Immigration in Ontario is planning to transition to the new NOC 2021

Canada is considering aligning the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) with the new National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021 system, according to a media release from Ontario.ca dated September 7.

The new NOC system is already in use by Employment Development Canada (EDSC) and Statistics Canada (StatsCan), and it will be used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in November.

The OINP will be affected by the new amendment since the list of jobs that qualify for each stream will change. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in Ontario, for instance, will now fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3, as opposed to the NOC skill categories 0, A, or B, which previously needed a job offer or work experience.

The revisions said, "For the OINP’s Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills stream which previously required a job offer in select NOC Skill Level C or D occupations, the stream will now require job offers in select TEER 4 or 5 occupations under NOC 2021."

"Under NOC 2021 some occupations will be changing NOC label and this will have an impact on which streams they are eligible for," it stated.

The Ontario government stated that the entire specifics of the NOC 2021 system are available on the Statistics Canada and IRCC websites, and that it will continue to update with new developments.

Apart from that, Ontario is proposing to require employer job offer foreign worker stream candidates to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 Level or above. The province stated that including the additional language criterion will correspond with the program's goal of facilitating effective staff integration.

In terms of academic requirements for the Employer Job Offer International Student stream, Ontario intends to require applicants with a certificate of at least one year to fulfil the standards of the Ontario College Graduate Certificate, as established by the Ontario Qualifications Framework.

"This amendment is expected to offer clarity and reduce burdens for International Student stream applicants applying with one year certificates."

Lastly, the Ontario government seeks to change the minimum amount for administrative monetary penalties assessed by the OINP. The proposed modifications are currently available for public comment on Ontario's Regulatory Registry, and comments will be accepted until October 21, 2022.

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