EEP On Canadian Communications And Technology Workers

Express Entry pool’s candidates for immigration to Canada with work experience in the Information and Communications Technology Sector (ICT) are being prioritized for immigration by the province of Ontario, under a new strategy implemented for the week beginning June 26.

This update to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) concerns the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream, which is aligned with the Federal Express Entry immigration selection system.

Up until this point, Ontario is searching the Express Entry pool and issuing Notifications of Interest (NOIS) to candidates with at least 400 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

Meanwhile, the new strategy also allows the government of Ontario to issue NOIs to candidates who meet all other HCP stream criteria and who have indicated work experience in a specific target occupation identified by the OINP. And now, it’s easy for ICT workers to be issued a NOI by the OINP under the HCP, even if they have a CRS score below 400.

According to a 2016 report published by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), a public-funded non-for-profit think tank projected that Canada needs 182,000 new ICT workers by 2019, with more needed in Ontario than in any other province.

HCP STREAM CRITERIA

To be eligible under the HCP Stream, candidates must first:

• Have a profile in the Express entry Pool and score a minimum of four hundred points under the CRS.
• Have a minimum level of work experience.
• Have a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree or Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a designated organization indicating that their foreign education credential is equivalent to Canadian standards.
• Demonstrate English or French Language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or above in all four competencies (speaking, reading, writing, and listening).
• Indicate that they intend to reside in Ontario or ‘all provincial and territories”
• Possess sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario and other Provincial territories.
• Meet the additional criteria under either the FSWC or CEC.