Maple News reports that Ontario continued to push forward with its immigration strategy in 2020, nominating a substantial number of skilled professionals through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) despite the global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 8,054 principal applicants were nominated by the province last year, bringing the total number of nominations — including accompanying spouses and dependents — to 15,303. While not all nominees may have moved to Ontario immediately, each received provincial support for their permanent residency applications to the federal government.
Originally allocated 7,350 nominations by the federal government, Ontario exceeded this limit after receiving an extra 300 slots under a pilot for NOC C level workers (classified as lower-skilled roles), and an additional 450 nominations was granted later. These extensions reflected growing demand in key sectors and helped Ontario address pressing labour market needs.
The province notably prioritized professionals in high-demand sectors: 20% of all nominations went to individuals with job offers or experience in tech fields such as software engineering, programming, and IT analysis. Another 20% of nominees had skilled trades backgrounds. More than 1,100 nominations came through the Express Entry Skilled Trades stream, underscoring Ontario’s focus on filling gaps in its construction and industrial sectors.
Out of all provincial nominees, 3,499 were Express Entry candidates. They were selected through Ontario’s three enhanced streams: the Human Capital Priorities Stream (1,996), Skilled Trades Stream (1,106), and French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream (397). These nominees gained a significant advantage: provincial nomination adds 600 points to an Express Entry profile, virtually guaranteeing an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
French-speaking candidates also saw strong representation. Ontario issued 437 nominations to Francophone applicants, exceeding its self-imposed target of 5% French-language admissions by reaching 5.4%.
Ontario is also investing in regional growth. Through the Regional Immigration Pilot, designed to help smaller communities attract skilled workers, 67 of the 150 planned nominations were issued in 2020 due to pandemic-related delays. However, the province aims to allocate up to 233 nominations through this stream in 2021 to compensate.
Meanwhile, 2020 marked a milestone for business immigration in Ontario. The first nomination under the Entrepreneur Stream was issued, and 18 other entrepreneurs entered the final stages of their applications. Altogether, these ventures are expected to invest over $22.4 million in the province and create 92 jobs for local residents.
Looking ahead, Ontario will modernize its Employer Job Offer and International Graduate streams by introducing an Expression of Interest (EOI) system, expected to launch in spring 2021. This new system aims to make the selection process more transparent and responsive to labour market needs.
These efforts highlight Ontario’s commitment to building a dynamic economy through targeted immigration pathways that attract talent, foster entrepreneurship, and support community development across the province.