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WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA
Opportunities Ontario:
Provincial Nominee Program
Investment Component
WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation
May 5, 2014
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WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA
Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program
• Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):
– is Ontario’s immigration-selection program
– selects, or ‘nominates’, foreign nationals with an approved job offer for permanent residence to the Federal government
– helps Ontario employers hire the skilled workers they need, but are having difficulty finding, by assisting with the immigration of foreign workers and international students
– supports investment to the province by assisting with the immigration of key employees required by investors
– retains the best and brightest international students by qualifying PhD and Master’s graduates of Ontario universities without requiring a job offer
• Ontario’s PNP target is set by the federal government. In 2014, the target was increased from 1,300 to 2,500 nominations.
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What is the Investment Component?
• Job creation is an important part of building Ontario’s economic future.
– That’s why Opportunities Ontario helps investors who invest money in the province and create jobs for Ontarians.
• The program allows investors to permanently relocate key staff to ensure the long term success of the investment.
• Investments can be in any sector of the economy. There are no restrictions and no sector receives preferential treatment.
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Eligible Investments
• To qualify, investments must:
– Amount to at least $3 million;
– Create at least 5 net jobs for Ontarians;
– Be endorsed as significant by an Ontario ministry.
• Investment projects can request up to 25 positions per application.
– Positions need to be: skilled, permanent, and necessary for the long-term success of the investment.
– Positions can be filled by foreign workers or investors seeking nomination.
• New investments and recent expansions to
Ontario operations are eligible.
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Eligibility Criteria: Foreign Workers
• Investors can recruit foreign workers or investors seeking nomination to fill their approved nominee positions.
• Foreign workers:
– Must intend to live and work in Ontario for the majority of each year.
– Require 2 years of full-time, verifiable and paid work experience in the occupation (NOC code) they will be working in.
– Must be salaried, full-time employees who receive the ‘prevailing wage’ for their occupation in their region.
– Can be in Canada on a Temporary Work Permit or be located overseas.
• There is a non-refundable processing fee of $3,500 for each foreign worker nominee application. This fee can be paid by the prospective foreign worker nominee or by the investment project.
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Eligibility Criteria: Investors Seeking Nomination
• The investment component of Opportunities Ontario is geared to companies making an investment; however, individual investors seeking nomination can also qualify.
• Individual investors seeking personal nomination must meet additional eligibility criteria required under federal immigration law, as well as all foreign worker requirements.
• To meet federal law as provincial nominees, individual investors must also:
– Invest primarily for the purpose of the business opportunity represented by the investment project, not primarily to purchase permanent residence.
– Invest at least $1 million in the investment project or control at least 1/3 of equity in the investment project, whichever is the lesser of the two.
– Be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.
– Not have redemption options for their investment, with their investment carrying a risk tied directly to the success of the investment project.
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What the Investment Component is NOT
• The Investment Component is NOT a program for “passive investors”
– e.g., an investor provides a lump-sum investment in exchange for Permanent Residence (PR) without a long-term commitment to the management of the company
• The Investment Component is NOT a program for raising capital to facilitate immigration
– e.g., an company needs to raise capital and provides investors with a promise of PR in exchange for their investment.
• The Investment Component is NOT a program for entrepreneurs
– e.g., an entrepreneur wants to set up a store and hire family members as employees.
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Investment Component Stages
1. Referral
Prospective investor contacts
Opportunities Ontario for a referral
2. Investment Assessment
Investing company applies to
Ontario ministry for endorsement
3. Nominee Application
Prospective nominees apply
to Opportunities Ontario
4. Post-Endorsement Monitoring
Endorsing Ministry follows
up with investors
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Contact Information
Call us at:
• 1-866-214-6820 (toll-free in North America)
• 416-327-0374
E-mail us at:
WWW.ONTARIOIMMIGRATION.CA
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Important contacts
Investment component inquiries:
Maria Ma
Senior PNP Officer, PNP Unit
Tel: 416-326-8090
E-mail: [email protected]
Suzanne Skinner
Team Lead, PNP Unit
Tel: 416-327-6630
E-mail: [email protected]
Promotion and Marketing :
Alexander S. Bosika
Senior Business Consultant, PDI Unit
Tel: 416-327-2954
E-mail: [email protected]
Stakeholders:
Yulia Rzhenichev
Program Consultant, PDI Unit
Tel: 416-327-7285
E-mail: [email protected]