The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has announced the opening of a new regional economic immigration pilot: the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot program.
This new pilot program will run from January 2 to December 31, 2025.
The REDI will seek to attract up to 800 highly skilled immigrants to four rural and northern regions in Ontario:
- Lanark;
- Leeds and Grenville;
- Sarnia-Lambton; and
- Thunder Bay.
Newcomers who are approved through the new pilot program will receive a provincial nomination from the OINP, which they may use to apply directly to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence (PR).
This article will break down how the new pilot program will function, and who is eligible to apply.
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How will this new program function?
The REDI pilot program will process applications through the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams. Each participating region will be allocated 200 additional nominations, which they will issue through the OINP’s three job-offer streams.
The REDI aims to address labour shortages in areas of the workforce that are in-demand and drive local growth within identified regions, including “healthcare, technology, and the skilled trades, which includes construction.”
Eligibility
To be considered under this pilot program, newcomers must meet the eligibility requirements of one of the OINP’s job offer streams.
As part of the eligibility requirements for these streams, newcomers must have a qualifying job offer from an employer in Ontario. To qualify for the REDI pilot program through an OINP job offer stream, newcomers must have a job offer from a business in one of the identified regions targeted by the pilot program.
For all streams, candidates must
- Intend to reside in Ontario; and
- Be licensed or authorized to practice their occupation (if the job is in a regulated occupation).
Here are the eligibility criteria for each stream.
Employer job offer: Foreign Worker Stream
| Stream | Job offer requirements | Candidate requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Employer job offer: Foreign Worker Stream | – Full-time and permanent.
– A TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation. – Pays a wage equal to or greater than the median wage for the occupation in Ontario. – Based in Ontario. – Position critical for employer’s business. |
– Minimum work experience. |
Certain professions in Canada are regulated at the provincial or federal level by certified regulatory boards and authorities. Eligible candidates in the Foreign Worker Stream must meet one of the following requirements to meet the minimum work experience requirement:
- If the job requires a mandatory license or other authorization to practice, the candidate must hold a valid license or authorization from the appropriate regulatory authority in Ontario; OR
- If the job does not require a license or authorization, the candidate must have at least two years of work experience (in the last five years) in the same occupation as the National Occupation Classification (NOC) code of the job offer.
Eligible work experience under this stream can have been acquired through full-time or part-time work.
Under the Employer job offer: Foreign Worker Stream job offers must be for positions that are necessary for the employer’s business. This means the job offer aligns with the employer’s existing business activities, and that the position hired for is urgently needed to grow or maintain ongoing business activity.
The median wage for a position can be found by searching the job title and NOC code of the relevant position, in addition to the location of work, on Canada’s national Job Bank website.
Employer job offer: International Student Stream
| Stream | Job offer requirements | Candidate requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Employer job offer: International Student Stream | – Full-time and permanent.
– In a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation. – Pays equal to or more than the low wage level for the occupation. – Based in Ontario. – Position critical for employer’s business. |
– College or university education.
– Apply for nomination within two years of completing the qualifying education credentials. |
To meet education requirements under the Employer job offer: International Student Stream, candidates must have completed an education program from an eligible Canadian institution in Ontario at one of the following levels, within two years preceding their application:
- An undergraduate degree or diploma of at least two years in length when pursued full-time;
- A graduate degree or diploma of at least one year in length when pursued full-time;
- A college graduate certificate of at least one year in length when pursued full-time; or
- A university graduate certificate of at least one year in length when pursued full-time.
- To meet the low wage level for an occupation job offer, candidates can consult Canada’s Job Bank. Once on the website, candidates can check the low wage level by entering the NOC code and occupation title, as well as the location in which they will be working.
If the candidate is already working in the position, the wage of the job offer must be equal to or greater than the wage level that the employer currently pays for the position, in addition to meeting the low wage level.
Employer job offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
| Stream | Job offer requirements | Candidate requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Employer job offer: In-Demand Skills | – Full-time and permanent.
– For an eligible occupation. – Based in Ontario. – Pays as much or more than the median wage for the occupation in Ontario. – Position is critical to employer’s business. |
– Nine months’ work experience.
– High school diploma. – Language proficiency of CLB 4 or higher. |
A list of eligible occupations under the Employer job offer: In-Demand Skills Stream can be found here.
If candidates have completed their education abroad, they must provide an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) in support of their application, to show that their education abroad meets eligibility requirements.
For a full account of eligibility criteria and considerations, visit our dedicated webpage on the OINP.
Background
The REDI pilot program is a follow up to the OINP Regional Pilot, which ended in 2020, reflecting the OINP’s approach of filling critical labour shortages through skilled immigration.
The Regional Pilot allocated approximately 300 additional provincial nominations through the OINP’s job offer streams to the participating regions of Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, and Belleville/Quinte West.
The pilot met its total allocation in 2020 and was considered a success by the OINP.
The OINP estimates that enabling skilled newcomers to work in professions that they have studied for could increase Ontario’s GDP by up to 100 billion CAD over the next five years.
About the PNP
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are economic immigration pathways that allow the country’s provincial governments to nominate foreign nationals to settle in their provinces.
The purpose of the PNP is to spread the benefits of immigration across Canada. Most immigrants who arrive in the country will settle in one of Canada’s three major metropolitan areas: Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal. While the concentrated arrival of immigrants in these areas can benefit communities in Canada’s largest cities (and the areas around them), this often leaves smaller communities at a loss.
For this reason, PNPs provide important pathways for more rural communities to welcome skilled immigrants who can fill labour shortages and aid Canada’s demographic goals.
Federal rural and regional immigration pilots
The Canadian federal government has recently launched two new pilot programs to promote regional and rural immigration:
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