The Government of Ontario has issued new Notifications of Interest to Express Entry candidates through its French-Speaking Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades streams. The draws are the second in the last seven days through these two streams, with 34 invitations issued through the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream (FSSW) and 29 issued through the Skilled Trades Stream (ST).

The April 19 FSSW draw targeted Express Entry candidates who had submitted their Express Entry profile between January 1 and April 19, 2018. ST draw, which took place April 18, targeted Express Entry candidates who had submitted their profiles between January 1 and April 18, 2018. Ontario has now issued a total of 366 Notifications of Interest, or NOIs, to Express Entry candidates through the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream in 2018, and another 488 through the Skilled Trades Stream.

Ontario’s other Express Entry-linked immigration stream, the Human Capital Priorities Stream, has been its most active by far in 2018, issuing a total of 2,587 NOIs so far this year.

Unlike the Human Capital Priorities Stream, which generally targets Express Entry candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 400 or higher, neither the FSSW or ST stream has a minimum CRS score requirement.

The FSSW Stream was launched in 2015 to target French-speaking Express Entry candidates who qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker Class or the Canadian Experience Class and who have sufficient English language abilities (CLB 6 or higher). The program was created to help bolster Ontario’s francophone population, which numbers around 500,000 people and is the largest francophone population outside of Quebec.

The Skilled Trades Stream targets qualified trades workers in the Express Entry pool with experience in an eligible trade. Express Entry candidates who are issued a Notification of Interest by Ontario and receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points, leaving them well positioned to receive an Invitation to Apply, or ITA, in a later Express Entry draw.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool do not apply directly to Ontario’s Express Entry streams. Candidates must first obtain a NOI from Ontario through their IRCC online account. Once a NOI has been received, candidates have 45 calendar days from the date the NOI letter was issued to submit an online application to the OINP. In order to pursue any of Ontario’s Express Entry-linked streams, Candidates must first submit a profile to the federal Express Entry pool.