The OINP Masters Graduate Stream is one of the nine pathways of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. It offers provincial nomination to eligible international students with a master’s degree from a valid university in Ontario. After becoming a provincial nominee, you can apply for Canada PR through the Provincial Nominee Pathway within 180 days or 6 months.

Read the complete Ontario PNP Guide

Eligibility Requirements for the OINP Masters Graduate Stream

To be eligible for the OINP Master’s Graduate, international students must have completed the course and qualify for a Master’s degree from a valid university in Ontario.

Additionally, they should get an Invitation to Apply in the OINP draws to become eligible to apply for provincial nomination through this category.

All eligibility requirements are given below in detail.

Eligibility factors	Requirements
Expression of Interest (EOI)	An Expression of Interest is a compulsory pre-application. While creating an EOI the OINP will ask you about your personal details, education and language proficiency, work experience, and many important details. An EOI is free and does not need any documents. Based on the information in your EOI, the OINP scores you out of 75 points.
Invitation to Apply	You must be Invited to Apply in the latest OINP draws. Without an ITA, you cannot apply to the OINP Masters Graduate stream.
Academic Proficiency	You must be eligible to get a master’s degree. Must have earned a master’s degree from an eligible university in Ontario. The degree is valid only if: It is a full-time course for at least one academic year. A full-time academic course is 15 hours of instruction per week throughout the academic year. This includes any workplace training as part of your studies. Part-time course will qualify only if the instruction hours are equal to those in one academic year. You must have completed your master’s when you apply to the OINP Masters Graduate Stream. You can apply to this stream while still studying only under two conditions. If you are studying to get mandatory authorization or a license for a regulated occupation in Ontario You are a full-time student in Ontario Apply to the OINP Masters Graduate stream within two years of completing your master’s program. For instance, if you received your degree on July 1, 2023, you can apply to the Masters Graduate stream till July 1, 2025. Note: You will be ineligible to apply if you are enrolled in a master’s program through a grant or a scholarship that requires you to return to your home country upon completion of the program. You will be eligible only after you have fulfilled the conditions of your scholarship and successfully demonstrate an intention to permanently reside in Ontario.
Language Proficiency	You must have at least CLB 7 in all four fields of listening, speaking, writing, and reading. To demonstrate your language ability you must take language tests. OINP accepts CELPIP-G, PTE-Core, and IELTS for English, and TCF and TEF for French. The language test score is valid for two years.
Settle in Ontario	You should be able to prove that you aim to settle in the province of Ontario. This can be proved by: 1. Leasing or owning a property in Ontario 2. Appearing for job interviews 3. Working in Ontario, or having prior work experience in the province Studying in Ontario 4. Having a social circle such as family members, friends, and professional connections in the province
Status in Canada at the time of application	You cannot apply to the OINP Masters graduate stream from a Canadian territory or province other than Ontario. You must either be living outside Canada, or in Ontario on a valid study/work permit at the time of applying to the OINP stream.
Living in Ontario	Must have lived in Ontario for at least a year within the last two years. Your one-year stay does not need to be continuous and can be cumulative.
Residency at the time of Application	While applying to the Ontario Masters Graduate stream, you should either be outside Canada or in Ontario. If you are applying from within Ontario, you must have a valid study/work/visitor visa.

Settlement Funds for Ontario Masters Graduate Stream

Applicants should be financially stable and have enough resources to support themselves and their family after settling in Canada.

The funds you require to be eligible for the OINP Masters Graduate stream depend upon the number of family members.

Number of accompanying family members	Settlement funds required
1	$14,690
2	$18,288
3	$22,483
4	$27,297
5	$30,690
6	$34,917
7	$38,875
Each additional member	$3958

You can fulfill the settlement funds requirement through the following ways:

An employment offer in Ontario
Availability of funds demonstrated through your bank statements, and other account statements showing forms of investments such as mutual funds, fixed term deposits, etc.
Yearly earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario

Hence, if you are the only member of the family, you will need $14690 to be eligible to apply to OINP. You can meet this requirement through the wages of your job offer, funds in your bank account, or annual earnings from your job in Ontario.

OINP Masters Graduate Stream Score Calculator

The EOI system will score you based on the information you provide while registering your interest. The scoring factors for the Master’s Graduate stream are tabulated below. You will be scored out of 75 points.

Academic field – 12 points
Credential in STEM courses such as Computer Science, Health, Engineering, Maths Degrees in Trades, agriculture, natural sciences, management, architecture, construction, mechanics and repair, etc.	12 12
Degree in Business and administration, social sciences, academics, law, transport services, etc.	06
Degree in Arts and humanities	0
Academic Level – 10 points
PhD Degree	10
Master’s degree	08
Bachelors or equivalent	06
Graduate diploma or certification	06
Undergraduate diploma	05
Trade or Apprenticeship certificate	05
Lower level certificate	00
Canadian Education – 10 points
If you have more than one Canadian degree or credential	10
If you have only one Canadian degree or credential	05
Language Proficiency – 10 points
CLB 9 and above	10
CLB 8	06
CLB 7	04
CLB 6 or lower	0
Proficiency in Official languages – 10 points
If you are proficient in both English and French	10
If you are proficient in either English or French	05
Location of Study – 10 points
Northern Ontario	10
Outside Greater Toronto Area excluding Northern Ontario	08
Inside GTA	03
Toronto	0
Permit Status – 10 points
With a study or work permit	10
Without a study or work permit	0
Canadian Earning history – 03 points
If you earn more than $40k annually	03
If you earn less than $40k in a year	00
Maximum Points available	75 points

Documents Checklist for Masters Graduate Stream

You must have the following documents while applying to the OINP through the Masters Graduate Stream:

A signed Application Consent Form by the principal applicant

A scanned copy of a passport-sized photograph.
Copy of the personal information page of your passport.

Language test report. Your test results must not be older than 2 years.

Official master’s degree from a valid university in Ontario along with official transcripts. If you do not have the degree yet, upload a copy of the official letter from Ontario University that will grant you the master’s degree. The letter must confirm that you have completed the course and there is no outstanding fee.

Copy of Work permit, study permit, or any other current and previous status document from IRCC or the CBSA. If you have an implied status, you must submit:
- An acknowledgment letter from IRCC stating that they have received your request to extend your status or IRCC fee receipt

To substantiate your points for field of study, and location of study, upload a copy of your Canadian credential or degree. You will also be required to submit your transcript.

To support your points for your Canadian earning history, you must upload a copy of a Notice of Assessment (NOAs) issued by the Canada Revenue Agency, within the last 5 years.

In order to prove that you stayed in Ontario for at least a year in the past 24 months, you will also need to provide documents such as phone bills, rent agreements, payslips from an Ontario employer, etc.

Documents to demonstrate your settlement funds. These include copies of your latest bank account statements that have three months’ activities.

Documents to prove that you aim to settle in Ontario.

Your latest resume that includes your work experience, education, contact number, current residential, and email addresses.

Note: All documents must be in English or French. If any document is in a foreign language, it must be translated by a verified translator.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Before applying to the OINP Masters Graduate stream, create an Expression of Interest (EOI). Based on the EOI, the OINP will assign a score. If eligible, you will get an ITA in the latest OINP draw.

A step-by-step guide from nomination to Canada immigration is discussed below.

The first and foremost step is to register your Expression of Interest (EOI) in applying for provincial nomination through the OINP Masters Graduate Stream.
Your EOI will be scored according to the information you provide while registering it.
Once you get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the OINP draws, you must apply to the Ontario Masters Graduate stream within 14 days of getting the ITA.
Once your application is approved, you will get a nomination letter and a provincial nomination certificate from the OINP
Apply to the IRCC for Canada PR through the PNP program within 6 months of being nominated.
Get a COPR or Confirmation of Permanent Residence once your PR application is approved by the IRCC.

List of Universities in Ontario for Ontario Masters Graduate Stream

You must get your degree from one of the 30 universities in Ontario to be eligible for the Masters Graduate stream.

Algoma University
Brescia University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
Brock University
Carleton University
Dominican University College
Huron University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
Lakehead University
Laurentian University
McMaster University
Nipissing University
Ontario College of Art & Design University
Queen’s University
Royal Military College of Canada
Ryerson University
Saint Paul University (Federated with the University of Ottawa)
St. Jerome’s University (Federated with the University of Waterloo)
Trent University
University of Guelph
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
University of Ottawa
University of St. Michael’s College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
University of Toronto
University of Trinity College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
University of Waterloo
University of Windsor
Victoria University (Federated with the University of Toronto)
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University

Processing Time and Fee for the OINP Masters Graduate Stream

The processing time for the Ontario PNP Masters Graduate Stream is 30-60 days. Submitting a completed application decreases the application processing time.

While applying for this pathway, you will need to pay a non-refundable fee of $1500 (Canadian Dollars)

If you are a foreign student with a Master’s degree from Ontario, the OINP Masters Graduate Program is the best pathway for you. Talent Connected Worldwide offers CICC-licensed services at the most affordable cost.

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