The immigration of Ontario has released comprehensive advice for candidates and employers in the stir of the global coronavirus pandemic emergency state.
Ontario, Canada’s heavily populated province is nevertheless answering queries and processing applications & is allotting nominations through Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), which includes Express Entry-linked & Entrepreneur streams.
The candidates who have trouble getting information & documents are asked to provide their applications & that includes an explanation so as to reason why that information was lost.
“when verifying your application all the relevant and required information will be considered & also may give additional time for submitting the needed credentials,” an OINP statement mentioned.
Ontario is busy making plans to contact the employers ‘to evaluate the repercussion of the virus outbreak on conditions of employment’.
This is especially with reference to the Employer Job Offer Stream applications in the 3 categories: In-Demand Skills, Foreign Worker & International Student.
Employer Job Offer Stream: COVID-19 Guidance
1) Required Full-time & Permanent position.
The applicant should have an employment offer in roles that has approval from the OINP.
The roles must fulfill all the position criteria and prescribed employers.
The role shall be full-time, permanent, & must meet the wage conditions (median/ low wages).
Ontario mentions: “An application cannot be approved if the worker has been laid off & the relationship of employment does not exist any longer.”
2) The application that is submitted to the OINP however not processed
Employers & Applicants are supposed to inform the OINP in case of any deviations to the application, that includes variations to employment offers.
Ontario mentions: “We shall be making contact with all the employers to verify that the employment positions/ job offers to meet the program criteria.”
Situation 1: No changes
In case there are little variations to the offer of employment, the OINP shall be continuing to verify the said application.
Situation 2: Offer of Job withdrawn or terminated employment.
In the case where an employment offer/employment role is not available anymore, the said application shall not be accepted. The application fee will be refunded and the said application will be considered as incomplete.
Situation 3: Layoff Temporarily
In case an employment offer or job role is been influenced by a provisional layoff because of COVID-19, however otherwise fulfills the criteria, the applications shall be kept hold for a period of days totaling 90.
3) An application that is given approval by OINP & the candidate is nominated
Requirements of notice: Approved nomination
The conditions of employment of the nominee must be consistent during the period of nomination until the permanent residence status, including employer & duties, wage, work hours, job title, and location.
Employers & Nominees are asked to inform the OINP in case of any deviations. In case the above criteria are not fulfilled, the approval shall be made void, and the employee may be terminated.
The nominees need not get in touch with OINP except if the employer had removed the employment offer or the employment terminated.
Employers must inform the OINP in case of any deviations to the terms of employment that excludes temporary layoffs.
If an offer of a job or the position of employment has been influenced by a layoff that is temporary because of COVID-19, however otherwise fulfills the criteria, Ontario shall continue supporting the nomination however may verify for further information from the employers.
Scenarios of Employer response after the nomination
Situation 1: No changes
In case there are little variations to the offer of employment, the OINP shall be continuing to assess the said application.
Situation 2: Offer of Job withdrawn or terminated employment.
If the nominee’s prior employment been ended because of COVID-19, Ontario shall cancel the consent of the said position.
The nominees will receive 90 days for searching for another employer & be provided with the option to make a fresh submission.
Entrepreneur Stream
The candidates who have secured an invite to make an application via Entrepreneur Stream shall have the 90-day deadline for submission extended temporarily.
Candidates who made a comprehensive application & are confronting challenges because of COVID-19 must contact Ontario with further details.
The following scenarios of challenges are offered by Ontario:
- Delays in receiving the information which relates to monitoring of the application.
- The candidates who are asked to compulsorily or temporarily close, alter or suspend the operations of the business.
- The candidates who are temporarily incapable of fulfilling the hiring and employment conditions.
Ontario mentions: “The OINP shall continue to answer the particular concern of the applicants as it arises.”
Without notice, there is no cancellation of nomination or refusal of the application.
Ontario mentions: “No approvals will be canceled or no application will be denied without informing the employer and the applicant. We shall diligently check the responses to the notices prior to making an ultimate decision.”