As of June 14, 2010, international students who graduated or will soon be graduating from a Master’s program from one of Ontario’s publicly funded universities, can now apply to Opportunities Ontario (Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program) for nomination as a permanent resident, under the International Student Category’s Pilot Master’s Graduate Stream. The student will not require a job offer in order to apply for a nomination.

In order to apply to Opportunities Ontario as an international Master’s graduate in Ontario, students must:

1. Intend to live and work in Ontario;
2. Have graduated from an existing Master’s program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario;
3. Have completed a minimum of one academic year degree program, while studying on a full-time basis;
4. Apply within two years of the date on which their Master’s degree was granted, or, during the last semester of completing their degree;
5. Currently be residing in Ontario;
6. Have legal status in Canada (i.e. study permit, work permit, temporary resident visa);
7. Demonstrate high official language proficiency (For English language proficiency – IELTS – General test with a minimum band score of 7 or higher) (For French language proficiency – TEF – with a minimum score of 5 or higher);
8. Demonstrate a minimum level of savings/income to support themselves and their dependants (currently $11,086 for a single person);
9. Demonstrate at least one year of residence in Ontario in the past two years; and
10. Not have return obligations under Canadian International Development Agency grants or home country scholarships.

International students subsidized through the Canadian International Development Agency grants or home country scholarship with return obligations will not be eligible for Opportunities Ontario unless such obligations have been fulfilled.