Ontario PNP Hits Its Annual Quota For 2024

As of December 23, 2024, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has successfully met its quota for permanent residency nominations in 2024. The federal government allocated 21,500 nominations to Ontario, which the OINP has now fully distributed. This means that the program has reached its nomination target for this year, leaving no more spots available under the current allocation.

New applicants, or those who have already submitted their applications to the OINP, will now be considered under the program's 2025 nomination allocation. According to the latest update from OINP, any new applications will be processed for the upcoming year’s quota, and candidates will need to wait for the next round of nominations to be available.

In order to be considered for the program, eligible candidates can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through one of OINP’s five main streams. Once a profile is submitted, it is given a score based on various factors, and OINP conducts a draw to determine which candidates will be invited to apply.

For those who have created a profile under the Express Entry system, OINP also extends Notifications of Interest (NOI) based on Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. These are given out through three primary streams, including the Human Capital Priorities, Skilled Trades, and French-Speaking Skilled Worker streams.

The program has also seen a significant number of invitations to apply (ITAs) in 2024. The highest number of ITAs were issued under the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, followed by the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream and the Masters Graduate stream. Here’s a look at the distribution:

• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker: 6,695 ITAs with a minimum cutoff of 50 points for general draws.
• Employer Job Offer: International Student: 8,363 ITAs with a minimum cutoff of 72 points.
• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills: 914 ITAs with a minimum cutoff of 34 points.
• Masters Graduate: 5,519 ITAs with a minimum cutoff of 50 points.
• PhD Graduate: 533 ITAs with a minimum cutoff of 42 points.

Furthermore, OINP issued 12,731 NOIs under the Human Capital Priorities stream and 9,006 under the Skilled Trades stream. These notifications were based on CRS scores ranging from 352 to 528 for Human Capital Priorities and from 350 to 435 for Skilled Trades.

The processing times for various streams in the program vary. For example, the average processing time for the French-speaking skilled Worker stream is between 90 to 120 days, while streams like Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate tend to have faster processing times of 30 to 60 days. Other streams, like Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, have processing times between 120 to 150 days.

Looking ahead to 2025, the number of invitations under the OINP is expected to decrease significantly. The federal government has reduced the overall provincial nomination program (PNP) target by 54%, meaning that Ontario’s allocation will also drop substantially. The 2025 quota is projected to be around 10,747 nominations, a sharp decline from the 21,500 available in 2024. This decrease in available nominations will likely result in higher cutoff scores for candidates, making it more challenging for applicants to qualify for an invitation.

The reduction in OINP’s quota reflects the overall decrease in the provincial nomination program’s target, which was 110,000 in 2024 but will be reduced to 55,000 for 2025. As a result, applicants in 2025 should anticipate tougher competition and fewer opportunities to secure a nomination.