The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has issued 986 invitations to candidates in the Express Entry pool eligible under their Skilled Trades Stream. Candidates who received invitations in this draw had a CRS score between 300-379.
This is the second draw Ontario’s Skilled Trades stream has held this year. The first draw, held January 13, 2021, targeted candidates with CRS scores in the range of 434-460. As this stream requires candidates to be eligible under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the CRS range targeted dropped, likely in response to the last federal CEC draw on May 31, 2021 which had a CRS cut-off of 380 – just above the range targeted in today’s provincial draw.
How can I be eligible for this stream?
Interested applicants must have an active Express Entry profile for Ontario’s Skilled Trades stream to consider them for nomination. In addition to this, candidates must also satisfy the following criteria:
- Meet the requirements of the Canadian Experience Class;
- Be currently living in Canada;
- Have at least one year of full-time Ontario work experience in a skilled trade undertaken with legal status to work in Canada, fully disclosed in the Express Entry profile;
- Accumulated qualifying work experience within two years of applying.
If the work experience claimed is in a compulsory trade, applicants must have a valid Ontario trade certificate or license and must be qualified to work in their trade both at the time of working and when applying. The stream also requires that applicants have sufficient settlement funds and can demonstrate their intention to settle in Ontario.
How do Ontario’s Express Entry Streams Work?
The Ontario Skilled Trades stream uses the Express Entry system to search for profiles; using the Express Entry pool of candidates, they can find candidates that meet the general criteria of their programs. In addition, Ontario targets draw-specific criteria that changes from each round of invitations. If a candidate receives a Notification of Interest (NOI), they will be alerted through their Express Entry account. Upon receiving an NOI, candidates have 45 calendar days to prepare and submit their application. Once Ontario has extended a nomination, a request to accept the nomination will appear on one’s Express Entry profile. Once an applicant has accepted the nomination, their CRS score will increase by an additional 600 points. These additional points essentially guarantee an invitation to apply for permanent residence in one of the PNP-specific or non-specified Express Entry draws.
Lauren Boorman
