate) | Closed |
| International Student (PhD Graduate) | Open |
| Investor Immigration (Corporate) | Open |
| Investor Immigration (Entrepreneur) | Open |
Source: www.ontarioimmigration.ca
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