On October 7, Ontario sent an invitation to 162 Express Entry candidates to seek a provincial nomination.

Through Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) route, selected candidates may be eligible to come to Canada. Candidates needed an Express Entry profile with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of between 461 and 467.

The FSSW is a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream that has been improved to work with the Express Entry system. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) will contact invited candidates, and they will have 45 days to submit their provincial nominations online.

This is the year’s fourth FSSW draw, bringing the total number of invites distributed through this channel to 651.

Eligibility Criteria Details

To be eligible for the FSSW, you must first create a profile in the Express Entry system. This program is for persons who meet the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program’s eligibility standards.

Candidates must have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 in French and 6 in English to be considered. The OINP will look at candidates’ finances to see if they have enough money to cover settlement fees in Ontario, among other things.

Advantages of the Canadian PNP

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow Canadian provinces to welcome immigrants who could be a suitable fit for their labor markets.

Express Entry candidates who get a provincial nomination are virtually assured of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada in a subsequent federal draw. Candidates who are nominated by a province receive an automatic award of 600 CRS points.

More than enough to get an ITA in a PNP-only Express Entry draw or an all-program Express Entry lottery.

Because the applicants selected in today’s lottery have profiles in the federal Express Entry system, gaining a provincial nomination from Ontario would grant them an extra 600 CRS points toward their final score.