The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will introduce a new permanent residence pilot program, entitled the Regional Immigration Pilot, in early 2020, which will set aside 150 nominations for permanent residence in the Employer Job Offer stream for foreign nationals intending to settle in selected small and rural communities.
Eligibility: Since the Regional Immigration Pilot program works within the existing Employer Job Offer stream, foreign nationals will have to meet the requirements of one of the three categories within this stream in order to be eligible for the pilot program.
Selected communities in Ontario: Chatham-Kent; Cornwall; and Belleville/Quinte West. These communities were selected based on specific skilled labor challenges; their ability to support foreign nationals settling in their communities and interest from the communities.
Application process: Monitor the OINP website for specific application details, to be released in early 2020.
How Will the Regional Immigration Pilot Program Help Employers?
Participating employers in the selected communities in Ontario will have a larger pool of candidates to hire from in order to fill their labor market needs. Employers who want to participate in the Regional Immigration Pilot should contact OINP at business.immigration@ontario.ca for more information on the program.
