T: 086 000 9589
Online Immigration AssessmentRequest us to call you backE-mail us your questions

Investor Driven Work Permits for Ontario

Approved investors seeking workers who wish to immigrate to Canada and that wish to reside in Ontario can apply under the Opportunities Ontario Provincial Nominee Program, category Investors.

The Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program is designed to assist employers who are unable to recruit Canadian citizens or permanent residents to fulfill their recruitment needs.

Successful immigrant applications under this scheme pave the way for successful Canadian immigration to the province of Ontario and the gaining of permanent residency status. In addition it meets the needs of attracting and retaining needed foreign workers.


Applicants considered by the by the Opportunities Ontario Provincial Nominee Program must meet the following criteria:

Investment Criteria for corporations

  • To qualify, investments must be of significant importance to the province of Ontario and must create jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in the province of Ontario. Both new investments and expansions to current operations are eligible. Investments must meet the following guidelines to qualify:
  • The investment must receive an official endorsement from an Ontario ministry at the deputy minister level for the investment and the number of key positions requested
  • The minimum amount of the investment is $3,000,000 CAD
  • The investment must create at least five (net) permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Ontario
  • The investment must comply with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), which excludes individuals who are nominated because of capital provision or who engage in an immigration linked investment scheme.

Individual Criteria for individual investors:

  • They must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the day-to-day management of the business
  • Control or will control at least 33.3% of the equity in the business or make a minimum $1,000,000 CAD investment
  • Not have the option of redeeming the investment after a specified period
  • Invest the capital in the business not for the primary purpose of deriving interest, dividends, or capital gain

Requesting more than one position:

Companies making an eligible investment in the province of Ontario can request multiple positions for key foreign staff (to a maximum of 25). For the first request, 5 (net) permanent full-time positions for Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Ontario must be created. For each subsequent nominee request, one permanent full-time position must be created. See table below for the number of nominee positions an investor may request

Number of net nominee positions for key foreign personnel

Number of net jobs created for Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in the province of Ontario

Number of net jobs created as a result of the investment

1

5

6

2

6

8

3

7

10

4

8

12

5

9

14

6

10

16

11

15

26

16

20

36

21

25

46

25

29+

54+