Opportunities Ontario: Applying as an International Student (Pilot International Masters Graduate Stream)

If you are a graduate or will soon be graduating from a Masters program from one of Ontario’s publicly funded universities, you may be able to apply to Opportunities Ontario for nomination as a permanent resident, under the International Student Category’s Masters Graduate Stream.

Ontario’s Masters Graduate students do not require a job offer.

Here is some information that will help you complete the application process:

Who can apply as an international Masters graduate in Ontario?

In order to apply to Opportunities Ontario as an international Masters graduate in Ontario, students must:

• Intend to live and work in Ontario.
• Have graduated from an existing Masters program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario.
• Have completed a minimum of one academic year degree program, while studying on a full-time basis.
• Apply within two years of the date on which their Masters degree was granted, or in the alternative, during the last semester of completing their degree.
• Currently be residing in Ontario.
• Have legal status in Canada (i.e. study permit, work permit, temporary resident visa)
• Demonstrate high official language proficiency (For English language proficiency – IELTS – General test with a minimum score of 7 or higher) (For French language proficiency – TEF – with a minimum score of 5 or higher).
• Demonstrate a minimum level of savings/income to support themselves and their dependants.
• Demonstrate at least one year of residence in Ontario in the past two years.

Important

International students subsidized through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) grants or home country scholarship with return obligations will not be eligible for Opportunities Ontario unless such obligations have been fulfilled.

What documents do I need to submit?

Please visit the Forms and Guides page of this website to complete and download the nominee application form for international Masters graduates.

You will need to submit the following documents to demonstrate that you meet Opportunities Ontario eligibility criteria and to confirm your identity, family situation and education:

• A copy of your birth certificate.
• A copy of all the pages of your passport. All prospective nominees should ensure that their passports will be valid for at least two years from the time that they submit their nominee application.
• A copy of your work permit, study permit, temporary resident visa, and/or any other Canadian immigration document or entry stamp you have received. If these documents are inside your copied passport, you do not need to make additional copies.
• Copy of each dependant’s passport page which shows his/her photo and personal information.
• A certified true copy of relevant university degree(s) if the degree has been granted. If the degree has not been granted, you will need to submit:
  
  • Official letter (on institution letterhead) from the university which will be granting the Masters degree confirming:
    1. all degree requirements have been successfully completed;
    2. there are no outstanding fees to be paid; and
    3. the scheduled date when your degree will be granted.
  • Official transcripts in sealed envelope sent directly from the academic institution which will be granting the degree.
• If you are in your last semester of Masters studies, you will need to submit:
  
  • Official letter (on institution letterhead) from the academic institution which will be granting the degree confirming full-time registration and the current academic standing of the applicant
  • Official transcripts in a sealed envelope sent directly from the academic institution which will be granting the degree
• A copy of your current resumé.
• The original score of your IELTS – General test with a minimum score of 7 or higher or TEF – with a minimum score of 5 or higher (obtained within the last year).
• Personal bank account monthly statements for the past 6 months, or (if overseas) an original letter and monthly statements from a recognized financial institution indicating personal account standing/balance in accordance with the following schedule:
• 
  

• Number of family members	Funds required
  1	$11,086
  2	$13,801
  3	$16,967
  4	$20,599
  5	$23,364
  6	$26,350
  7 or more	$29,337

• A copy of ONE of the following to show proof of 1 year of residency in Ontario:
  
  • Monthly credit card statement, phone, hydro or energy bill in any accumulative 12 months in the past 2 years showing your full name and Ontario address
  • Leasing document or rent receipts demonstrating residence in any accumulative 12 months in the past 2 years showing your full name and Ontario address
• 
  

• How quickly will my application be processed?

  Complete nominee application packages will be processed within 90 days, on a first-come-first-served basis.

  Opportunities Ontario will target 1,000 nominations for 2010. Priority assessment will be given to those applicants who can demonstrate the strongest potential to settle successfully and permanently in Ontario.

  What are the fees?

  Opportunities Ontario will charge a non-refundable nominee application processing fee of $1,500 for all international students.

  What happens after I am approved?

  A Provincial Nomination Certificate will be issued for all successful nominees. Successful nominees must then apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. A successful provincial nomination replaces the selection component under other immigration classes (such as the Federal Skilled Worker Class, and the Family Class). Provincial nominees will receive priority processing from CIC.

  For more information, please visit our Nominees: What’s Next section of our website.

  Learn more

  Do you have more questions? You will find an Application Guide for International Graduates (PhD and Masters) on this website. You can also visit our Questions and Answers section. The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s Welcome to Ontario guide also provides valuable information on living, learning and working in Ontario. This guide is available in English, French and 14 other languages.

  About using a representative

  Applicants are not required to hire a representative. All applications are treated equally, regardless of whether or not they were prepared with the assistance of an authorized representative. Opportunities Ontario reserves the right to contact the employer or prospective nominee directly regarding the application, if the program considers this necessary.

  If you do choose to use a representative, you must use an authorized representative. Opportunities Ontario follows Canadian government regulations requiring all paid immigration representatives to meet the definition of “authorized representative”. This means that Opportunities Ontario will only conduct business with paid immigration representatives who are the following:

  • Immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC),
  • Lawyers who are licensees in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society and students-at-law under their supervision, and
  • Quebec notaries.