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OINP - Ontario PNP - Masters Graduate (MG) Stream
One of the 2 PNP streams of Ontario dedicated to international students
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The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of Ontario's Provincial Nominee Program (OINP), the Masters Graduate (MG) stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
Overview of the Masters Graduate (MG) stream
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The Masters Graduate (MG) stream is one of Ontario's PNP streams that is dedicated to international students who have completed their Master's degree in an eligible university in Ontario.
When receiving a nomination under the MG stream, candidates can then apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government of Canada. |
This stream is not aligned with Express Entry, which means that candidates cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of Express Entry. Processing times of Provincial Nominee Programs (not aligned with Express Entry) are usually longer and take at least 1 year.
The MG stream does not require a valid job offer or work experience in its eligibility requirements. On the flip side, this stream usually only opens a couple of times a year, and stays open until all the slots are filled. With the limited number of slots and the popularity of the stream, it only stays open for a few hours.
You need to provide proof of having enough liquid funds to support yourself and support your family. You can find more information in the Eligibility Requirements section.
In order to get your application submitted, you need (i) to know when the stream will open, and (ii) have all your documents ready for submission. We advise you to follow us on our social media platforms (see in the menu or at the bottom of the page) so you are advised on when the stream will open. OINP usually releases this information a week to a few days before the opening of the stream.
The MG stream does not require a valid job offer or work experience in its eligibility requirements. On the flip side, this stream usually only opens a couple of times a year, and stays open until all the slots are filled. With the limited number of slots and the popularity of the stream, it only stays open for a few hours.
You need to provide proof of having enough liquid funds to support yourself and support your family. You can find more information in the Eligibility Requirements section.
In order to get your application submitted, you need (i) to know when the stream will open, and (ii) have all your documents ready for submission. We advise you to follow us on our social media platforms (see in the menu or at the bottom of the page) so you are advised on when the stream will open. OINP usually releases this information a week to a few days before the opening of the stream.
Eligibility Requirements
There are 8 categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You can apply to the Masters Graduate (MG) stream if you satisfy to all the requirements below. As said earlier, the only hurdle in this stream is getting a spot when the stream opens. Again, there is no need to have a job offer to qualify.
1. Education
To be eligible to the MG stream, you must have:
If you are have received a scholarship or fellowship that requires you to return to your home country at the end of your studies, you cannot apply to this stream. You need to fulfill the requirements of your scholarship or fellowship before applying, if possible.
If you are still studying towards earning your masters, you cannot apply to the stream, unless:
1. Education
To be eligible to the MG stream, you must have:
- completed at least one academic year of full-time studies in the Master's degree, and
- been awarded the Master's degree from one of the universities listed below.
If you are have received a scholarship or fellowship that requires you to return to your home country at the end of your studies, you cannot apply to this stream. You need to fulfill the requirements of your scholarship or fellowship before applying, if possible.
If you are still studying towards earning your masters, you cannot apply to the stream, unless:
- the Master's degree studies are part of the requirements to earn a license in a regulated job in Ontario, or
- you are also working full-time in Ontario.
Eligible universities in Ontario
- Algoma University
- Brescia University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
- Brock University
- Carleton University
- Dominican University College
- Huron University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
- King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
- Lakehead University
- Laurentian University
- McMaster University
- Nipissing University
- Ontario College of Art & Design University
- Queen’s University
- Royal Military College of Canada
- Ryerson University
- Saint Paul University (Federated with the University of Ottawa)
- St. Jerome’s University (Federated with the University of Waterloo)
- Trent University
- University of Guelph
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology
- University of Ottawa
- University of St. Michael’s College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
- University of Toronto
- University of Trinity College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
- University of Waterloo
- University of Windsor
- Victoria University (Federated with the University of Toronto)
- Western University
- Wilfrid Laurier University
- York University
2. Language
You need to score at least CLB7 in either French or English to qualify. You can learn more about the Canadian Language Benchmarks and the authorized language tests in this section.
3. Residence in Ontario
You must have resided in Ontario of at least 1 year during the past 2 years before applying.
4. Settlement funds
You need to own a minimum amount of liquid funds when you apply for this stream. The amount is based on the required federal settlement funds, and depend on the number of family members (accompanying you or not). You can find the amounts required here.
However, the requirement in Ontario are a little different from the federal ones. There is one important case of discrepancies to note:
- If you are allowed to work in Ontario and have a job offer, you do not need to provide proof of funds under the federal rules. However, under the MG stream, you need to count the annual wages of your job offer (if you have one) towards your settlement funds. For example, if the salary from your job offer is 28,000$, and your required settlement funds are 32,000$, then you need to only provide proof of owning 4,000$ (the difference between 32,000$ and 28,000$) of liquid funds.
5. Intent to settle in Ontario
OINP will assess this through a series of factors, such as past studies, work, or tourism in the province, having family members or personal relationships residing in Ontario, etc.
You can find more information on this in the Required Documents section of this guide.
6. Residency when applying
If you live in Canada, you cannot apply if you live in a province other than Ontario. When you apply, you can either be living (i) in Ontario, or (ii) outside Canada.
7. Legal status in Canada
When applying from inside Canada, you need to have the appropriate legal documentation to prove you are in the country legally, either a Work Permit, a Study Permit, etc. You should keep your status until you are nominated.
8. Application period
You can apply to the MG stream within 2 years after the date on your degree. For example, if the date on the Master's degree is January 4th, 2019, you cannot apply after January 4th 2021.
Application Process Summary
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Masters Graduate (MG) stream. Candidates must:
- Apply to the MG stream when the stream is open, by submitting their application through the OINP e-Filing Portal (filling in forms and uploading required documents). Make sure to follow us (links at the bottom of the page or in the menu section) to be aware of when the stream will open.
- Apply for permanent residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination (after OINP processes their application). Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the Nomination Approval Letter and the Certificate of Nomination received from OINP.
Required Supporting Documents
All required documents must be uploaded online, and you will need to create a profile on the OINP e-Filing Portal to do so. Specific requirements for documents are explained in detail here.
For the intent to reside in Ontario, you need to list all ties that you have to the province, including family, friends, prior studies, prior or current work experience, prior visit, etc. Remember to add any document that could support the claims you are making.
As you must have already lived in the province to apply to this stream, this section should not be a problem. Make sure not to talk about any other province and explain why you want to stay in Ontario.
For the intent to reside in Ontario, you need to list all ties that you have to the province, including family, friends, prior studies, prior or current work experience, prior visit, etc. Remember to add any document that could support the claims you are making.
As you must have already lived in the province to apply to this stream, this section should not be a problem. Make sure not to talk about any other province and explain why you want to stay in Ontario.
Application Fees
The fee for this stream is quite expensive, the most expensive in all other Provincial Nominee Programs. It is set at 1,500 CAD. It can only be paid by a credit or debit card (Visa or MasterCard).
Application fees can only be refunded if the processing of the application has not started, either (i) if the applicant withdraws his/her application before processing starts, or (ii) if the application is refused as being incomplete by the OINP.
Application fees can only be refunded if the processing of the application has not started, either (i) if the applicant withdraws his/her application before processing starts, or (ii) if the application is refused as being incomplete by the OINP.
Processing Times
As of June 4, 2020, the processing times for a Masters Graduate stream application are estimated to be between 30 to 60 days. However, some applications may need more time to be processed if more complex or necessitate more documents and/or information.
Stream Opening History
You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and stream opening history on the Masters Graduate stream, as well as for all the other PNP streams.
Do I have to stay in the Province?
This is a tricky question and there are multiple situations that can happen. You can learn more about this subject on our dedicated article: Can I move to another province?
Does the Stream have In-Demand Jobs?
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream. In the case of the Masters Graduate stream, there is no in-demand list. You can find out about the other provinces' in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
