Ontario conducted its first Tech Draw and invited over 1,600 Express Entry candidates
- Rob Brown
- Aug 15, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 27, 2019

Ontario announced recently that the province was looking to organize targeted draws in order to invite more people who have work experience in the technology sector. On 12th July, Ontario conducted the very first Tech Draw and it was a success by all means. The province extended invitations to 1,623 Express Entry candidates who had sufficient work experience in the technology sector to be eligible. These candidates will now be able to apply for provincial nomination in their quest for Canadian permanent residence.
Ontario announced recently that the province was looking to organize targeted draws in order to invite more people who have work experience in the technology sector. On 12th July, Ontario conducted the very first Tech Draw and it was a success by all means. The province extended invitations to 1,623 Express Entry candidates who had sufficient work experience in the technology sector to be eligible. These candidates will now be able to apply for provincial nomination in their quest for Canadian permanent residence.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) made an announcement that the purpose of the Tech Draws would be to satisfy the rising labour needs of Ontario's tech sector and cope with the shortage of labour gripping the country. Considering that Ontario hosts some of Canada’s primary tech hubs, like the cities of Toronto, Waterloo and Ottawa, it comes as no surprise that the province is trying to fill the deficit as soon as possible. The CBRE Group found in 2017 that the tech companies in Toronto had the ability to create more tech jobs alone that the entire San Francisco Bay area.
The Tech Draws aim to draw in Express Entry candidates who satisfy all the eligibility requirements of the Human Capital Priorities Stream. They should also have at least one year of continuous paid full-time work experience. However, the Human Capital Priorities Stream does not dictate that the candidates must have an existing job offer. The following six industries are being prioritized at the moment:
Software engineers and designers
Database analysts and data administrators
Computer programmers and interactive media developers
Computer engineers
Computer and information systems managers
Web designers and developers
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