The document provides information about Ontario's Opportunities Ontario program for international students. It outlines three streams for permanent residency: 1) a PhD graduate stream, 2) a pilot Masters graduate stream, and 3) a stream for students with a job offer in Ontario. For each stream, it describes eligibility requirements and how to apply. Overall, the program provides pathways to permanent residency for international students graduating from Ontario institutions and aims to attract and retain skilled talent in the province.

1. Opportunities Ontario:
Provincial Nominee Program
International Students
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA
Centennial College
April 4th, 2014

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What do I, as an international
student, need to know?
• What does Opportunities Ontario offer?
• Under which stream of the International
Student category can I apply?
• Who is eligible under each stream?
• How do I apply?
• What happens if I am approved?

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What does
Opportunities Ontario
offer?
• A pathway to permanent
residence in Ontario
• Fast-tracking of permanent
residence application by
Citizenship and Immigration
Canada (CIC)

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Why choose Opportunities
Ontario?
• No work experience requirement
• No points system
• No job offer requirement for PhD and
Masters graduates
• No language testing for international
students applying with a job offer or as
PhD graduates
• Provincial Nominees receive priority
processing from CIC

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Apply to Opportunities
Ontario
Opportunities Ontario
Nominates (Selects)
Apply to CIC
CIC Checks Admissibility
Permanent Resident
Visa
Apply to CIC
CIC Selects (CEC, Point
System etc.)
CIC Checks
Admissibility
Permanent Resident
Visa
Opportunities Ontario CIC

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International student category
Without a job offer:
1. PhD Graduate Stream allows PhD graduates from
an Ontario publicly funded university to apply to live
permanently in Ontario.
2. Pilot Masters Graduate Stream allows
international Masters students who are graduates of
(from an Ontario publicly funded university (or in their
last semester of the program) to apply to live
permanently in Ontario.

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International student category – Cont’d
With a Job Offer:
3. Students with a Job Offer Stream allows
students
who have graduated from a publicly funded
Canadian college or university to apply to live
permanently in Ontario, if their employer has
recruited them for a permanent, full-time position in
a profession or skilled trade.
*Requires that employer apply to the program first
for approval.

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1. PhD graduate stream
Who is eligible?
PhD students
• who intend to live permanently in Ontario
• who have graduated, or successfully completed degree
requirements:
– at a publicly funded university in Ontario,
– with at least two years of their PhD studies completed at an Ontario
university
• must apply within two years of the date their PhD degree
was granted
• must have legal status, if they are in Canada

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2. Pilot Masters graduate stream
Who is eligible?
Masters students
• who intend to live permanently in Ontario
• who have graduated, or will soon be graduating, from an
existing Masters program
– at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario
– that is a minimum of one academic year degree program, on a full-
time basis
• can apply within two years of the date on which their
Masters degree was granted, or during the last semester of
completing their degree
• must be currently be residing in Ontario
• must have legal status in Canada

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2. Pilot Masters graduate stream - Cont’d
• Masters students need to demonstrate
– high official language proficiency
– (For English language proficiency – IELTS – General test with
a minimum score of 7 or higher) (For French language
proficiency – TEF – with a minimum score of 5 or higher)
– a minimum level of savings/income to support
themselves and their dependants
– at least one year of residence in Ontario in the past
two years
– to not have further studies as their main activity in the
province (e.g., pursuing a PhD or another
degree/diploma).

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How to apply?
• Graduate nominees submit a Nominee Application Form* for International
PhD/Masters Graduates directly to Opportunities Ontario for approval
• If approved by Opportunities Ontario, the PhD/Masters student nominees
submit their permanent residence application to CIC (link to Immigrating
as a Provincial Nominee section of www.cic.gc.ca)
• CIC to conduct health, security and criminality checks, if no concerns, CIC
grants permanent residence
Average processing time is 15 months for Provincial Nominees (Buffalo)
*International Student PhD/Masters Graduate Application Form and Nominee Application
Guide are available on Opportunities Ontario website
(link to Forms and Guides section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca)

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3. With job offer stream
Who is eligible?
• International students who have graduated within the past
two years or are completing their last semester at a publicly
funded Canadian college or university
• All students must have completed at least half of their
qualifying studies in Canada
• Students must have legal status, if they are in Canada
• Students must have an offer of permanent and full-time
employment from an Ontario employer

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What programs are eligible?
For international students applying under the job offer
stream the following programs are eligible:
• Full-time diploma or degree programs (minimum of 2 years)
• One-year post-graduate degree programs and certificate
programs, for which a previous degree or diploma is a pre-
requisite, are also eligible
Part-time studies and preparatory college programs do not qualify

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What are the job
requirements?
The job offer must be:
• for a job in Ontario
• permanent and full-time
• at least at the entry level wage*
• in managerial, professional or skilled
trade occupation
*To learn what people are paid in various occupations across Canada, visit
www.workingincanada.gc.ca
The job offer does not have to be related to your field of study

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Examples of eligible occupations:
• managerial occupations such as health care managers, and
computer/information systems managers (National
Occupational Classification - NOC - O)
• occupations (e.g. nurses, system analysts) that usually
require university education (NOC A)
• occupations (e.g. medical radiation technologists,
carpenters) that usually require college education or
apprenticeship training (NOC B)

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Employer eligibility criteria
Employers are eligible if they:
• have been in active business for the past 3 years
• have at least 3 full-time permanent employees (5 for
employers in the GTA)
• meet the minimum gross revenue criteria of $500,000
($1 million for employers in the GTA)
• have business premises in Ontario

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How to get your employer
interested
• Know the Program - it is up to you to
convince your employer to take part
• Research the Program – so that you can
provide your employer with all the
important information
• Let the employer know their pre-screen
application process is free
• Direct your employer to the
www.ontarioimmigration.ca website

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How to apply?
Step 1: Employers submit a Pre-screen Application to Opportunities
Ontario requesting positions for which the employer would like to
recruit a foreign national. Applications will be processed on a first-
come-first-served basis
(link to Employer section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca)
Step 2: The individuals who have been recruited submit a nominee
application package to the Opportunities Ontario program along with
an application fee. Applications will be processed on a first-come-first-
served basis
(link to International Student section of www.ontarioimmigration.ca)
Employer and Nominee eligibility criteria and Pre-screen Application
Forms are available on Opportunities Ontario website

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What happens if I am approved?
• Similar to the PhD/Masters student nominee, the student
nominee with a job offer submits their permanent
residence application to CIC within six months of receiving
written notice of the approval from Opportunities Ontario
• All prospective nominees in Canada should consider
applying for a post-graduation work permit

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1-866-214-6820 (toll-free in North America)
416-327-0374
Opportunities.Ontario@ontario.ca
Opportunities Ontario: Study, Work, Stay
@OntMCI
How to Contact Us