- What a nomination is
- Ontario's recommendation, not status
- Who decides PR
- IRCC, the federal government
- Express Entry route
- Accept nomination → +600 CRS → Invitation to Apply
- Paper based route
- For nominees who don't meet federal program criteria
- Nomination validity
- Stated on your nomination letter, apply within it
- New federal requirements
- Medical exam, police certificates, proof of funds where applicable
- Does it grant status?
- No; you must maintain valid status separately
- Family
- Spouse and dependent children can be included; all must be declared
Choosing your route
Requires a valid Express Entry profile and eligibility for a federal program, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades.
You accept the nomination in your profile, your score jumps, and you are invited at the next round.
For nominees who do not meet any federal program's criteria, often because of how experience or language sits against federal thresholds.
No CRS bonus applies because you are outside the Express Entry system entirely. The destination is identical.
Which one applies to you is largely determined before nomination, by whether you had a profile and whether you meet federal criteria. It is not usually a choice made at this stage. How the two systems connect →
What actually happens, in order
- You receive the nomination with an expiry date. Diarise it immediately.
- You accept it, in your Express Entry profile, or by starting the paper based application.
- Your CRS rises by 600 if you are on the Express Entry route. Cut-offs have never approached that number.
- You receive an Invitation to Apply at the next federal draw, with a deadline to submit.
- You submit the PR application with medicals, police certificates and full personal history.
- IRCC assesses admissibility and issues a decision. If approved, you complete landing formalities.
What IRCC needs that Ontario never asked for
This is the part that surprises people. Ontario assessed your economic profile; IRCC assesses whether you are admissible to Canada, which is a different question with different documents.
| Requirement | What to know | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Police certificates | From every country you lived in for 6+ months since age 18. The most common cause of delay at this stage. | Weeks to months |
| Immigration medical exam | Must be done by an IRCC panel physician; your own doctor cannot do it. | Days to weeks |
| Proof of funds | Required for some federal programs and not others. Check which applies to you. | Immediate, if you have it |
| Complete personal history | Every address and activity for the last 10 years, with no gaps. | Takes longer than expected |
| Family declarations | Spouse and dependants must be declared and examined even if not accompanying. | Immediate |
If you have lived in more than one country, begin requesting police certificates the day you are nominated, not when IRCC asks. Some countries take months, and a nomination has an expiry date that does not pause for foreign bureaucracy.
Keeping status while you wait
A nomination does not grant status, extend a permit or authorise work. If your work permit expires during the federal stage you must address it separately, and falling out of status at this point can undo a great deal of work.
- Map your permit expiry against the whole federal timeline, not just the nomination date.
- Do not leave your job without advice: the nomination rests on that offer.
- Keep language results valid if your federal program requires them; two years passes.
- Keep both profiles consistent. Information that differs between your provincial application and your Express Entry profile is a genuine refusal risk.
Where this stage goes wrong
- Treating the nomination as the finish line. It is the halfway point, and the second half has its own deadlines.
- Waiting to request police certificates. Almost always the critical path.
- Letting the nomination expire. The date is on the letter and it is real.
- Undeclared family members. A serious error with consequences beyond this application.
- Changing employers. Understandable after a long process, and genuinely risky before landing.
After nomination FAQ
What nominees ask once the provincial stage is done.
What happens after I get an OINP nomination?
You apply to the federal government for permanent residence. A nomination is Ontario's recommendation, not status. If you were nominated through Express Entry you accept the nomination in your profile, gain 600 CRS points and wait for an Invitation to Apply; otherwise you submit a paper based permanent residence application to IRCC.
How long is an OINP nomination valid?
Nominations carry an expiry date stated on the nomination letter, and you must submit your federal permanent residence application within that window. Check your own letter rather than relying on a figure quoted for an older stream.
Does a nomination guarantee permanent residence?
No. IRCC makes the final decision and conducts its own medical, criminality and security checks. Through Express Entry the 600 points make an Invitation to Apply effectively certain, but the permanent residence decision itself remains federal and can still be refused on admissibility grounds.
Express Entry or paper based, which should I use?
Express Entry if you qualify for a federal program, because it is faster and carries the 600 point bonus. The paper based route exists for nominees who do not meet federal program criteria; it is slower but it is a genuine route to the same outcome.
Can I work in Ontario while my PR application is processed?
Only if you hold valid status. A nomination does not grant or extend status, and it does not by itself authorise work. Maintaining valid status throughout is your responsibility and one of the more common problems at this stage.
Can I change jobs after being nominated?
It is risky. Your nomination rests on the job offer that supported it, and leaving that employer can undermine both the nomination and the federal application. Get advice before making any move between nomination and landing.
What documents does IRCC need that Ontario didn't?
Typically police certificates from every country you have lived in for six months or more since age 18, an immigration medical examination, proof of funds where required, and complete personal history. These are federal requirements that Ontario does not assess, and police certificates in particular can take months.
Can my family come with me?
Your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children can generally be included in the same permanent residence application. They must be declared and examined even if they are not accompanying you, and failing to declare a family member can have serious consequences.