Ontario’s Auditor General says northern Ontario is not benefiting as much from the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) as other parts of the province.
The program allows businesses needing skilled labour to nominate immigrants with the requirements for permanent residency.
Shelley Spence says only three percent of nominees came to the north.
Spence also found that many permanent residents approved through OINP relocated to more populated parts of the province a few years later.
The Auditor General also noted that few of the nominees had jobs or the experience necessary to fill some of the province’s highest labour needs.
The most notable was within nursing-related occupations, where less than 1% of nominees were working.
Spence recommends that the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, and Skilled Development better coordinate with the federal government to ensure that Ontario’s labour needs are being considered.
Spence was also critical of the ministry’s lack of follow-up on applications approved.
“We found that in 2023, only 3% of all applicants were inspected by the ministry and 9% from high-risk streams,” says Spence.
Spence says there is a need for more robust verification processes to avoid fraud or misuse of the program.
