Category: Immigration

The Government of Ontario has recently issued a warning against fraudsters who send fake emails claiming to be from Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program(OINP), the Provincial Nominee Program(PNP) of Ontario. Ontario has requested those who have received such emails to report it to the authorities.

These fraudulent emails claiming to be from OINP demand the receiver to pay a ‘Right of Permanent Residence Fee’. They will also contain a fake Ontario Certificate of Nomination bearing the logo of the Government of Ontario and the address of 400 University Avenue, Toronto.

OINP has clarified that it will never send a confirmation letter or nomination certificate to those who have not applied to the program and those who do not have an application pending.

In order to protect yourself from fraud, please remember the following facts:

1. OINP will never email a Certificate of Nomination to you
2. The telephone and fax number on the certificate contains a 708 area code. This area code is not used in Ontario and is not connected to the OINP in any way.
3. The false nomination certificate refers to the CIC Visa Office. The Federal Government of Canada has changed the name of the department that deals with Canadian immigration and it is now called Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
4. You will never be asked to make a payment to the OINP through a wire transfer, and you will never be asked to pay a ‘Right of Permanent Residence Fee’. Applicants to the OINP pay a one-time upfront administration fee to the program, through the online system, and do not pay for a nomination certificate when and if it is granted.

In the warning statement, OINP also makes it clear that the program never asks to make a payment through email or phone. If anybody is asked to do so, they are supposed to inform OINP at ProgramIntegrityTeam@ontario.ca

OINP has also advised against sharing personal information such as account numbers, mother’s maiden name, and passwords in response to unsolicited emails or phone calls.

If you are a victim of such fraud, you can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by:

Calling: 1-888-495-8501

Visiting: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/

Starting from July 20, the government of Ontario has been accepting applications for the Employer Job Offer Stream-in both Foreign Workers and International Students categories under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).  Applications will be accepted within the limits of Ontario’s federal nomination allocation, which is 6000 for 2017. The candidates must submit the applications through the OINP e-filing portal within 21 days of registering their profiles. The OINP page will be updated when they stop accepting applications.

International Student with a Job Offer Stream applicants must:

1. 1. Have completed at least half of their studies in Canada.  Or, must have already graduated or be graduating from a publicly funded college or university in Canada.
   2. Have completed a two-year degree or diploma program on a full-time basis from Canada or abroad. Or must have completed a one-year post-graduate degree or certificate program.
   3. Have a permanent, full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC Levels 0, A, or B). The employer must apply for Opportunities Ontario. The offer must be approved and remain valid at the time the applicant’s application is approved. A Joint Verification form and a Pre-Screen Position form are also required from the employer.
   4. Submit the application no later than two years after the date that the student received their Canadian degree or diploma or submit it as early as the last semester of the student’s studies.
   5. Have legal status of living in Canada.
2.  

Employer Job Offer Stream is designed for skilled foreign workers with a job offer from an employer in Ontario.

The applicant must have:

1. Two years of work experience in their respective occupation within the past five years.
2. The appropriate registration in the province if he/she has a regulated occupation.
3. Paid and verifiable work experience.
4. A permanent, full-time job offer in a skilled occupation from an Ontario employer. According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means Managerial jobs (NOC skill type level 0), Professional jobs (NOC skill type level A) and Technical jobs/skilled trade (NOC skill type B).
5. Legal status if living in Canada during application.
6. A signed Joint Verification form and a Pre-Screen Position form by the employer.

The employer must:

• Submit an application that needs to be approved by Opportunities Ontario and needs to be valid until the time his/her application is approved.

1. Have an active business for at least three years.
2. Have gross revenue of at least $1,000,000 with at least five permanent full-time employees for those companies in Greater Toronto Area or have gross revenue of at least $500,000 with at least three permanent full-time employees for companies outside this area.
3. Offer a job that is located inside of the province of Ontario.

The job offer must:

1. Be a permanent, full-time position.
2. Meet the wage levels for the respective position in Ontario.
3. Not affect the settlement of any labour dispute the company or its employees are involved in.
4. Not have a negative effect on the employment or training opportunities for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
5. Offer a position that is necessary for the operation of the company.

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The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has released the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), which came into effect on July 1, 2017. The list contains 178 occupations eligible for the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) and the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa programmes.

The occupations in the list have been divided into the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). MLTSSL is applicable for General Skilled migration visas including Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent Visa), Subclass 491 (Skilled Regional Provisional Visa for those who are not nominated by a State or Territory government agency) and Subclass 485 (Graduate Temporary Visa).

STSOL is applicable for Subclass 190 (Skilled—Nominated visa) and Subclass 491 (Skilled—Regional – Provisional – visa).

As per the new changes, six jobs have been removed from the list for Skilled Independent and family sponsored 491 visas including Sea Transport Professionals and Psychotherapists, Senior Managers, Statisticians, Economists, Mining Engineers, Engineering Professionals NEC and Chemists, have been removed from the approved lists entirely. Production Manager (Mining) and Anaesthetists are still available for State/Territory Nomination.

At the same time, 16 occupations have been added to the State/Territory Nominated list. They include Air Transport Professionals, ICT Support Staff, Butchers and Retail Buyers.

From the Employer Sponsored Occupations List (ESOL), a total of 18 occupations have been removed entirely. They include marine transport professionals, psychotherapists, medical administrators and property associate professionals. At the same time, 27 occupations have been added to the approved lists including R&D Managers, life scientists, air transport professionals, ICT Support roles, butchers, Music professionals, metallurgists and horse trainers.

A total of 22 occupations have been shifted to the MLTSSL from the STSOL. They include senior management roles, environmental scientists and university lecturers.

Caveats which previously applied only to 457 visa applications will now be applicable to ENS Direct entry applications as well.

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