The OINP PhD stream is a pathway of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. It nominates foreign students who have a Ph.D. degree from an eligible university in Ontario. If you become a provincial nominee through this OINP stream, you can apply for Canada PR through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) within 6 months or 180 days, and settle in the country as a permanent resident.
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Overview
- Eligibility requirements for Ontario PhD stream
- Scoring factors
- Step-by-Step Process
- Documents Checklist
- List of eligible Universities in Ontario
- OINP PhD graduate: processing time and fee
- OINP draws for PhD stream
- Applying to OINP PhD Graduate with Talent Connected Worldwide
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Eligibility requirements for Ontario PhD stream
The most important eligibility criteria for the OINP PhD Graduate stream is to have a doctoral degree from a valid university in Ontario. Additionally, a foreign student must meet mandatory conditions such as having an Invitation to Apply, being financially stable, and planning to permanently settle in the province.
A complete eligibility criteria is given in the table below.
| Eligibility Factors | Requirements for the OINP PhD Stream |
|---|---|
| Expression of Interest (EOI) | An Expression of Interest (EOI) is a pre-application that notifies the OINP about your interest to settle in Ontario. You do not need to upload any documents or pay fees to submit an EOI. |
| A valid Invitation to Apply (ITA) | Based on the information in the Expression of Interest, you will get a score out of 75 points in the OINP calculator. If your score is higher than the score cut-off of the Ontario PNP draws, you will receive an ITA to apply to the OINP PhD graduate stream. No candidate can apply without an ITA. |
| Academic requirements | You must have earned a PhD degree from an eligible university in Ontario. Should have completed at least 2 years of your PhD program while legally studying and staying in the province of Ontario. You cannot apply to the PhD graduate stream if you enrolled in the program through a scholarship or a grant that mandates you to return home after getting the degree. You will be eligible only after you fulfill the commitments of the scholarship and can successfully convey your aim to permanently settle in Ontario. You must apply to the Ontario PhD program within two years or 24 months of completing your PhD program. For example, if your degree is dated June 1, 2023, you will need to apply to the program before June 1, 2025. |
| Living in Ontario | You must have legally lived in Ontario for at least a year in the last two years before applying to the OINP PhD stream. This one-year duration needs not to be continuous. Your stay in Ontario must be collectively 12 months within the last two years before you apply to OINP |
| Intention to live in Ontario | You must display your plan to permanently settle in Ontario and economically and socially contribute to the Canadian province. This can be proven through the following: A work history in Ontario Actively applying for job offers in Ontario and appearing for interviews Studying in Ontario Proof of having rented or leased a property in the province Having professional and personal connections in the province. |
| Your legal status in Canada | If applying from Canada, you must have a legal status such as a valid study permit, work permit, or visitor visa, at the time of application. If you have applied to extend your permit to the IRCC, you can apply to OINP under the ‘implied status’. |
Availability of settlement funds
To be eligible for the OINP PhD stream, you must be financially secure and stable to support yourself as well as your family members till you have a stable job in the province.
The minimum amount of money you require to be eligible for the OINP PhD program is tabulated below.
| Number of family members | Canadian dollars required |
|---|---|
| 1 | $14,690 |
| 2 | $18,288 |
| 3 | $22,483 |
| 4 | $27,297 |
| 5 | $30,690 |
| 6 | $34,917 |
| 7 | $38,875 |
These funds must be immediately available to you and should not be borrowed.
You can meet the mandatory funds requirement by combining:
- Annual salary earned from a job in Ontario, and
- Existing funds as substantiated through bank statements, mutual funds, fixed-term deposits, etc.
Scoring Factors for the Ontario PNP PhD Graduate Stream
While creating the Expression of Interest (EOI), you will get points based on the field of study, level of education, language proficiency, and several other factors.
The EOI for the OINP PhD graduate stream will get a score out of 75 points. A complete scoring grid is given in the table below.
| Work or study permit status | |
| You have a valid study permit or work permit | 10 points |
| Without a valid work or study permit | 0 points |
| History of your Canadian income | |
| Earned more than $40k annually | 03 points |
| Earned less than $40k annually | 0 points |
| Highest Level of Education | |
| PhD | 10 |
| Masters | 08 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 06 |
| Graduate certificate or Diploma | 06 |
| Undergraduate diploma or certificate | 05 |
| Apprenticeship or trades certificate | 05 |
| Certification at a lower level | 00 |
| Field of study | |
| If your Canadian credential is in the academic field of: Engineering, Health, Mathematics, Computer Science (STEM) Trades, agriculture, natural resources operations, management, construction, architecture, construction and precision production, mechanics, and repair. | 12 points 12 points |
| Business and administration, programs related to social work, behavioral science, academics, law, transport services, personal and security services, etc. | 06 points |
| Experience in Canadian education | |
| If you have more than one Canadian degree | 10 points |
| If you have one Canadian degree | 05 points |
| Language proficiency | |
| CLB 9 or more | 10 points |
| CLB 8 | 06 points |
| CLB 7 | 04 points |
| CLB 6 and less | 0 points |
| Multilingualism | |
| If you are proficient in both English and French | 10 points |
| If you are proficient in either French or English | 05 points |
| Location of study | |
| If you have studied in North Ontario | 10 points |
| Areas outside the Great Toronto Area (GTA)-excluding northern Ontario | 08 points |
| Inside GTA excluding Toronto | 03 points |
| Toronto | 00 points |
| Maximum points available | 75 points |
Steps to Apply for the OINP PhD graduate stream
The very step in applying for the OINP PhD graduate stream is to submit an Expression of Interest. A complete step-by-step process from nomination to immigration is listed below.
STEP 1: Register an EOI or Expression of Interest and get a score out of 75 points.
STEP 2: Get an ITA in the OINP draws
STEP 3: Apply to the OINP PhD stream within 14 days of getting the ITA
STEP 4: Upload all the mandatory documents
STEP 5: Pay $1500 and submit the application
STEP 6: Once your application is approved by the OINP, you will receive a nomination approval letter and nomination certificate.
STEP 7: Apply to the IRCC for Canada PR through the Provincial Nominee Program within 6 months of receiving your nomination certificate.
STEP 8: Upload all the required documents for Canada PR
STEP 9: Pay $1525 and submit the PR application
STEP 10: Receive the COPR or the Confirmation of Permanent Residence if your PR application is approved.
Documents Checklist
A scanned copy of your passport, official PhD degree, and transcripts are among the mandatory documents for the PhD Graduate Stream. A complete checklist will depend on the individual profile.
However, you must submit paperwork for all points claimed in your Expression of Interest. For example, if you are claiming points for language proficiency, you will need to submit your test score to the OINP. The mandatory paperwork you will need to upload in your OINP application is listed below.
| Document List | Requirements and Examples |
|---|---|
| Applicant Consent Form | A signed and completed Applicant Consent Form is mandatory for all OINP pathways. |
| Photograph | A scanned copy of your passport-size photo |
| Passport | A scanned copy of the personal detail page of your passport. Additionally, upload all pages that have any Canadian visas or entry stamps on them. |
| Work Permit, Study Permit, or Temporary Resident Visa | Whichever is applicable. |
| Ontario Residency | This includes copies of documents that prove you lived in Ontario for at least one year within the last 2 years. They can include phone and electricity bills, car or home insurance, rent agreements, etc. |
| PhD Degree | A scanned copy of the official PhD Degree from a valid university. If you have completed the course but have not yet received the degree: Upload an official letter from the University that confirms course completion and no outstanding fees. The letter should also include the date when you will get the PhD degree. |
| Additional academic documents | Official transcripts and degrees of any additional education. If your education is from outside Canada, you will need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report. An ECA is valid for 5 years. |
| Proof of Funds | To demonstrate proof of funds, you can upload: Bank statements for the last three months Statements of accounts in case of fixed-term deposits, mutual funds, and other investments. |
| Language Proficiency test scores | If you are claiming points for language proficiency, you will need to upload your test score. The OINP accepts TCF and TEF for the French language test. It accepts CELPIP. IELTS, and PTE-Core for English proficiency test. The test scores are valid for 2 years. |
| Job Offer Letter | If applicable |
| Updated Resumé |
Note: All documents must be either in English or in French. All documents in any other language must be translated by a valid translator.
List of eligible universities in Ontario
You must get your PhD degree from one of the 25 eligible Ontario universities to be eligible to apply for the Ontario PhD stream. All eligible universities are listed below.
- Brock University
- Carleton University
- Dominican University College
- Lakehead University
- Laurentian University
- McMaster University
- Nipissing 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
OINP PhD Graduate: Processing Time and Fee
The non-refundable application fee for the OINP PhD stream is $1500.
The processing time for the program is 30 to 60 days.
Please note: The processing time for the OINP pathways is subject to change. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about all the latest changes to the Ontario PNP pathway.
OINP draws for PhD stream in 2024
The latest OINP draw for the Ontario PhD Graduate stream was announced on the 19th of March 2024. The OINP invited 104 foreign students with an EOI score of 42 and above. All the latest draws for this stream are given in the table below.
| Date of Draw | ITAs received | EOI Cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| 19.03.2024 | 104 | 42 or higher |
| 24.01.2024 | 125 | 45 or higher |
Previous Draws
The OINP draws for the Ph.D stream issued 486 ITAs in the year 2023. The OINP Phd stream draws for the year 2023 are tabulated below.
| Date of Draw | ITAs received | EOI Cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| 30.10.2023 | 66 | 42 and above |
| 19.09.2023 | 71 | 40 and above |
| 01.08.2023 | 84 | 39 and above |
| 06.06.2023 | 134 | 42 and above |
| 04.04.2023 | 131 | 48 and above |
| Total ITAs: 486 | ||
Applying to OINP PhD Graduate with Talent Connected Worldwide
OINP PhD Graduate stream is Ontario’s way of attracting young and potentially skilled students to settle in the province and contribute to research and innovation. This is the ideal pathway for young researchers to get provincial nomination and settle in the province.
Talent Connected Worldwide is India’s only CICC-authorized immigration company that offers the safest and hassle-free immigration process.
From helping you register an Expression of Interest and getting an ITA, to assisting you with complete paperwork, we are the absolute best in the immigration industry.
Contact us and get your provincial nomination and Canada PR through the OINP PhD stream now.
