The Ontario Corporate Stream (OCS) is aimed at established international corporations that want to expand into Ontario or buy an existing Ontario business.
If an international corporation establishes itself in Ontario and abides by the rules of the program, five key members of the corporation that are essential to the establishment, operation and success of the business may be nominated by the Ontario government for permanent residence.
Once nominated, an applicant qualifies to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
If a corporation and key staff members fulfill all the above requirements an application can be submitted. All necessary forms must be completed truthfully. The supporting documents must be included.
A business plan must also be submitted. The business plan will include details explaining:
The application is to be completed and submitted online, through ONIP e-Filing Portal.
There is an application fee of $3,500 per key staff member.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
After all required documents and fees are received, the application will be assessed.
Key staff members are required to attend a mandatory in-person interview at the OINP office.
If the application is approved, the corporation will be asked to sign a Performance Agreement outlining the rules that must be followed in order for the key staff members to be nominated for permanent residence.
Once the Performance Agreement is signed, the key staff members will be sent a Letter of Confirmation.
This letter will allow the key staff members to apply for a temporary Work Permit (WP) from the Canadian government. If the key staff members meet all the relevant criteria of the Canadian federal government, they will receive the WP.
Once the key staff members obtain temporary work permits, they should move to Ontario and begin implementing the business plan as soon as possible, within 12 months from the date of their Letter of Confirmation.
One key staff member must inform immigration processing office of the corporation’s arrival in Ontario within 7 days of arrival.
Within 18-20 months of arriving in Ontario, the corporation must submit a final report showing that it is abiding by all the rules of the OCS and the terms of the Performance Agreement.
If the report is approved, the key staff members will be nominated for permanent residence by the Ontario government. The holder of a nomination certificate may submit an application for Canadian permanent residence to the federal government as long as the nominee continues to abide by the Performance Agreement and the requirements of the OCS mentioned above.
If the key staff members obtain permanent residence, they will be monitored for an additional period of 36 months to make sure that the corporation continues to abide by all the rules of the OCS and the terms of the performance agreement.
The following dependants of key staff members can be included in an application of Ontario Corporate Stream Business program:
There are six streams under which candidates can apply directly for Ontario nomination: Employer Job Offer (all three streams), International Student (Masters and PhD Graduates), Business Immigration (the Corporate Stream).
The province also operates three Express Entry streams targeting applicants who have the requisite qualifications, including education, experience, language proficiency and ability to successfully establish in Ontario and contribute to the province’s economic development.
The Entrepreneur Stream has a special status among Ontario’s programs, as it accepts only expressions of interest. Interested candidates cannot apply directly for nomination, they must wait to be selected and invited to apply. However, they do not require a valid Express Entry profile, so they do not need to meet the requirements of any federal program.
List of ineligible types of businesses in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):
The first step towards a successful Canadian working visa application is getting an evaluation of your case. Fill out our online immigration evaluation, and we will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your eligibility and visa options.
