Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Overview

Ontario is Canada’s most populous province, home to the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto. It is Canada’s leading manufacturing province and abounds in natural resources. However, the largest part of its economy is the services sector, which employs 79% of the province and includes business, financial, professional and technical services, as well as culture and arts.

Ontario’s varied landscape ranges from the rocky and mineral-rich Canadian Shield to more than 250,000 lakes which form one-fifth of the world’s freshwater reserves. Moreover, about 60% of the province’s land is classified as forested land, representing 2% of the world’s forests.

Multiculturalism is highly celebrated in Ontario, Toronto being called the most multicultural city in the world. Indeed, more than one hundred languages and dialects are spoken here, including several Algonquian-speaking and Iroquoian-speaking Aboriginal peoples.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the province’s economic immigration program. It works in partnership with the Government of Canada through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Foreign workers, international students and others with the right skills, experience and education apply to the OINP for a nomination.

The OINP recognizes and nominates people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience the Ontario economy needs, and the Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.

OINP Business Category – Entrepreneur Stream

International experienced business persons, who want to own and run their own business in the province of Ontario, can apply through this stream. Once the application of the candidate is successfully processed, they are issued a temporary work permit support letter – that is based on a performance agreement –to establish a business in the province. If the candidate can meet all the conditions of the signed performance agreement, then they are nominated for Canada permanent resident visa.

The minimum requirements to be eligible under the OINP’s Entrepreneur Stream are as follows:

• Business owner/managerial work experience;
• High Net Worth (minimum CAD $800,000);
• Personal Investment funds (minimum CAD $500,000);
• Create two or more jobs;