How can I get permanent residency in Canada without a job offer?
Did you know that you can obtain a provincial nomination in certain cases without having a job offer?
Did you know that you can obtain a provincial nomination in certain cases without having a job offer? It depends on the specific province and on the immigration stream you are applying under.
Want to find out more? Keep reading.
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Human Capital Priorities Stream
OINP has several immigration streams for attracting skilled workers to live and work in the province. One stream that does not require a job offer is Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream.
Isn’t Express Entry a federal immigration portal run by IRCC?
Yes, it is.
However, Express Entry works in conjunction with provincial nominee programs (PNPs) like OINP to enable the selection potential candidates for a provincial nomination from Express Entry’s pools of candidates.
Here’s a general outline of how the process works in several stages:
Is Applying Through the OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream Really That Easy?
No, you have to leap through a number of hoops to meet several sets of requirements.
In the end, however, if your job experience and other skills and qualifications are deemed key for Ontario’s economy, you may very well be able to immigrate to Canada and live and work in Ontario with your brand-new permanent residence visa without ever having had a job offer.
Let’s walk through the process and see how it’s done.
Who qualifies for the OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream?
There are 7 mandatory requirements for OINP’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream:
OINP Human Capital Priorities Work Experience Requirements
You must have 1 year of full-time, continuous work experience in a NOC occupation type 0 or level A (management jobs) or level B (skilled worker jobs).
Go here to see the NOC occupational classification system and to find the one closest to the occupation under which you plan to apply.
Your work must not have any interruptions (vacation time or paid-sick leave do not count as interruptions) over the year and the 1560 hours you must accumulate have to be over at least a 1-year period. It must be paid work of at least 30 hours per week, and can be either one or several simultaneous or consecutive jobs (with no breaks between ending one job and starting another) and can also be a part-time job of at least 15 hours per week over a 2-year period.
- If you choose to apply under FSW, your work experience can be either in Canada or abroad as long as it is under the same NOC occupation you use to create your Express Entry profile and apply to OINP (having received an NOI) under – Your work experience must have been within the 5 years prior the date of your application to OINP.
- If you choose to apply under CEC, your work experience must be in Canada as well as under the appropriate NOC occupation as with FSW – Your work experience must have been within the 3 years prior to the date of your application to OINP.
OINP Human Capital Priorities Education Requirements
You must have a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree, either from a Canadian institution or at the equivalent level. Post-secondary (tertiary) programs of 3 or 2 years do NOT qualify. You must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree which in Canada is a 4-year program in most cases.
If your education was abroad, you will need to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment. You must authorize whatever organization is doing your ECA (see link) to share your information with both IRCC and OINP. If you don’t do so your application will be sent back to you as incomplete.
OINP Human Capital Priorities Lanugage Requirements
You must score at least 7 in the Canadian Languages Benchmark (CLB) system in all 4 areas (listening, reading, speaking, and writing). For the 2 English-language tests accepted by OINP and IRCC, this is equivalent to:
- CELPIP Test: 7 or higher in all 4 areas
- IELTS Test: 6.0 or higher in all 4 areas.
OINP Human Capital Priorities Settlement Funds Requirements
Also called proof of funds by IRCC, this is the amount of money you need to have in order to enter Canada as a permanent resident visa holder.
For example, a single person needs $12,960 (Canadian) while a family of 7 would need $34,299. Go here to see the chart for funds required. You can fulfill this requirement by:
- Funds in your bank or investment account;
- Wages from your ongoing job in Ontario (if already working in the province);
- Wages you will be earning from a job offer in Ontario.
OINP Human Capital Priorities Intent to live in Ontario Requirement
Your ties to the province must be convincing to OINP (although there is some debate whether this infringes your charter of rights under Canadian law).
The OINP will look at things like:
- Are you working or have you worked in Ontario?
- Do you have a job offer in Ontario? (though this is not a mandatory requirement)
- Do you own property in the province?
- Do you have family ties in the province?
- Other similar indications which point to your living in Ontario and not another province.
OINP Human Capital Priorities Status in Canada Requirement
If you are applying from within Canada you must have legal status including implied status – i.e. you already applied to extend your status before your legal status expired and are awaiting a decision from IRCC.
Federal Skilled Worker Selection Factors for the OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream
If you apply under FSW (rather than CEC) then you must have at least 67 points under their selection factors. This will be assessed when you submit your profile to Express Entry. Go here for more information on selection factors.
How about documents I might need for the OINP?
Remember that to upload any required documents you should scan all required documents for your OINP application before you begin to fill out the online application form. Go here to see a complete list of the documents you will require.
How much does it cost to apply for the OINP
Your application fee for the OINP Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream is $1,500. It can only be paid by Visa or Mastercard debit or credit cards. No other method will be accepted. Your application fee will only be refunded if:
How do I apply for my OINP nomination?
- Go here and scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see the blue Submit an Application button. Click on the button.
- Choose: returning user OR new applicant.
- Choose: Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream.
- If you are a new applicant pre-register with name and date of birth.
- Create a ONe–key account.
- Log in to ONe–key account and return to OINP e-filing portal.
- Create profile in OINP e-filing portal.
- Click Finish to return to main e-filing portal page.
- Click on file number beside Human Capital Priorities Stream to begin application. (This takes about 3 hours – you can finish at later time but must send the application in 45 days from receiving your NOI.)
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) – International Skilled Worker
There are several sub-categories in this program which do not require a job offer although other sub-categories do. The following two sub-categories are for NOC type 0 or level A or B occupations but do not require a job offer:
Here’s a general outline of how the application process works for SINP – International Skilled Worker:
Do I need to submit an Express Entry profile first to apply for the SINP?
Yes, for the International Skilled Worker – Express Entry sub-category you do. This will give you an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Code which you will both need.
You will also need the following as part of the Express Entry requirements:
- A language test (IELTS or CELPIP) and have a sufficient score for a skilled worker. (See above section on OINP for equivalent scores needed.)
- A post-secondary education of at least 1 year and earned a diploma, certificate or degree – You will need an ECA (educational credentials assessment) or licensure for a trade.
- You must be applying for an occupation that is NOT on the excluded occupations list here.
- Your work experience must be in the same field/occupation for which you are applying.
- Sufficient settlement funds and a settlement plan.
How do I create and submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) profile for the SINP?
- First you have to create what is called an OASIS account by going here, and then entering your personal details.
- Next, you determine your eligibility and sub-category (in this case: Express Entry or Occupations-in-demand).
- Then you complete your EOI points grid.
- Finally you review your EOI profile and then submit it.
Call us 1-866-760-2623 / (+1) 416-962-2623 or [email protected]
What are the Requirements for the SINP
Unfortunately, although in some ways SINP has looser mandatory requirements than OINP as far as education goes (see below), you do require a minimum of 60 out of 100 in your EOI points grid.
The problem is that requirement excludes all but those with either very high levels of education and/or previous experience in Saskatchewan or family connections to Saskatchewan (siblings who already live there for example).
Go here to see more about the points grid, or refer to the following table:
| PART I: LABOUR MARKET SUCCESS | |
|---|---|
| EDUCATION & TRAINING | |
| Master’s PhD | 23 |
| Bachelor’s or 3 or more years degree | 20 |
| Trade certification | 20 |
| 2-year diploma | 15 |
| 1-year or 2-semester certificate | 12 |
| SKILLED WORK EXPERIENCE 5 years prior to applying | |
| 5 years experience | 10 |
| 4 years experience | 8 |
| 3 years experience | 6 |
| 2 years experience | 4 |
| 1 year experience | 2 |
| SKILLED WORK EXPERIENCE 6 – 10 years prior to applying | |
| 5 years | 5 |
| 4 years | 4 |
| 3 years | 3 |
| 2 years | 2 |
| Less than 1 year | 0 |
| LANGUAGE ABILITY | |
| CLB 8 or higher (IELTS 7.5 listening rest 6.5) | 20 |
| CLB 7 (IELTS 6.0) | 18 |
| CLB 6 (IELTS 5.5 Reading 5.0) | 16 |
| CLB 5 (IELTS 5.0 Reading 4.0) | 14 |
| CLB 4 (IELTS 4.5 listening, 3.5 reading, 4.0 rest) | 12 |
| AGE | |
| Under 18 | 0 |
| 18 – 21 | 8 |
| 22 – 34 | 12 |
| 35 – 45 | 10 |
| 46 – 50 | 8 |
| Over 50 | 0 |
| MAXIMUM POINTS FOR FACTOR I | 70 |
| II: CONNECTION TO SASKATCHEWAN | |
| Close relative in Saskatchewan | 20 |
| Past work experience in Saskatchewan | 5 |
| Past student experience in Saskatchewan | 5 |
| MAXIMUM POINTS FOR FACTOR II | 30 |
| MAXIMUM TOTAL POINTS | |
| MAXIMUM TOTAL POINTS | 100 |
As you can see, without connections to Saskatchewan you need 60 out of 70 points in the first factor.
For example, someone with:
- trade certification accepted in the province (20 points)
- 5 years experience in the previous 5 years before the date of application (10 points)
- language ability of CLB 7 or IELTS 6.0 (18 points)
- and who is 32 years old (12 points)
is what it takes to get to the required minimum of 60 points without any connections to Saskatchewan.
Can I apply for any job in Saskatchewan?
No, some are restricted. That means you have to be applying for a non-restricted occupation in Saskatchewan. Go here for a list of restricted occupations for which you can’t apply under the SINP International Worker program.
What happens after I submit my EOI profile?
Once you have submitted your EOI profile, if your points are high enough, you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from SINP.
When you receive an ITA, you will have 60 days to submit an application for a provincial nomination under these two sub-categories in the SINP nomination program.
How much are the fees for the SINP?
Finally, the fee for this program is a more reasonable $350 which you must pay after you receive an ITA and when you submit your application.
Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Express Entry Stream (Category B)
In this category you do not need a job offer but you do need to have experience in one of their listed occupations. Here are the requirements for this category of their Express Entry Stream:
- Valid diploma, certificate, or credential from a Canadian institution or an ECA of its foreign equivalent.
- At least 1 year of full-time work experience in the last 6 years in an occupation with NOC skill type 0 or skill level A or B.
- CLB 7 in each of the 4 language abilities (IELTS: 6.0 or higher in all 4 abilities; CELPIP 7 or higher in all 4 abilities)
- Obtain 67 or more out of 100 in the Express Entry FSW’s Selection Factors. Go here for more information.
How do I apply for the NSNP Express Entry Category B Stream?
- Create an Express Entry profile.
- Submit an ECA.
- Submit a language test (IELTS or CELPIP).
- Show proof of sufficient funds.
- Provide a settlement plan with a detailed explanation of why you wish to live in Nova Scotia.
- Go here to begin the online application process.
- Be sure to have all required documents scanned in order to upload them.
- They should be saved as PDF attachments.
- The NSOI (Nova Scotia Office of Immigration) will assess your application:
- If you are nominated, you need to accept the nomination within 30 days in the Express Entry system where you will be notified electronically.
- You will then receive an ITA (Invitation to Apply) from IRCC which you must respond to within 90 days.
- If you are successful you will be sent a permanent resident visa from IRCC
- Wait for a Notification of Interest from NS.
- Go here for a detailed application guide.
For further information email: [email protected]
So, there you have several options for obtaining a provincial nomination towards your PR visa without actually having a job offer. However, you do need to show you have experience in occupations deemed relevant to the provincial economy.
