The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has broadened its scope, making more newcomers eligible for provincial nomination under the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream.
Announced on July 4 by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development, this update includes 35 new National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes.
Newly Added Occupations:
| NOC CODE | OCCUPATION |
| 14400 | Shippers and Receivers |
| 14402 | Production Logistics Workers |
| 65320 | Dry Cleaning, Laundry, and Related Occupations |
| 74200 | Railway Yard and Track Maintenance Workers |
| 74203 | Automotive and Heavy Truck and Equipment Parts Installers and Servicers |
| 74204 | Utility Maintenance Workers |
| 74205 | Public Works Maintenance Equipment Operators and Related Workers |
| 75101 | Material Handlers |
| 75119 | Other Trades Helpers and Laborers |
| 75211 | Railway and Motor Transport Laborers |
| 75212 | Public Works and Maintenance Laborers |
| 85102 | Aquaculture and Marine Harvest Laborers |
| 94101 | Foundry Workers |
| 94102 | Glass Forming and Finishing Machine Operators and Glass Cutters |
| 94103 | Concrete, Clay, and Stone Forming Operators |
| 94104 | Inspectors and Testers, Mineral and Metal Processing |
| 94112 | Rubber Processing Machine Operators and Related Workers |
| 94120 | Sawmill Machine Operators |
| 94121 | Pulp Mill, Papermaking, and Finishing Machine Operators |
| 94123 | Lumber Graders and Other Wood Processing Inspectors and Graders |
| 94142 | Fish and Seafood Plant Workers |
| 94143 | Testers and Graders, Food and Beverage Processing |
| 94200 | Motor Vehicle Assemblers, Inspectors, and Testers |
| 94202 | Assemblers and Inspectors, Electrical Appliance, Apparatus, and Equipment Manufacturing |
| 94203 | Assemblers, Fabricators, and Inspectors, Industrial Electrical Motors and Transformers |
| 94205 | Machine Operators and Inspectors, Electrical Apparatus Manufacturing |
| 94211 | Assemblers and Inspectors of Other Wood Products |
| 94212 | Plastic Products Assemblers, Finishers, and Inspectors |
| 95100 | Laborers in Mineral and Metal Processing |
| 95101 | Laborers in Metal Fabrication |
| 95103 | Laborers in Wood, Pulp, and Paper Processing |
| 95104 | Laborers in Rubber and Plastic Products Manufacturing |
| 95106 | Laborers in Food and Beverage Processing |
| 95107 | Laborers in Fish and Seafood Processing |
These additions follow extensive consultations with provincial stakeholders in Fall 2023.
Eligibility Criteria for Ontario’s PNP In-Demand Occupation:
The Employer Job Offer:
In-Demand Occupations Stream targets critical job vacancies across Ontario, focusing on sectors such as agriculture, construction, trades, and manufacturing. To qualify, candidates must have a full-time job offer from an Ontario employer. This entails working at least 1,560 hours annually, or at least 30 hours per week, in a permanent position.
Candidates must also meet these criteria:
- At least nine months of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience in the same NOC code as the job offer within the last three years.
- A Canadian Language Benchmark score of four or higher in English or French.
- A Canadian high school diploma or equivalent foreign credential (Education Credential Assessment required for non-Canadian education).
- If the job offer is for a licensed profession, a valid license from the relevant provincial regulatory authority is required.
Note: Job offers must be outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), except for NOC 75119 – Other Trades Helpers and Laborers.
Ontario PNP’s Role in Canadian Immigration:
Each province and territory in Canada, except Quebec and Nunavut, operates a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These programs enable provinces to nominate economic immigration candidates who align with local financial needs. A nomination significantly strengthens a candidate’s application for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
In 2023, Ontario issued 16,506 nominations through the OINP, with 463 nominations going to the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Occupations Stream. For 2024, the federal government has increased Ontario’s nomination allocation to 21,500, the highest of any PNP in Canada. Canada aims to welcome 110,000 newcomers through PNPs by the end of the year.
The province seeks to address urgent labor market needs and support economic growth by expanding the Ontario’s PNP In-Demand Occupation. This initiative provides skilled professionals a viable pathway to settle and thrive in Ontario.
