Ontario expands its EOI system, leads in making pathways to attract international students

Syed Khan – 09 August 9, 2021

 Ontario is a magnet for international students as the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showed the central Canadian province’s share of international students jumped from 37 percent in the early 2000s to almost half, 49 percent, during the 2015 to 2019 period.

Last month Ontario had opened a new Expression of Interest (EOI) system for two of its provincial immigration programs.  Ontario graduates with job offers in the province can now register for a chance to get a provincial nomination through two more immigration programs. The programs that use the EOI system now include In-Demand Skills, International Student, and Foreign Worker, Masters Graduate and Ph.D. graduate.

What is the purpose of the EOI system?

Candidates from these 5 categories can register for Ontario immigration at any time. Through this system, Ontario Immigration uses a scoring matrix to ranks candidates’ profiles. The candidates get points for education, work experience, and intended destination in Ontario, among other factors. The purpose of ranking candidates in such a way is to identify which ones have the skills and experience to succeed in Ontario’s labor market.

How to apply for Ontario’s base PNP:

• Register an EOI profile, registration is free
• After registering, your profile will be entered into a selection pool and given a score based on your answers. Please note that an EOI registration does not guarantee that you will receive an invitation to apply. The OINP will notify you or your representative if you have been invited.
• Your EOI registration is valid for up to 12 months. After 12 months, your EOI will be deleted automatically.
• If you are invited to apply you will have to submit fees along with your application
• Receiving an invitation does not mean you get the provincial nomination. You will have to meet all the eligibility requirements of the stream you are applying for at that time.
• You can only register one EOI profile at any given time.
• The information you provide must be accurate at the time you register. You can update your profile at any time to keep the information current.

Scoring factors as listed on the Ontario government webpage:

• Job offer: NOC skill level

(Not applied to Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams.)

1. NOC Skill Level A – 10 points
2. NOC Skill Level B – 8 points
3. NOC Skill Level C – 0 points
4. NOC Skill Level D – 0 points

• Job offer: NOC type
• NOC Type 0,1,2,3,9 – 10 points
• NOC Type 4,5,6,7,8 – 5 points

• Job offer: wage

(Not applied to Masters Graduate or PhD Graduate streams.)

1. $40 per hour or higher – 10 points
2. $20 to $39.99 per hour – 5 points
3. Less than $20 per hour – 0 points

• Canadian work experience: length Cumulative
• 12 Months or more – 4 points
• Less than 12 months – 0 points

• Canadian work experience: NOC Skill Level
• NOC Skill Level A – 3 points
• NOC Skill Level B – 0 points
• NOC Skill Level C – 0 points
• NOC Skill Level D – 0 points

• Canadian work experience: earnings history
• $40k or more earnings in a year – 3 points
• Less than $40k earnings in a year – 0 points

• Highest level of education
• PhD – 10 points
• Masters – 8 points
• Bachelors or equivalent – 6 points
• College diploma or trade certificate – 5 points
• Less than college or trade certificate – 0 points

• Field of study

(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams)

1. Engineering – 10 points
2. Health care – 10 points
3. Math and Computer Science – 9 points
4. Business and Administration – 7 points
5. Trades – 7 points
6. Social, Legal, and Education – 6 points
7. Arts and Humanities – 5 points

• Canadian education experience

(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.)

1. More than one Canadian credential – 10 points
2. One Canadian credential – 5 points

• Official language ability

(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.)

1. CLB 9 or higher – 10 points
2. CLB 8 – 6 points
3. CLB 7 – 4 points
4. CLB 6 or lower – 0 points

• Knowledge of official languages

(Not applied to Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills streams.)

1. 2 Official Languages – 10 points
2. 1 Official Language – 5 points

• Regional immigration: location of job Offer

(Not applied to Masters or PhD streams.)

1. Outside GTA – 10 points
2. Inside GTA – 6 points

• Regional immigration: location of study

(Not applied to Masters or PhD streams.)

1. Outside GTA – 10 points
2. Inside GTA – 6 points

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need