Ontario Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream targets foreign skilled workers in the Express Entry pool with the necessary education, work experience, language proficiency, and other characteristics to establish economically and settle in the province of Ontario.

To be considered under this stream, candidates must qualify for the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) federal Express Entry pool through either the Federal Skilled Worker Class or the Canadian Experience Class. Candidates may not apply directly to this stream. Instead, they must first receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the OINP based on their Express Entry profile.

The OINP searches the Express Entry pool and identifies potential candidates who:

• Have a minimum score of 400 under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and
• Meet the criteria of Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream (see below).

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• Have a minimum score of 400 under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and
• Meet the criteria of Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream (see below).

Candidates identified by the OINP will receive an NOI, which will invite them to apply online to the OINP for nomination under the Human Capital Priorities Stream. From this point, selected candidates have just 45 calendar days to apply to the OINP under this stream. It is important to note that applications submitted outside the 45 calendar days will not be processed. If their application is approved, candidates will be notified of their nomination by the OINP, which they can accept and use to apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

Note: Ontario has used the HCP stream to conduct the occasional occupation-specific search of the Express Entry pool. This last occurred in June 2017, when Ontario targeted candidates with work experience in the Information and Communications Technology sector. On this one occasion only, the HCP stream also dropped its requirement of 400 CRS points for candidates whose work experience met the HCP’s requirements.

This page will provide details on the following topics:

• Minimum Eligibility Requirements
• Human Capital Priorities application process
• Additional Criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Additional Criteria for the Canadian Experience Class
• Invitation History 

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible under the Ontario Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream, candidates must:

• Score a minimum of 400 points under the CRS. The score must remain at or above 400 during both the Ontario nomination processing stage and at the federal application for permanent residence processing stage;

Have a minimum level of work experience:

• Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) criteria must have at least one year of continuous and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a National Occupation Classification (NOC) level 0, A, or B occupation in the five years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP.
• Candidates who choose to be assessed against the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) criteria must have at least one year of cumulative and full-time employment experience, or part-time equivalent, in a NOC 0, A, or B occupation in Canada in the three years prior to the date of the NOI from the OINP. 

• Demonstrate a language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies (speHave a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a aking, reading, writing, and listening). Language proficiency must be proved by test results from one of the following designated testing agencies:
• IELTS (General Training Test only) for English;
• CELPIP (General test only) for English; or
• TEF for French;

• Intend to reside in Ontario, as demonstrated by a statement of intent and indication of ties to Ontario;
• Possess sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario. This must be supported by bank statements; and
• Meet the additional criteria under either the FSWP or CEC.

The required settlement funds must be equal to or greater than the sums listed below for each family size.

Requirements for settlement funds are updated annually. Note that the number of family members includes both accompanying and non-accompanying dependents

Ontario Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream Application Process

Applicants must have received a NOI from Ontario through their IRCC online profile in order to apply through this stream. A NOI is valid for 45 calendar days, which means that an application to the OINP must be submitted within 45 days.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool who have been issued a NOI stand a far greater chance of submitting a successful application if they become acquainted with the document checklist in advance and prepare accordingly. The required documents for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream is more extensive than the documents required to enter the federal Express Entry pool.

Process Overview

• Step 1: Satisfy eligibility criteria of the Federal Skilled Worker Class or the Canadian Experience Class.
• Step 2: Create an Express Entry profile.
• Step 3: OINP identifies candidates in the Express Entry pool.
• Step 4: Receive a NOI from the OINP.
• Step 5: Apply to the OINP under the Human Capital Priorities Stream within 45 calendar days after receiving a NOI from Ontario.
• Step 6: Eligible candidates receive a nomination certificate from the OINP.
• Step 7: Upload the nomination certificate to the Express Entry profile to receive the 600 additional CRS points and the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence at a subsequent draw from the pool.
• Step 8: Submit an application for permanent residence within 90 days of receiving the ITA.
• Step 9: Become a permanent resident of Canada.

To learn more about your Canadian immigration options through Express Entry and/or the OINP, as well as other Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Additional Criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Class

In addition to the minimum eligibility requirements listed above, candidates applying to the Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream through the FSWP must score at least 67 out of 100 points based on the IRCC’s six selection factors: English and/or French skills, education, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability.

Candidates should note that the OINP will only consider arranged employment in Ontario. Arranged employment in any province other than Ontario would contradict the candidate’s statement of intent to reside in Ontario and result in a denial of the application to the OINP.

Selection Factors

Factor 1: English and/or French Skills

Factor 2: Education

Factor 3: Work Experience

Factor 4: Age

Factor 5: Arranged Employment in Canada

Note: For the purposes of application to the Human Capital Priorities Stream, OINP will only consider arranged employment in Ontario.

Factor 6: Adaptability

Additional Criteria for the Canadian Experience Class

In addition to the minimum eligibility requirements listed above, candidates applying to the Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream through the CEC must:

• Have at least 12 months of full-time, or part-time equivalent, cumulative paid work experience in Canada in a NOC level 0, A, or B occupation in the three years prior to applying;
• Meet the minimum language level of CLB 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs OR CLB 5 for NOC B jobs.
• Note: The Human Capital Priorities Stream requires ALL applicants to have language level of CLB 7 in English or French regardless of occupation.
• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec; and
• Note: planning to live outside of Ontario can be deemed to contradict the candidate’s statement of intent to reside in Ontario. This can result in the refusal of his or her application to the OINP.
• Be admissible to Canada.

Invitation History

Ontario is issuing NOIs on a regular basis to eligible candidates with a minimum CRS score of 400. The table below reveals details of recent rounds of invitations: