Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
It gives foreign nationals with Ontario work experience in eligible skilled trades the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.
You must have a valid profile in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) Express Entry system and receive a Notification of Interest from Ontario before you can apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
1. Create a profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system
You must have a profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system before we can send you a Notification of Interest (NOI), which you need before you can apply to Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream.
2. Make sure you meet the mandatory requirements
This stream has a number of mandatory requirements you must meet before you can apply.
3. Understand the application process
Please note:
you have 45 calendar days after you receive your NOI to apply to this stream
you have to pay by credit card, we only accept Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard and MasterCard Debit
4. Have your supporting documents ready
You also need to make sure you have all your supporting documents, in English or French, scanned and ready to upload when you apply. If you do not, your application will be returned as incomplete and your application fee will be refunded.
1. IRCC’s Express Entry system
Express Entry is an online system IRCC uses to manage applications for permanent residence in Canada. We can search the system to find candidates who may meet the criteria of one of Ontario’s Express Entry streams.
Once you are ready, you can create your Express Entry profile.
If you meet the Express Entry criteria, you will be accepted into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You will receive an Express Entry profile number and a job seeker validation code. You will need to submit these with your application to the OINP.
To qualify for Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream, you must also meet the requirements of the federal government’s Canadian Experience Class.
What we do
We search IRCC’s Express Entry pool to find candidates who may meet the criteria of Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream.
If we identify you as a candidate, we will send you a Notification of Interest (NOI) through your IRCC online account inviting you to submit an online application to the OINP
Please note: Before you apply, you will need to make sure you meet the mandatory requirements for this stream. An NOI does not guarantee that you meet stream criteria or that your application will be approved.
You have 45 calendar days after you receive a NOI through your IRCC online account to complete and submit an application to the OINP.
Not all Express Entry candidates who meet Ontario’s stream criteria will receive a NOI. You can review the details of each search conducted in the Express Entry pool.
2. Mandatory requirements
To qualify under Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream, you must meet all the criteria in the seven categories below. You do not need a job offer to apply.
at least one year of cumulative paid full-time work experience (or the equivalent in paid part-time work) in Ontario in a skilled trade that is listed in Minor Group 633 or Major Groups 72, 73 or 82 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
Your work experience must have been:
obtained within the last two years from the date of submitting your application to the OINP
in one or more of the occupations that you identified in your Express Entry profile
obtained in Ontario while maintaining legal status in Canada
Cumulative means:
the work you’ve done must add up to one year, but it does not have to be one year of continuous work
Full-time work experience means:
working in a job with at least 30 hours of paid work in a week that amounts to at least 1,560 hours of paid work in one year
Part-time equivalent work experience means:
working in one job for at least 15 hours per week for two years that amounts to at least 1,560 hours in that two-year period, or
working in more than one job for at least 30 hours per week for one year that amounts to at least 1,560 hours of paid work in that one-year period
Please note:
your work experience must have been obtained over a period of at least one year
work experience totaling 1,560 hours obtained in less than one year period does not qualify
if you worked in a compulsory trade, only work experience acquired after becoming qualified to practice that occupation in Ontario will qualify
paid work experience gained while studying full time at a post-secondary institution (for example, on a co-op work term) and self-employment are not eligible
volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count as work experience
2. Valid certificate or licence (if applicable)
If you are claiming work experience in a compulsory trade, even if you are no longer working in the trade, you must have a valid certificate or licence in Ontario at the time you apply.
3. Current residence in Ontario and legal status in Canada
You must be living in Ontario and hold a valid work permit at the time you apply.
You are not required to have a job at the time you apply.
4. Language
You must be able to understand, read, write and speak either English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher.
To prove that you have the mandatory language skills, you must take an approved English or French language test before you submit your application to this stream.
The test must be no more than two years old at the time you submit your application.
For English tests, we accept:
International English Language Testing (IELTS) – we only accept the General Training test
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – we only accept the General test
For French tests, we accept:
Test d’évaluation de français pour le Canada (TEF)
Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada)
You must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members when you settle in Canada.
You can meet this requirement through one or a combination of any of the following:
funds as demonstrated by the balance listed in bank statements, or statements of accounts showing other investments such as non-locked in, fixed term deposits, mutual funds, etc.
annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario
You must intend to live in Ontario after you’re granted permanent residence. We determine this by examining your ties to Ontario, which can include things like:
working or have worked in Ontario
getting job offers or applying/ interviewing for jobs
studying
volunteering
leasing or owning property
visiting
having professional networks and affiliations, family ties and personal relationships
3. Supporting documents
You must provide supporting documents to validate the information in your application and to prove you meet the eligibility criteria.
All supporting documents must be scanned and uploaded in your online application. Refer to the document checklist for Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream for a list of mandatory documents.
If a supporting document is not in English or French, you must provide a copy of the original document and a notarized translation of the document. Please read Document translation and notarization for more information.
Remember if you do not upload all the required documents, your application will be incomplete, and it will be returned.
4. Cost to apply
The application fee is $1,500 and covers the cost of processing your application.
We only accept Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard and MasterCard Debit.
Refunds
We will only refund the fee if we find that your application is incomplete or you withdraw your application before we start processing it.
We will not refund the fee if your application is unsuccessful.
You can check the status of your application through your account in the OINP e-Filing Portal.
5. Use a representative to apply
You may choose to appoint an authorized representative, such as an immigration consultant or lawyer, to provide advice or help with the application process and to act on your behalf with the OINP.
If you wish to appoint a representative, they must create an account in the OINP e-Filing Portal and then submit your application through the portal on your behalf.
If you are a new applicant you must pre-register with your name and date of birth (not required if you are already registered)
Log into your ONe-key account. If you do not have one, click “Sign up now!”
Once you’ve logged into your ONe-key account, you will be sent back to the OINP e-Filing Portal
Create a profile in the OINP e-Filing Portal
Once you’ve completed your profile, click “Finish” and you will be sent to your main page in the e-Filing Portal
Click on the file number beside the Skilled Trades Stream to begin your application
Please note:
It takes about three hours to complete your application. You don’t have to do it all at once, but you must submit your application within 45 calendar days of receiving your NOI from Ontario.
7. After you apply
After you (or your representative) submit your application, you will get an email to confirm that we have received it.
You can check the status of your application through your account in the OINP e-Filing Portal.
To withdraw your application, click on the “Withdraw” button next to your file number on your main page of the OINP e-Filing Portal.
Please note:
We will only refund the application fee if you withdraw your application before we start processing it.
Changes in personal information
You must notify us if there are any changes to the information provided in your application, including (but not limited to) changes in:
contact information
immigration status (expiration or change in work permit)
family composition due to:
marriage or common-law relationship
birth of a child
change of custody of a child
divorce/separation
death
You can make changes to your telephone number, email address and country of residence by logging into the OINP e-Filing Portal and clicking on “My Profile” on your main page. After the change has been made, click “Save”.
For all other changes, or to correct a data entry error (for example, if you misspelled your name):
use the subject line “Application Change Notice – [File number]”
if you are requesting a correction to your name or date of birth, please also include a copy of the personal details page of your passport to validate your request
Please note:
We will not accept requests to completely change a name or date of birth.
Maintain a valid Express Entry profile
You must have a valid profile in the Express Entry system from when you apply until you are nominated.
If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence from IRCC while your application is being processed by the OINP, your profile is no longer available for us to nominate you.
If you reject the ITA you must send us a request to continue processing your application as soon as possible by email to ontarionominee@ontario.ca and include a screenshot showing that you have rejected the ITA from IRCC.
If you are nominated
If your application is successful, you will receive a Nomination Approval Letter and an OINP Certificate of Nomination by email.
We will enter the details of your nomination into the IRCC Express Entry system. You will then receive a notification of your nomination through your IRCC online account.
You have 30 calendar days to accept or refuse the nomination in the Express Entry system.
If you accept, you will receive an additional 600 points for being nominated, which means you will receive an ITA for permanent residence from IRCC in the next round of invitations, which are usually done every two weeks. You then have 60 calendar days to submit your application to IRCC for permanent residence.
If you are not nominated
If your application is unsuccessful, we will let you know by email.
If you think we made an error in our decision that led to your application being refused, you may ask for an internal review.
30 calendar days of receiving your notice of refusal if you live in Canada
60 calendar days of receiving your notice of refusal if you live outside of Canada
In your email explain how:
on the date you submitted your application, you met all requirements
an error we made resulted in your application being unsuccessful
Do not include any new information that you did not include in your original application, unless that information was not reasonably available to you at the time you submitted your application.
New information that you did not include in your application because of an oversight will not be considered.
Internal review requests must be sent by email. We will not accept requests by mail, fax or in person.
