ɫ�����

More than 1,000 Express Entry candidates with work experience in 10 occupations were the focus of a targeted draw through Ontario's Human Capital Priorities Stream held May 31.

The draw issued a total of 1,072 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence to Express Entry candidates with the required work experience and (CRS) scores ranging from 439 to 469, among other criteria.

Ontario is home to both Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, and the country's largest city, Toronto, and is a popular destination for new permanent residents.

Like most Canadian provinces, Ontario has a provincial nominee program that it can use to nominate candidates for permanent residence based on its labour market needs.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)'s allows the province to search the federal for candidates who meet the stream's federal and provincial eligibility criteria and invite them to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

Being invited to apply for provincial nomination can be great news for an Express Entry candidate — a provincial nomination results in an Express Entry candidate receiving an additional 600 points towards their Express Entry ranking score, effectively guaranteeing an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

In order to be considered for selection by the OINP through its Human Capital Priorities Stream or its other Express Entry streams, the first required step is to enter the Express Entry pool.

This was the second draw of 2019 through the Human Capital Priorities Stream, which has now issued 2,565 Notifications of Interest, or NOIs, to Express Entry candidates.

On occasion, the OINP conducts targeted draws through the Human Capital Priorities for candidates with credentials that are not among its usual eligibility requirements.

This was the case with the May 31 draw, which issued invitations to Express Entry candidates with work experience in 11 occupations.

The 10 targeted occupations were:

• NOC 0114: Other administrative services managers
• NOC 0601: Corporate Sales Managers
• NOC 1122: Professional occupations in business management consulting
• NOC 0124: Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
• NOC 0621: Retail and wholesale trade managers
• NOC 1111: Financial auditors and accountants
• NOC 3012: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• NOC 0111: Financial managers
• NOC 1114: Other financial officers
• NOC 0651: Managers in customer and personal services, n.e.c

This was the first time the OINP has targeted this specific list of occupations. It has in the past targeted IT occupations.

This flexibility allows the OINP to adapt the Human Capital Priorities Stream to its labour market and economic development priorities, and to be more responsive to employer needs.

“This draw continues the OINP's innovative use of the Human Capital Priorities Stream to meet the province's evolving labour needs,” said David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohn Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.

“Candidates with work experience in these occupations and a desire to live in Ontario may be happy to hear that there is currently a need for their in the province.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said there were 11 occupations targeted in the May 31 Human Capital Priorities draw. It was in fact 10.

© 2019 CICNews All Rights Reserved