Article Navigation
- Why Choose Ontario for Permanent Residency?
- What Is the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)?
- What Are the OINP Streams in 2026?
- Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
- What Is the OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) System?
- What Will the OINP Look Like in 2027?
- Which Ontario Pathway Is Right for You?
- What Do the Common OINP Terms and Abbreviations Mean?
Current stream
Ontario Workforce Priority, with three pathways: TEER 0-3 skilled workers, TEER 4-5 workers, and self-employed physicians.
Job offer required?
Yes, full-time and permanent, from an Ontario employer that Ontario approves. Self-employed physicians do not need one.
Language
CLB 6 in all four abilities for TEER 0-3 (some skilled trades may be lower) and CLB 4 for TEER 4-5. Recent Ontario graduates can be exempt.
Express Entry
link
TEER 0-3 applicants and eligible physicians can opt for nomination through Express Entry, which adds 600 CRS points.
How you
enter
The employer registers the job offer, then you register an Expression of Interest (EOI) and wait for an invitation. An EOI stays in the pool for 12 months.
Deadlines after an invitation
The employer has 14 calendar days to submit the position for approval, you have 17 calendar days to submit your application and pay, and after nomination you have 6 months to apply to IRCC.
2026 allocation
Ontario received 14,119 nominations, up from 10,750 in 2025.
Draw status
As of the end of September 2026, Ontario had not published an invitation round under the new stream, and it gives no advance notice of draws.
2027 outlook
The federal plan keeps provincial nominee admissions at about 92,500 in 2027, and Ontario has proposed new Priority Healthcare, Entrepreneur and Exceptional Talent streams. None has a confirmed launch date.
Why Choose Ontario for Permanent Residency?
What Is the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)?
How does a provincial nomination work?
Ontario nominates you first, and then you apply to IRCC for permanent residence. A nomination does not guarantee approval, but it adds significant weight to your federal application. If you apply through Express Entry, it adds 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.
What Are the OINP Streams in 2026?
Ontario began removing its older streams from its regulations on May 30, 2026, and on June 26, 2026 it replaced the remaining ones with a single stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. The older Express Entry, Employer Job Offer and graduate streams no longer accept applications. The new stream is the first phase of a larger redesign, and Ontario has said more reforms are coming.
The Workforce Priority stream has three pathways:
- TEER 0-3 pathway: for workers in higher-skilled occupations.
- TEER 4-5 pathway: for workers in lower-skilled occupations, a group most provinces no longer accept.
- Self-employed physicians pathway: for physicians registered in Ontario, with no job offer required.
Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
What is the Ontario Workforce Priority stream?
The Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the OINP’s main pathway to permanent residence for foreign nationals who have a permanent, full-time job offer from an eligible Ontario employer and plan to live in the province. It accepts job offers in any NOC TEER 0 to 5 occupation. Employers play a central role: they register through the OINP Employer Portal and must obtain approval for the position before a nomination is possible.
Ontario’s EOI portal for the stream opened on August 4, 2026. Candidates who had EOIs in the old system and were not invited had them withdrawn, and they need new EOIs and new job offers under the new stream. Applications already submitted under the older streams continue to be processed under the rules in place when they were filed.
Who is eligible for the TEER 0-3 pathway?
You need a full-time, permanent job offer in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation, and you must meet all of the following.
Work experience. Choose the option that fits you:
- At least six months of consecutive, paid, full-time work in the job offer position, within the 12 months before you apply.
- At least three months of the same, if you graduated from an eligible Ontario institution within the last three years.
- At least two years of cumulative paid work experience in the same NOC occupation, within the past five years. Part-time equivalents are accepted.
- A valid licence can replace the standard work experience requirement where a licence is mandatory for the occupation.
Language. CLB 6 or higher in all four abilities (reading, writing, listening and speaking), shown with an approved test. Some sources report CLB 5 for certain skilled trades occupations, so check your occupation on the official page. Accepted tests are IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic are not accepted. Recent Ontario graduates with an eligible credential are exempt from language testing.
Education. A post-secondary credential of at least one year of full-time study, from a Canadian institution or a foreign equivalent. Foreign credentials need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) that is no more than five years old.
Legal status. If you apply from inside Canada, you must hold valid status, such as a work permit, study permit or visitor record. You may also apply from outside Canada, but then your employer faces extra recruitment requirements.
Intention to live in Ontario. You must show you plan to live in the province after becoming a permanent resident.
Who is eligible for the TEER 4-5 pathway?
You need a full-time, permanent job offer in a TEER 4 or 5 occupation and:
- At least nine months of cumulative, paid, full-time work in the job offer position, with the job offer employer, within the two years before you apply. The months do not have to be consecutive.
- CLB 4 or higher in all four abilities.
- A Canadian secondary school diploma or a foreign equivalent with an ECA.
TEER 4-5 nominees cannot use the Express Entry option, so they apply to IRCC through the base provincial nominee route.
Who is eligible for the self-employed physicians pathway?
Can anyone else who is self-employed apply?
No. Contractors and self-employed professionals without a genuine employer-employee relationship are not eligible, except the self-employed physicians described above.
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What must my employer prove?
Ontario checks the business as closely as it checks you. In general, the employer must:
- Have operated an active business in Ontario for at least three years, with physical premises where you will work.
- Have no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act or the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Meet minimum gross revenue and employee requirements, which vary by job location. Employers in rural communities (census divisions under 150,000 people) face lower revenue thresholds.
- Show it recruited Canadian citizens and permanent residents first, if you are outside Canada or outside Ontario.
- Offer a full-time, permanent position at or above the wage threshold for that location.
- Be registered with the OINP. Ontario Public Service employers are currently excluded.
Can I get an Express Entry nomination through the Workforce Priority stream?
Yes, if your job offer is in a TEER 0-3 occupation (physicians can also opt in). You can choose to receive your Ontario nomination through Express Entry if you qualify under a federal Express Entry program and keep a valid profile. Ontario enters the nomination in the federal system, and you have 30 days to accept it.
Accepting adds 600 CRS points, which in practice almost guarantees an invitation in the next federal draw, and you then have 60 days to submit your permanent residence application to IRCC. If you skip this option, or if you are in TEER 4-5, you apply under the base provincial nominee route, which currently takes much longer federally. Create your Express Entry profile early, because you cannot add the points retroactively.
How does Ontario score an EOI?
The EOI ranks job-offer candidates out of 130 points across several factors. These include work region, occupation level and category, wage, Ontario work experience, Canadian income tax history, education, language and bilingualism, and temporary resident status. Northern Ontario earns the most regional points and Toronto earns none.
Health occupations earn the highest category points, followed by trades and transport. Work permit holders earn more than study permit holders. Scoring ranks you in the pool, but it is not a guarantee of an invitation, and Ontario may target invitations by occupation, region or other attributes.
How do I apply under the Workforce Priority stream?
- The employer registers in the OINP Employer Portal and submits the job offer. It receives a job offer identification number.
- You register an EOI within 30 calendar days of receiving that number. Your EOI stays valid for 12 months.
- Wait for an invitation. Ontario gives no advance notice of draws and publishes no schedule. You are scored in the pool, and the highest-ranking candidates may be invited.
- The employer submits the position for approval within 14 calendar days of the invitation. This is the deadline most often missed.
- You submit your application and pay the fee within 17 calendar days. Missed deadlines cannot be reinstated.
- Nomination. If Ontario approves, you receive a nomination.
- Apply to IRCC within 6 months for permanent residence. For the Express Entry option, follow the 30-day and 60-day deadlines described above.
Ontario does not publish the application fee on its stream page, so confirm it on the official site.
Has Ontario held draws under the new stream yet?
Not as of the end of September 2026. Ontario’s portal reopened on August 4, and the last invitation rounds under the old structure were held on April 30, 2026. Old cut-off scores do not apply to the new grid. Ontario can issue invitations at any time, so keep your EOI complete and your employer’s file ready.
What Is the OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) System?
The Expression of Interest (EOI) is a formal registration system the OINP uses to manage nominations. It is not an application for permanent residence or for nomination. It is a way for candidates to indicate interest in being considered for an invitation to apply.
What does an EOI contain?
An EOI is an online profile submitted to the OINP through its portal. It covers:
- Education
- Work experience
- Language proficiency (English or French)
- The Ontario job offer
- Previous study or work in Ontario
- Other factors relevant to the pathway
How does the EOI process work?
- The employer registers the job offer first, and the candidate then creates the EOI. Self-employed physicians register through a webform.
- The profile is assessed and scored.
- Ontario holds draws without advance notice. Candidates with the highest scores, or those matching targeted criteria, may receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
- If invited, you submit a complete application. If approved, the nomination can be used to apply for permanent residence with IRCC.
What else should I know about the EOI?
- Your registration is valid for 12 months. If you are not invited, you can re-register, provided you still meet the requirements.
- Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee an invitation.
- EOIs registered under the older streams and not yet invited were withdrawn in 2026, so anyone who registered then must register again.
The system helps Ontario select candidates most likely to contribute to the province’s workforce and communities. For full details and to register, visit the official OINP page.
What Will the OINP Look Like in 2027?
Ontario has not published a 2027 program calendar, so the points below separate what is confirmed from what is only proposed. Treat anything labelled “proposed” as a possibility, not a plan you can rely on.
Will the Ontario Workforce Priority stream still be open in 2027?
Will Ontario launch new streams in 2027?
- Priority Healthcare stream (proposed): a pathway for regulated healthcare professionals, who could apply without a job offer. Recent graduates in the final stages of getting their licence or registration with a regulator might also qualify.
- Entrepreneur stream (proposed): a redesigned business pathway for people who have established and are actively running a new Ontario business, or who have bought and are running an existing one. It would replace the earlier Entrepreneur stream that was closed.
- Exceptional Talent stream (proposed): a pathway for people whose achievements fall outside the usual job-offer route, such as in academia, innovation, science, technology or the creative sectors. It would use a qualitative assessment rather than points alone.
Discuss Your Immigration Options
Which candidates could benefit most from the 2027 changes?
If the proposals go ahead, the main winners would be regulated healthcare workers without a job offer, business owners and buyers of Ontario businesses, and people with exceptional achievements. Workers with job offers already have the Workforce Priority stream. Candidates with no job offer and no match to these three groups would still have no Ontario pathway, and they would need federal Express Entry or another province.
How many nominations will Ontario get in 2027?
Ontario’s 2027 allocation has not been announced. The federal 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets the national provincial nominee target at 91,500 for 2026 and 92,500 for both 2027 and 2028, with a high range of up to 106,000.
Ontario received 14,119 of the 2026 spots, up from 10,750 in 2025. A small national increase suggests Ontario’s allocation will not change dramatically, but each year’s share is set separately.
The federal government normally publishes its next levels plan in the fall, which could adjust the 2027 numbers.
Should I expect more targeted draws in 2027?
Probably. Ontario has said it may target candidates by occupation, region or other attributes, and it ran region-specific and occupation-specific draws earlier in 2026. The regional points in the new EOI scoring grid, which favour Northern Ontario, point the same way.
Ontario also now has legal authority to create or remove streams more quickly than before, so changes can arrive with little warning.
Will employer rules get stricter?
The trend points that way. Ontario has tightened compliance and enforcement, shortened response periods for some notices and made OINP employer registration mandatory for job-offer streams. Employers should keep their records clean and their job offers well documented.
How should I prepare for 2027?
- Get a qualifying job offer from an employer that has operated in Ontario for at least three years and has no outstanding labour violations.
- Register your EOI early once the employer has registered the job offer, and keep your documents current.
- Reach CLB 6 (or CLB 4 for TEER 4-5) on an accepted test, and book it with IRCC selected as the purpose so results can be verified.
- Build time in the job offer position. Six consecutive months with your employer is the main route for TEER 0-3, and nine months for TEER 4-5.
- Get an ECA if your education is foreign, and keep it under five years old.
- Create an Express Entry profile if you are in TEER 0-3, so you can use the 600-point option.
- If you are a regulated healthcare worker, an entrepreneur or a high achiever, follow Ontario's announcements closely, because the proposed streams are aimed at you.
- Do not rely on old cut-off scores, and check the official page regularly.
Which Ontario Pathway Is Right for You?
- Have a permanent, full-time Ontario job offer in a TEER 0-3 occupation? Look at the TEER 0-3 pathway, and consider the Express Entry option.
- Have a permanent, full-time Ontario job offer in a TEER 4 or 5 occupation? Look at the TEER 4-5 pathway.
- A physician registered in Ontario? Look at the self-employed physicians pathway.
- A recent Ontario graduate with a job offer? Check the shorter experience requirement and the language exemption.
- No job offer? Ontario currently has no pathway for you outside the physicians pathway. Watch for the proposed 2027 streams, and look at federal Express Entry or other provinces in the meantime.
What Do the Common OINP Terms and Abbreviations Mean?
- EOI: Expression of Interest, your profile in the OINP pool.
- ITA: Invitation to Apply, sent when you are selected from the pool.
- CLB: Canadian Language Benchmark, the scale for language test results.
- TEER: the NOC category (0 to 5) grouping occupations by training, education, experience and responsibilities.
- CRS: Comprehensive Ranking System, the federal Express Entry score.
- ECA: Educational Credential Assessment, proof that a foreign credential matches a Canadian one.
- IRCC: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the federal department that grants permanent residence.
- CPSO: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
- OHIP: Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still apply to the Human Capital Priorities, Foreign Worker or Masters Graduate stream?
I had an EOI in the old system. Do I need to do anything?
Do I need a job offer to get an OINP nomination now?
Is the OINP the same as Express Entry?
No. Express Entry is the federal system. The OINP is Ontario’s program, but TEER 0-3 nominees can choose to be nominated through Express Entry for 600 extra CRS points.