Overview

The Masters Graduate Stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

It gives international graduates with an Ontario master’s degree the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario.

You must apply online to be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence. If you are nominated, your next step is to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.

Before you apply

1. Make sure you meet the mandatory requirements

This stream has a number of mandatory requirements you must meet before you can apply.

2. Understand the application process

Please note:

• you have to apply online through the OINP e-Filing Portal
• it takes about two hours to complete the application
• you do not have to complete the application in one session, you can save your work and return to it later
• you must submit your application within 14 calendar days after you register or your registration will expire (if it does, you can re-register provided we are still accepting new registrations under this stream)
• you can complete the application yourself or have a representative complete it on your behalf
• you have to pay $1,500 to apply
• you have to pay by credit card, we only accept Visa or MasterCard

3. Have your supporting documents ready

You also need to make sure you have all your supporting documents, in English or French, scanned and ready to upload when you apply. If you do not, your application will be returned as incomplete and your application fee will be refunded.

Mandatory requirements

You can apply to the Masters Graduate Stream if you meet all the criteria in the eight categories below. You don’t need a job offer to apply.

Please refer to section 8 of Ontario Regulation 422/17 and the application guide for more details on each requirement.

1. Education

To qualify, you must have completed the requirements necessary to get a master’s degree.

This means:

• at least one academic year of full-time study (that is at least 15 hours of instruction per week over the academic year)
• the degree is from an eligible university in Ontario

You don’t qualify if you are enrolled as a student when you are applying, unless:

• it is for the purpose of meeting the requirements to be licensed in a regulated occupation in Ontario, or
• you are also working full-time in Ontario

You don’t qualify if you have received a bursary, grant or scholarship that requires you return to your home country after you earn your master’s degree. You may only apply after you have fulfilled those commitments and can demonstrate an intention to live in Ontario.

2. Language

You must be able to understand, read, write and speak in English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher.

To prove that you have the mandatory language skills, you must take an approved English or French language test before you submit your application to this stream.

The test must be no more than two years old at the time you submit your application.

For English tests:

• International English Language Testing (IELTS) (General Training test only)
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) (General test only)

For French tests, we accept:

• Test d’évaluation de français pour le Canada (TEF)
• Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF)

3. Residency in Ontario

You must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years before you apply.

4. Settlement funds

You must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members when you settle in Canada.

You can meet this requirement through one or a combination of any of the following:

1. funds as demonstrated by the balance listed in bank statements, or statements of accounts showing other investments such as non-locked in, fixed term deposits, mutual funds, etc.
2. annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario, and/or
3. a job offer in Ontario

5. Intention to live in Ontario

You must intend to live and work in Ontario after you’re granted permanent residence. We determine this by examining your ties to Ontario, which can include doing things like:

• working or have worked in Ontario
• getting job offers or applying/interviewing for jobs
• studying
• volunteering
• leasing or owning property
• visiting
• having professional networks and affiliations, family ties or social or personal relationships

6. Residency at time of application

At the time you apply, you must be either:

• living in Ontario with legal status (study permit, work permit, visitor record)
• living outside Canada

You don’t qualify if you’re living in a province or territory in Canada other than Ontario at the time you apply.

7. Legal status in Canada (if applicable)

If you are applying from within Canada, you must have legal status (a visitor record, study permit, or work permit) at the time you apply and should maintain that status until the time of nomination.

8. Application period

You must submit your application within two years of completing the requirements necessary to obtain your master’s degree.

This means that the date on your degree must be within two years of your OINP application submission date. For example, if your degree is dated June 1, 2017, you must apply to this stream before June 1, 2019.

If you don’t have your degree yet, use the date on the official letter from your university which states when your degree will be granted.

Please Contact Us for more information.