The Ontario province introduces a new permanent residency program for skilled foreign workers to meet the regional demand for labour and contribute to local economic development.
Earlier this year, the OINP introduced a new pilot program called the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot.
This pathway will operate from January 2, 2025 to December 31, 2025 and is meant to brighten up opportunities for skilled migrants in the rural and northern areas of Ontario making the province a perfect hub for immigration.
The pilot of REDI will focus on the economic growth of four certain areas in the province and provide skill immigrants up to 800 nominations.
The participating regions are:
Lanark County (geographic boundaries)
Leeds and Grenville (United Counties) (geographic boundaries)
Sarnia-Lambton (geographic boundaries)
City of Thunder Bay (geographic boundaries)
Applicants whose applications are approved will be issued with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program certificate that allows them to apply for permanent residence status under IRCC.
This article contains a detailed explanation of the new pilot, how it works, and who qualifies for it, as well as its role in resolving significant labour deficits in Ontario.
How does the REDI Pilot Program Work?
This new pilot is aimed at the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams.
All four regions will be provided with an extra 200 nominations for use in the competition.
These nominations will be distributed through the following three job offer streams:
Foreign Worker Stream
International Student Stream
In-Demand Skills Stream
The primary goal of the REDI pilot is to fill labour shortages in high-demand industries that are crucial for regional growth.
The pilot is a clear example of commitment for a skilled immigrants friendly environment.
Such sectors as health, IT, and trades such as construction are some of the sectors of interest.
REDI Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be eligible for one of the Employer Job Offer streams of the OINP to be able to participate in this new pilot program.
One of the requirements for getting the visa is having a job offer that meets minimum requirements set by the Home Office from the employer from the relevant zone.
Additionally, all applicants must:
Plan of living in the province;
If the occupation is regulated, then must be licensed or be authorized to practice his/her occupation.
Following are the eligibility criteria for each of the job offer streams in the most elaborate manner.
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
This stream targets the candidates who have received a job offer from a particular company or employer, where there is a demand for certain positions in the regional outgoing labour market.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
Job must be in an eligible occupation based in Ontario.
Wage must meet or exceed the median wage for the occupation.
Job must be critical to the employer’s business operations.
Candidate Requirements:
Must have at least nine months of work experience in the same occupation within the last three years.
Must have completed a high school diploma or equivalent.
Must demonstrate language proficiency at CLB 4 or higher.
If education was completed abroad, candidates must provide an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) to validate their qualifications.
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
This stream is designed for skilled workers with job offers in specific occupations.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
Occupation must fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Wage must meet or exceed the median wage for the occupation in Ontario.
Jobs must be based in the province and critical to the employer’s business operations.
Candidate Requirements:
For a regulated profession, relevant license or authorization from the governing body in Ontario is mandatory.
However, for non-regulated occupations, the candidate should have had at least two years’ experience working in the same occupation in the last five years. There are no strict rules as to when work experience should be done; it can be done full time or part time.
Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
This stream is specifically for the recent graduates’ institutions that must be an eligible institution in Canada and the recent graduate has received a genuine job offer from an employer of the province.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
The occupation must fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC.
Wage must meet or exceed the low wage level for the occupation.
The job must be based in Ontario and critical to the employer’s business.
Candidate Requirements:
Must have completed a qualifying education program from an eligible Canadian institution in Ontario within the past two years.
Eligible programs include:
Undergraduate degrees or diplomas (minimum two years, full-time).
Graduate degrees or diplomas (minimum one year, full-time).
College or university graduate certificates (minimum one year, full-time).
If currently in the position, then offered wage should be no less than the current wage rate for that position along with the low wage level criteria.
Building on Past Success
The REDI pilot program is a brand-new initiative; however, it was created based on the experience of the previous OINP Regional Pilot, which was launched and completed in 2020.
The Regional Pilot increased nominations by 300 for such areas as Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, Belleville/Quinte West.
It turned out to be highly effective in providing for regional shortages of labour and in the development of the economy.
The OINP has estimated that the assimilation of skilled immigrants into the occupations in which they are qualified, could produce additional gross provincial product, to the tune of up to 100 billion CAD in the subsequent half decade.
This underscores the positive changes that immigration-fostered economic activities can bring about.
New Federal Regional Immigration Programs
The goal of implementing the REDI pilot in Ontario is to increase the regions’ economies and generate sustainable employment.
The pilot is in support of federal strategies for the marketing of regional and rural immigration.
Two recent federal programs that complement this new pilot include:
Rural Community Immigration Class: targeted on solving the problem of staff scarcity in the rural zones of the country.
Francophone Community Immigration Class: Specifically, to attract French-speaking immigrants to Francophone minority jurisdictions.
With the launch of the REDI pilot program, new projections have emerged at the provincial levels in responding to regional scarcities of workforce and stimulating economic advancement through immigration of skilled workers.
This effort demonstrates how the largest province in Canada places itself strategically to attract the required talented immigrants for its growth.
Hence by locating the program in rural and northern regions of the province, benefits will be more widely spread across the whole region.
This pilot program can be useful for aspiring immigrants who wanted to have a shot at finding an opportunity for permanent residence in Ontario while at the same time help establish thriving regional communities.
New Ontario Regional Permanent Residency Pathway 2025 Details
The Ontario province introduces a new permanent residency program for skilled foreign workers to meet the regional demand for labour and contribute to local economic development.
Earlier this year, the OINP introduced a new pilot program called the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot.
This pathway will operate from January 2, 2025 to December 31, 2025 and is meant to brighten up opportunities for skilled migrants in the rural and northern areas of Ontario making the province a perfect hub for immigration.
The pilot of REDI will focus on the economic growth of four certain areas in the province and provide skill immigrants up to 800 nominations.
The participating regions are:
Lanark County (geographic boundaries)
Leeds and Grenville (United Counties) (geographic boundaries)
Sarnia-Lambton (geographic boundaries)
City of Thunder Bay (geographic boundaries)
Applicants whose applications are approved will be issued with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program certificate that allows them to apply for permanent residence status under IRCC.
This article contains a detailed explanation of the new pilot, how it works, and who qualifies for it, as well as its role in resolving significant labour deficits in Ontario.
How does the REDI Pilot Program Work?
This new pilot is aimed at the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams.
All four regions will be provided with an extra 200 nominations for use in the competition.
These nominations will be distributed through the following three job offer streams:
Foreign Worker Stream
International Student Stream
In-Demand Skills Stream
The primary goal of the REDI pilot is to fill labour shortages in high-demand industries that are crucial for regional growth.
The pilot is a clear example of commitment for a skilled immigrants friendly environment.
Such sectors as health, IT, and trades such as construction are some of the sectors of interest.
REDI Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be eligible for one of the Employer Job Offer streams of the OINP to be able to participate in this new pilot program.
One of the requirements for getting the visa is having a job offer that meets minimum requirements set by the Home Office from the employer from the relevant zone.
Additionally, all applicants must:
Plan of living in the province;
If the occupation is regulated, then must be licensed or be authorized to practice his/her occupation.
Following are the eligibility criteria for each of the job offer streams in the most elaborate manner.
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
This stream targets the candidates who have received a job offer from a particular company or employer, where there is a demand for certain positions in the regional outgoing labour market.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
Job must be in an eligible occupation based in Ontario.
Wage must meet or exceed the median wage for the occupation.
Job must be critical to the employer’s business operations.
Candidate Requirements:
Must have at least nine months of work experience in the same occupation within the last three years.
Must have completed a high school diploma or equivalent.
Must demonstrate language proficiency at CLB 4 or higher.
If education was completed abroad, candidates must provide an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) to validate their qualifications.
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
This stream is designed for skilled workers with job offers in specific occupations.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
Occupation must fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Wage must meet or exceed the median wage for the occupation in Ontario.
Jobs must be based in the province and critical to the employer’s business operations.
Candidate Requirements:
For a regulated profession, relevant license or authorization from the governing body in Ontario is mandatory.
However, for non-regulated occupations, the candidate should have had at least two years’ experience working in the same occupation in the last five years. There are no strict rules as to when work experience should be done; it can be done full time or part time.
Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
This stream is specifically for the recent graduates’ institutions that must be an eligible institution in Canada and the recent graduate has received a genuine job offer from an employer of the province.
Job Offer Requirements:
Must be full-time and permanent.
The occupation must fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC.
Wage must meet or exceed the low wage level for the occupation.
The job must be based in Ontario and critical to the employer’s business.
Candidate Requirements:
Must have completed a qualifying education program from an eligible Canadian institution in Ontario within the past two years.
Eligible programs include:
Undergraduate degrees or diplomas (minimum two years, full-time).
Graduate degrees or diplomas (minimum one year, full-time).
College or university graduate certificates (minimum one year, full-time).
If currently in the position, then offered wage should be no less than the current wage rate for that position along with the low wage level criteria.
Building on Past Success
The REDI pilot program is a brand-new initiative; however, it was created based on the experience of the previous OINP Regional Pilot, which was launched and completed in 2020.
The Regional Pilot increased nominations by 300 for such areas as Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, Belleville/Quinte West.
It turned out to be highly effective in providing for regional shortages of labour and in the development of the economy.
The OINP has estimated that the assimilation of skilled immigrants into the occupations in which they are qualified, could produce additional gross provincial product, to the tune of up to 100 billion CAD in the subsequent half decade.
This underscores the positive changes that immigration-fostered economic activities can bring about.
New Federal Regional Immigration Programs
The goal of implementing the REDI pilot in Ontario is to increase the regions’ economies and generate sustainable employment.
The pilot is in support of federal strategies for the marketing of regional and rural immigration.
Two recent federal programs that complement this new pilot include:
Rural Community Immigration Class: targeted on solving the problem of staff scarcity in the rural zones of the country.
Francophone Community Immigration Class: Specifically, to attract French-speaking immigrants to Francophone minority jurisdictions.
With the launch of the REDI pilot program, new projections have emerged at the provincial levels in responding to regional scarcities of workforce and stimulating economic advancement through immigration of skilled workers.
This effort demonstrates how the largest province in Canada places itself strategically to attract the required talented immigrants for its growth.
Hence by locating the program in rural and northern regions of the province, benefits will be more widely spread across the whole region.
This pilot program can be useful for aspiring immigrants who wanted to have a shot at finding an opportunity for permanent residence in Ontario while at the same time help establish thriving regional communities.
Author: Sam Gill
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