Foreign nationals will no longer be able to apply directly to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer streams after upcoming changes come into effect.
On July 2, the OINP will launch a new online employer portal.
Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams
Under the new portal, the job offer streams will shift from an applicant-led process to an employer-led process, wherein employers must now initiate an application by sending details directly to the OINP before a candidate can register an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Foreign nationals who have already submitted an EOI through these streams will see their candidates profile automatically expire and will need to work with their employers to resubmit their candidate profiles, in accordance with this change.
Prior to this change, foreign nationals would initiate the EOI process under OINP’s Employer: Job Offer streams and ask their employer to submit an “Application for Approval of an Employment Position (Employer Form)” in support of their candidacy.
The following streams will be affected:
Details of these changes and next steps for individuals impacted are detailed in the timeline below.
Timeline of changes coming to these streams
The changes coming to job offer streams of the OINP will be conducted in the following phases:
- June 20 to July 2: No new EOIs will be accepted under any of the Employer: Job Offer streams;
- June 21 and June 22: Existing EOIs under the Employer: Job Offer streams will expire and be automatically withdrawn from the OINP’s system;
- June 27–29: After closing intake for these streams, the OINP’s online system will be unavailable for any of the program’s streams;
- July 2: The new OINP Employer Portal will open for registration.
Once the Employer Portal opens on July 2, employers will be able to register and provide employment position information to the province. This will also allow foreign nationals who previously had EOIs in the system to re-register their EOIs with the help of their employers.
The OINP advises that new EOIs registered after 2 July will be “eligible for future program draws and will be valid for 12 months.”
The province will provide more information on the new employer-led application process soon.
Other upcoming changes
The province is planning additional changes to the OINPO, including
- Granting inspectors the authority to require in-person interviews with OINP applicants;
- Requiring job posting platforms to have dedicated sections to report fraudulent publicly advertised employment postings; and
- Reviewing how employers access electronic information of job candidates, including an assessment of existing practices, possible privacy limitations, and any additional privacy obligations.
