Employer's Guide to OINP Employer Job Offer Streams
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer Streams helps Ontario businesses and organizations hire and retain international talent for permanent, full-time (indeterminate) positions in eligible occupations.
With the support of an eligible employer, the streams under this program provide foreign workers, newly graduated international students, and in-demand workers a pathway to permanent residence in Ontario.
Should you wish to support your employee through one of these streams, please contact Queen鈥檚 Immigration Consultant, Era Macwan, at immigration@queensu.ca via the OINP Employer Job Offer Stream Form.
All applications are processed by Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Queen鈥檚 University cannot influence a decision, assist, or help expedite applications.
Process
The job offer must:
- Be permanent and full-time.
- Full-time means the job must be a minimum of 1,560 hours a year and a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week.
- Permanent means the job must have no end date (also known as an indeterminate duration).
- Job Offers that are seasonal and/or contract based are ineligible.
- Be in a skilled occupation which meets Training, Education, Experience, Responsibility (TEER) category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the (NOC).
- Meet or be higher than the level, for that occupation in the specific region of Ontario.
- These wage requirements do not apply if the position is a part of a collective agreement (a written contract between the employer and a union).
- Be urgently necessary to support the maintenance or growth of the department's needs, which means that if the position were to become vacant, it would need to be immediately filled.
- Be performed in Ontario.
Note: The job offer will not qualify if it affects the employment of a person involved in a labour dispute.
Learn more on the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Job Offer Stream .
To support the retention of skilled employees, employers must show that they made reasonable efforts to hire Canadian citizens or permanent residents before offering the role to a foreign national. This requirement does not apply if:
- The applicant already has a valid work permit to work in Ontario, or
- A positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) has been issued.
NOTE: If the applicant holds a valid work permit, a positive LMIA is not required.
The OINP is designed to assist employers in filling roles when qualified domestic candidates are not available due to skills shortages. Employers are expected to conduct recruitment efforts within Canada, either directly or with the assistance of professional recruitment agencies or consultants specializing in sourcing local talent.
Any employee requests for support through OINP Employer Job Offer Stream must be first assessed for program eligibility by Queen's Immigration Consultant.
If an employee meets the eligibility criteria of the OINP Employer Job Offer Stream, an OINP employer portal application for Job Offer submission and Position Approval application must be made. These applications are completed and submitted by Queen's Immigration Consultant
Please refer to the for detailed procedure on how to support an employee through OINP Employer Job Offer Stream. [Queen's NetID and password required].
To begin the process please complete the and submit the request to the Queen's Immigration Consultant
Employer Responsibilities
All employers must comply with provincial and federal immigration laws. Contact Queen鈥檚 Immigration Consultant to learn more about employer responsibility when supporting an employee under OINP employer job offer streams.
- Track and monitor work permit expiry date.
- Track and monitor maintained status expiry date.
- Track and monitor Provincial Nomination Certificate expiry date.
- Track and monitor OINP Approval of Employment Position.
- Retain all immigration records for a minimum of six (6) years.
- Ensure wage, hours, job duties and working conditions match the offer of employment.
- Confirm no undeclared changes to compensation, duties, or conditions are made post-OINP Approval of Employment Position.
- Ensure no work is performed without valid work authorization; i.e. valid work permit.
- Consult with the Immigration Consultant before proposing any undeclared changes to compensation, duties, or conditions including promotion.
- Must obtain written confirmation from the Immigration Consultant that proposed changes are approved by OINP before implementation.
- Notify the Immigration Consultant immediately in case of termination or resignation.
- Must obtain written confirmation from the Immigration Consultant that OINP office was informed and the Offer of Employment is withdrawn.
- Request for a new LMIA-Exempt Offer of Employment prior to work permit expiry.
- Confirm extension applications are submitted before current work permit expiry.
- Follow-up with the employee for update on work permit extension application.
- Monitor vacation requests of employees to confirm travel plans of employees on maintained status to avoid loss of authorization.
- Ask the employee to reach out to the Immigration Consultant prior to travelling.
- Confirm employee remains in Canada during processing of work permit renewal application to ensure status remains valid.