Ontario Provincial Nominee Program open to all NOC O, A or B occupations

Starting February of 2009, the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program was opened to all NOC O, A or B occupations as well as to an increased number of applicants. The program is now called Opportunities Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and is open to: – skilled professional or trades applicants who possess an offer of employment from an Ontario employers – investors who wish to invest in Ontario and create jobs – international students The Opportunities Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (Ontario PNP) now admits all foreign nationals who possess an offer of employment from an Ontario employer for a managerial, professional, skilled or skilled trade occupation may qualify under the program.

This is a significant change from the mere 20 occupations previously admitted under the Ontario employer category. The requirements for investors who wish to hire skilled foreign workers have also been changed. The investment requirement has been reduced from $10 million to $3 million and the minimum number of permanent full-time jobs that must be generated by the investor’s venture in Ontario has been reduced from 25 to 5. The Ontario PNP has also changed the manner in which it assesses international students.

Employment offers must be in a skilled occupation (NOC O, A, B), but they do not have to be in a field or industry that is related to the student’s Canadian academic studies. International students applying for Canadian permanent residence under the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program are not required to have any prior work experience, and their diploma or certificate may be earned from any publicly-funded Canadian university or college in Canada, not just Ontario. Applications for permanent residence in Canada processed pursuant to the Ontario PNP program benefit from expedited processing. Contact the Bomza Law Group’s experience Canadian Immigration Lawyers at 1-800-993-9971 for further information with respect to the above program.