Opportunities Ontario: How to apply

The application process for companies making an investment as three steps:

Step One: Referral

• Companies who are making an investment in Ontario and want to recruit or relocate key foreign nationals on a permanent basis fill out the Investment Referral Form and send it to Opportunities Ontario at Opportunities.Ontario@ontario.ca.
• Upon receiving the completed Investment Referral Form, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) will refer investment proposals that may meet program guidelines to another Ontario ministry as follows:
  • MCI will determine the most appropriate Ontario ministry to assess the investment proposal.
  • MCI will contact that Ontario ministry to confirm that this is the appropriate ministry to consider this proposal.
  • MCI will provide the prospective investor or investing company with the contact information of the person at the Ontario ministry prepared to consider the investment proposal within 15 business days of receiving the Investment Referral Form.
  • MCI will provide a copy of the Investment Referral Form to the ministry.
• When the investment proposal does not appear to meet program guidelines, MCI will inform prospective investors or investing companies.

Step Two: Investment Application

• If the Ontario ministry determines that the investment proposal merits an application, they will advise the investing company how to apply and what information they require to assess their investment proposal.
• A company making an investment will apply to the referred ministry to have their investment and requested nominee positions assessed and endorsed.
• The Ontario ministry will assess the investment proposal and nominee positions requested to determine if they meet program eligibility guidelines and applicable legislation.
• The Deputy Minister of the Ontario ministry will endorse investments and nominee position requests to MCI.
• MCI will confirm the nominee position requests and issue a nominee application package for each eligible position. Companies whose investment was endorsed would then recruit foreign workers for each eligible position.

Step Three: Nominee Application

• Prospective investment nominee applicants will have 60 days from the date of package issuance to submit a completed application package with the $3,500 non-refundable application fee to Opportunities Ontario for assessment.
• MCI assesses each nominee to ensure that they are qualified for the position for which they were recruited, that they meet program guidelines, and that they comply with federal legislation. Should no further information be required, the assessment will be finalized within 90 days from the date of application submission.
• MCI issues a Provincial Nomination Certificate for all approved nominees. Approved nominees then have 6 months to apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent resident status for themselves and their families.
• Nominees can request a temporary work permit to work in Ontario while their permanent resident application is being processed by CIC. Opportunities Ontario supports such requests.

Prospective Investment Nominees

Prospective investment nominees will need to meet the standard eligibility criteria for foreign workers in the General Category; for example, nominee applicants will need to demonstrate at least two years of work experience in the intended occupation or proper registration in Ontario if they intend to work in a regulated occupation. Prospective nominees can find more information on eligibility criteria, and how to apply, by visiting the Foreign Workers section of our website.

For investment nominee applications there is a non-refundable fee of $3,500. The fee can be paid by the prospective nominee or by the investor.