OINP Employer / Job Offer Category – Foreign Worker

The OINP Employer/Job Offer Category offers an opportunity to skilled foreign workers with job offers to permanently settle in the province of Ontario.

For an applicant to be nominated under this category, both the employer and the foreign worker must submit applications and be approved by OINP. Eligible employers are required to first submit a Pre-screen Application to OINP to have the position they wish to fill approved. If OINP approves the application, the prospective nominee (the foreign worker the employer is seeking to hire), must submit an Application to OINP within 60 days of the approval date of the Pre-screen Application.

Minimum Requirements for Foreign Worker

To be eligible as a foreign worker under the OINP General Category, applicants must:

• Have at least two years (24 months) of paid work experience, either in Canada or abroad, within the past five years in their intended occupation OR have the appropriate registration in Ontario, if applying for a position in a regulated occupation in the province;
• Have a permanent, full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC levels 0, A, or B) from an Ontario employer; and
• Be residing outside Canada OR residing/working or visiting Canada on a valid work permit, study permit or visitor record.

Minimum Requirements for Employers

To be eligible under this immigration category, the Ontario employer must:

• Have been in active business for at least three years;
• Have business premises in Ontario where the prospective nominee will work;
• Demonstrate sufficient proof of recruitment efforts if the prospective nominee is currently living abroad, visiting Canada, or working in a province or territory other than Ontario;
• Be in compliance with all provincial labour laws, including, but not limited to, employment standards, health and safety, and labour relations legislation; and
• For employers located inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
  • Have a minimum gross revue for the most recent fiscal year of $1,000,000, and
  • Have at least five permanent full-time employees.
• For employers located outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
  • Have a minimum gross revenue for the most recent fiscal year of $500,000, and
  • Have at least three permanent full-time employees.

Employers within the GTA can request one position for every five full-time employees while employers outside of the GTA can request one position for every three full-time employees.

Regardless of the number of positions an employer is seeking to fill, they must only complete one Pre-screen Application form. Employers are limited to a maximum of 20 position requests per calendar year.

Minimum Requirements for Positions

The job position offered must meet the following requirements:

• The position must meet the description of a “skilled occupation” defined by the government as NOC level 0, A, or B;
• The job offered must be for a permanent, full-time position (minimum 1,560 hours of paid employment in a 12-month period);
• The offer must meet prevailing wage rates for the occupation in Ontario;
• The offer must not affect the settlement of any labour dispute or the employment of any person involved in such a dispute;
• The offer must not adversely affect employment or training opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Ontario; and
• The position itself must be necessary for the company’s operations.