Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is Ontario's economic immigration program, run with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Ontario chooses people it wants to nominate, and a nominee then applies to IRCC for permanent residence. The program's rules are in the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 and its regulations, mainly Ontario Regulation 422/17.

In 2026 Ontario rebuilt the program. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 came into force on June 25, 2026. They removed the 8 existing streams and created one new stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Ontario calls this the first phase of a 2-phase redesign, so more changes are expected. The EOI portal for the new stream opened on August 4, 2026.

Ontario's 2026 nomination allocation

14,119

Stream open, with 3 pathways

1

All 8 former streams closed

June 25, 2026

How long an EOI stays in the pool

12 months

1. February 6, 2026

   Ontario receives its 2026 allocation of 14,119 nominations

2. March 16, 2026

   Regulation changes announced that let the Minister create or remove streams

3. June 25, 2026

   Redesign phase 1 in force

   The 8 former streams close and the Ontario Workforce Priority stream is created. EOIs under the old streams are withdrawn.

4. August 4, 2026

   EOI portal opens for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream

5. October 5, 2026

   Earnings history scoring factor updated

   Earnings of $80,000 or more in one year in the past 5 years now earn 10 points.

6. October 14, 2026

   New round of the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) initiative, running to the end of 2027

Ontario Regulation 422/17 now sets 3 categories: Ontario workforce priority TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, and self-employed physician. Ontario's pages call them pathways. Which one you use depends on the TEER category of your job offer, which is the second digit of the 5-digit National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.

TEER 0–3 pathway. Experience means paid, full-time work. Licensed applicants do not need to show work experience, except transport truck drivers (NOC 73300) and bus and transit operators (NOC 73301), who always need the 6 months. Some related experience counts for nurse aides, pharmacy assistants and engineering technologists. Listed skilled trades include NOC major groups 72, 73, 82, 83 and 93 (with some exclusions), cooks, butchers and bakers, and chefs.

TEER 4–5 pathway. This pathway is for workers who are already in the job: the 9 months must be in the position your employer is asking Ontario to approve. Nominees in this pathway apply to IRCC outside Express Entry.

Self-employed physicians. If you meet both physician requirements, the other applicant requirements and the employer requirements do not apply. Physicians with a postgraduate education licence cannot use this route but can apply with a job offer. To start, you contact the OINP by webform rather than through an employer.

For the job offer pathways, you and your employer both have requirements. You must meet all of them when you register your EOI and when you apply.

• Invitation and EOI accuracyYou must be invited and prove every scoring factor you claimed in your EOI.
• Language testIELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core, TEF Canada or TCF Canada, taken within 2 years before you apply
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)For studies outside Canada, from an IRCC-designated organization, less than 5 years old when you apply
• Legal status in CanadaIf you apply from inside Canada, a valid visitor record, study permit or work permit, or maintained status
• LicenceIf your job legally requires one, a valid licence when you apply and throughout the nomination period
• Intention to live and work in OntarioShown through ties such as work, job search, study, property, networks and family

Your employer must have been in active business for at least 3 years, have business premises in Ontario where you will work, and have no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It must meet revenue and Canadian employee thresholds that depend on the job location; employers in rural communities (census divisions under 150,000 people) have lower revenue thresholds. The offer must be full time and permanent, meet the required wage for the location, and not affect a labour dispute. If you live outside Canada or work outside Ontario, the employer must also show recruitment efforts. See the province's current employer guide for the exact thresholds.

The OINP uses an EOI system. Registering is free and is not an application. Ontario scores your EOI, places it in a selection pool and, from time to time, invites the highest-ranking candidates. Draws can be general or targeted at candidates with specific labour market or human capital attributes. Ontario does not announce draws in advance, and not everyone who meets the criteria is invited.

Examples: $40 an hour or more earns 15 points, CLB 9 or higher earns 15, and a valid work permit earns 10. For location, Northern Ontario earns 15 points, Eastern, Central (outside the Greater Toronto Area) and Southwestern Ontario earn 10, the rest of the Greater Toronto Area earns 5, and the City of Toronto earns 0.

Your employer enters the NOC and wage, so you cannot change them. If the employer needs to change either, it must withdraw the job offer and submit a new one, and you must register a new EOI.

1. 1

   Your employer submits a job offer

   The employer registers in the Employer Portal and submits a job offer for your position, even if you already work in it. You receive a job offer ID by email.

2. 2

   Register your EOI within 30 days

   Use the OINP e-Filing Portal with your Ontario.ca Login. If you miss the 30 days, the job offer expires and your employer must submit a new one.

3. 3

   Receive an invitation

   You and your employer are both notified. If you are in TEER 0–3 and want an Express Entry nomination, keep a valid Express Entry profile that selects Ontario or all provinces.

4. 4

   Employer applies within 14 days

   The employer submits its application for approval of the employment position. If it does not, your job offer is withdrawn and your EOI leaves the pool.

5. 5

   You apply and pay within 17 days

   You can prepare your application during the 17 days but can only submit it after your employer has applied. Upload every required document, with notarized translations where needed.

6. 6

   Nomination

   If approved, you receive a nomination approval letter, a nomination certificate and, for job offer nominees, a work permit support letter. Physicians do not receive a work permit support letter.

7. 7

   Apply to IRCC

   Express Entry: accept the nomination in your IRCC account within 30 days, then apply within 60 days of an IRCC invitation. Non-Express Entry: apply to IRCC before your certificate expires, 6 months after nomination.

Your nomination comes with conditions that last until IRCC decides your permanent residence application. You must keep working in the approved position and report any change in duties, wage, hours or employer. If your job ends and the approval is cancelled, you must start again with a new EOI. Ontario's Post-Nomination Verification Unit checks that nominees and employers meet the conditions.

Ontario only accepts Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard and Mastercard Debit. The OINP fee is not refunded if your application is refused or once processing has started. It is refunded only if the application is returned as incomplete or you withdraw before processing begins. Applications submitted by a self-appointed representative are treated as invalid and withdrawn.

Ontario does not publish a processing standard for the new stream. IRCC's processing times for provincial nominees, with and without Express Entry, are shown live below.

An application returned as incomplete is not a refusal: Ontario refunds the fee, and there is no internal review. An internal review is only available after Ontario has assessed an application against the criteria and made a decision. A challenge to an IRCC refusal in Federal Court (judicial review) requires a lawyer.

Ontario used to describe its program as having 9 streams. All of them are now closed. Applications already submitted after an invitation under a former stream are assessed under the rules in force when they were submitted.

EOIs and job offers registered under the former streams that had not led to an invitation were withdrawn automatically. Employers already registered do not need to register again, but they must submit a new job offer for each worker under the new stream.

IRCC still checks your eligibility and admissibility, including medical, security and criminality checks for your family, and makes the final decision. While you wait, a job offer nominee can use the work permit support letter to apply for a work permit. Ontario can extend the letter or the nomination certificate in limited cases.