Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) Pilot

Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) Pilot

The information below is from https://www.ontario.ca/page/regional-economic-development-through-immigration-redi-pilot

For more details about the launch of the REDI pilot program and the OINP Employer Job Offer stream, please see the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s official news release, available here.

Overview

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has launched the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot, a one-year initiative that will run from January 2, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

This new initiative will use the OINP to target skilled labour that is not available locally to help fill labour market needs of employers in four pilot communities:

  • Lanark County
  • Leeds and Grenville
  • Sarnia-Lambton
  • City of Thunder Bay

The REDI pilot offers a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers with a job offer who want to live and work in a pilot community.

About the pilot

The Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot is a regionalization initiative from the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The REDI pilot works within the existing Employer Job Offer streams of the OINP.

For 2025, 200 nomination spaces from the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams are allocated to each of the four partner communities. These nominations are specifically , reserved for applicants with job offers in one of the four pilot communities.

REDI pilot objectives

The goal of this initiative is to attract more highly skilled foreign talent to Ontario regional communities to fill local labour market gaps and help spread the benefits of economic immigration across the province. Through this initiative, we will:

  • promote the OINP to encourage uptake under the Employer Job Offer streams in pilot communities
  • collaborate with regional partners to educate employers on how best to leverage the OINP to fill local labour shortages
  • provide a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers with a job offer who want to live and work in a pilot community

Participating communities will receive dedicated support from the OINP, including information sessions for employers. Employers will have access to business service support to help them leverage the program.

Eligible applicants

If an applicant qualifies for any of the OINP Employer Job Offer streams and their full-time job offer is for a position located within one of the pilot communities, then they may qualify for the pilot.

There is no additional criteria or a separate application process for the pilot. Eligible applicants can apply through the regular OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) system and are eligible for targeted pilot draws.

For more information, prospective applicants are encouraged to explore opportunities in the partnering communities and visit the OINP Expression of Interest webpage.

Partnering communities

Geographic boundaries: Census Sub Division as defined by Statistics Canada.

You can find more information about the communities by visiting their websites.

How the communities were chosen

In the summer of 2024, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development invited communities from across Ontario to express their interest in participating in the pilot.

The partnering communities were chosen based on their need for economic immigration including:

  • representation of the geographic and cultural diversity of Ontario
  • demonstrated specific labour challenges
  • capacity and willingness to support the REDI program
  • ability and readiness to help newcomers get settled
  • interest from community stakeholders

The OINP is working with local partners in each community to successfully implement the pilot, and will work collaboratively with local stakeholders to spread awareness of the OINP and increase program uptake, including:

  • municipal governments
  • businesses
  • economic development organizations
  • chambers of commerce
  • settlement organizations
  • universities and colleges

IMPORTANT NOTES:


Employers Seeking Immigrant Talent
If you are an employer based in Lambton County, we offer support to help you connect with immigrant talent and meet your workforce needs. Our team is here to provide guidance and resources. For assistance, contact us at 519-332-1820 or email redi@sarnialambton.on.ca.

For further details:

Immigrant Applicants
If you are an immigrant applicant, explore opportunities to live and work in Sarnia-Lambton by visiting livesarnialambton.ca. We are also happy to provide information about life in the Sarnia-Lambton region and the resources available to help you settle.

Please note:

  • We do not accept resumes or applications for immigration programs.
  • Interested job seekers must apply directly to employer job postings.
  • Individuals interested in immigration programs must follow the guidelines outlined by the OINP and IRCC.
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