Updated Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, 2022
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is proposing amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 (General) that will impact the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
The OINP is required to align its regulations with the new National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021 system that has already been implemented by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada (StatCan) as their official classification system. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will also be implementing NOC 2021 in November.
The recommended regulatory amendments to O. Reg. 422/17 also include updates to NOC terminology and specific NOC codes or classification categories. For example, in the new NOC codes of 2021 the term “NOC Skill Level” has been replaced with the NOC Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (the “TEER Category”). The “TEER” categorization defines the requirements of the occupation by considering the type of training, education and experience required for entry, as well as the complexities and responsibilities typical of an occupation. So, instead of being classified as Skill Level A, B, C, or D, jobs will be classed as TEER Category 0-5 under the new NOC codes.
| TEER Category 0 | Occupations in management |
| TEER Category 1 (formerly, Skill Level “A”) | A university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate); or several years of TEER category two experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER Category 2 (formerly, Skill Level “B”) | Completion of a two- to the three-year postsecondary education program at a community college, the institution of technology, or CEGEP; or completion of a two to a five-year apprenticeship training program; or occupations having supervisory or major safety duties (police officers and firefighters); or several years of TEER category three experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER Category 3 (formerly, Skill Level “C”) | Completion of a two-year postsecondary education program at a community college, institute of technology, or CÉGEP; or apprenticeship training that lasts shorter than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training, training courses, or particular professional experience with a high school diploma; or several years of TEER category four experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER Category 4 (formerly, Skill Level “D”) | Secondary school graduation; or several weeks of on-the-job training combined with a high school diploma; or Several years of TEER category five experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER Category 5 | There are no formal schooling prerequisites and only a brief job demonstration. |
For OINP streams which previously required a job offer and/or work experience in NOC Type 0 or NOC Skill Level A or B, under NOC 2021 these streams will now require the job offer or work experience to fall within TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. For the OINP’s Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills stream which previously required a job offer in select NOC Skill Level C or D occupations, the stream will now require job offers in select TEER 4 or 5 occupations under NOC 2021. Under NOC 2021 some occupations will be changing NOC label and this will have an impact on which streams they are eligible for.
Additional changes under the Employer Job Offer category are:
- Under the Employer Job Offer International Student stream, require individuals applying with a certificate of at least one year to meet the criteria of the Ontario College Graduate Certificate as defined under the Ontario Qualifications Framework.
- Under the Employer Job Offer Foreign Worker stream, require applicants to demonstrate competency at the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 Level or above.
The Ministry is also proposing changes to the minimum amount for the OINP’s administrative monetary penalties increasing it to $10,000.
