Immigration to Ontario for international students
The International Student stream allows foreigners who have graduated and gotten a job offer in Ontario to get permanent residency.
The International Student stream of Ontario's provincial program is for international graduates who have found work in the province.
Eligibility
To immigrate through the International Student stream, you must meet the following requirements:
- get a job offer in Ontario in a TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation according to the NOC classification;
- complete an academic program at one of the suitable universities in Canada:
- that takes at least 2 years for undergraduate programs;
- or that takes at least 1 year for the following programs: graduate degree or diploma, college graduate certificate, university graduate certificate.
Candidate evaluation
Ontario evaluates applicants using the provincial Expression of Interest system, where points are awarded for work experience, level and field of education, specialty, and so on:
| Criterion | Points |
| JOB OFFER | |
| NOC TEER category | |
| TEER 0 or 1 | 10 |
| TEER 2 or 3 | 8 |
| NOC broad occupational category | |
| Occupational categories 0, 2, 3 | 10 |
| Occupational category 7 | 7 |
| Occupational categories 1, 9 | 5 |
| Occupational categories 4, 8 | 4 |
| Occupational categories 5, 6 | 3 |
| Suggested hourly wage, CAD | |
| $40 or more | 10 |
| $35 to $39.99 | 8 |
| $30 to $34.99 | 7 |
| $25 to $29.99 | 6 |
| $20 to $24.99 | 5 |
| Less than $20 | 0 |
| Work or study permit in Canada | |
| With a valid work or study permit | 10 |
| Without a valid work or study permit | 0 |
| Job tenure with job offer employer | |
| 6 months or more working in a job offer position | 3 |
| Less than 6 months working in job offer position or not currently working in a position | 0 |
| Earnings history, CAD | |
| Earnings from $40,000 per year | 3 |
| Earning less than $40,000 per year | 0 |
| EDUCATION | |
| Level of education | |
| PhD | 10 |
| Master's degree | 8 |
| Bachelor's degree | 6 |
| Graduate diploma or certificate, undergraduate diploma or certificate, apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma, college diploma or trades certificate | 5 |
| Education below the college level | 0 |
| Field of study | |
| Engineering, health, math, computer science, trades | 12 |
| All other fields, except arts and humanities | 6 |
| Arts and humanities | 0 |
| Study experiences in Canada | |
| More than one completed education in Canada | 10 |
| One completed education in Canada | 5 |
| LANGUAGES | |
| Language level on the CLB scale | |
| Level 9 or higher | 10 |
| Level 8 | 6 |
| Level 7 | 4 |
| Level 6 or lower | 0 |
| Knowledge of official languages | |
| Proficiency in two languages (English and French) | 10 |
| Proficiency in one language | 5 |
| REGIONAL IMMIGRATION | |
| Location of employer | |
| Northern Ontario | 10 |
| Other areas outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | 8 |
| Inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | 3 |
| Toronto | 0 |
| Location of study | |
| Northern Ontario | 10 |
| Other areas outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | 8 |
| Inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | 3 |
| Toronto | 0 |
How to apply
If you qualify for the International Student stream, you can create an Expression of Interest account on Ontario's official website.
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To learn about other Ontario provincial program streams, see the article "Immigration to Ontario — Canada's provincial program".
