Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Intake Now Open to Applications

In Canada, immigration policy and matters are under the purview of the Federal Government. This includes immigration programs, citizenship services, refugee protection, and the issuance of Canadian travel documents. However, the Federal Government chooses to collaborate with the provinces and territories on certain matters rather than being responsible for the entire administration of the immigration system. 

A prime example of this collaboration is the provincial nomination programs, which allow foreign nationals to apply for permanent residence. The provincial nomination programs allow provinces and territories to establish specific immigration criteria, enabling them to select candidates for immigration. 

As per our previous blog, Ontario’s provincial nomination program, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, has recently undergone significant changes that potential applicants and employers need to be aware of. In this blog, we provide further details on these changes.

Ontario Workforce Priority Stream

Until June 26, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) consisted of many separate nomination streams that applicants could apply under. Applicants could apply to the stream that best suited their skills, experience, education, language capabilities, or interests. However, on June 26, 2026, Ontario scrapped the old system of separate streams and consolidated them into a single unified stream, called the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. 

According to the announcement, Ontario introduced a single employer-driven pathway to better align immigration selection with Ontario’s actual labour market needs. The redesign should streamline immigration pathways while maintaining the program’s integrity.

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is divided into three pathways. Two are job-offer-based pathways, and one is a specific pathway for self-employed physicians. The job-offer-based pathways are split into the TEER 0-3 and TEER 4-5 pathways. TEER refers to the National Occupational Classification system, which sorts professions and classifies them with a TEER number. The TEER 0-3 Pathway targets workers in higher-skilled occupations, whereas the TEER 4-5 Pathway targets workers in lower-skilled occupations. Each pathway has different eligibility requirements that applicants should note before applying.

TEER 0-3

Applicants to TEER 0-3 must have a full-time, permanent job offer in Ontario. The minimum eligibility requirements that are needed to apply under this pathway include showing one of the following:

• Six (6) consecutive months in the last 12 months in the job offer position with the job offer employer;
• For recent Ontario graduates, three (3) consecutive months in the last 12 months in the job offer position with the job offer employer; or
• Two (2) years cumulative in the last five (5) years in the National Occupational Classification occupation.

Applicants with a valid licence for a regulated occupation are exempt from the work experience and education requirements. Further, the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark is CLB 6 or CLB 5, depending on the occupation, and the minimum education requirement is a post-secondary degree or diploma. The announcement further indicates that some occupations may have alternative criteria, so applicants to specific occupations will need to check the regulations under their National Occupational Classification for more details. 

TEER 4-5

All workers in TEER 4-5 occupations can apply under this pathway if they have a full-time and permanent job offer in Ontario. The minimum eligibility requirements include 9 months of cumulative experience in the position offered by the employer, a Canadian Language Benchmark of at least CLB 4, and a minimum education level of a Canadian Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. 

Notably, lower gross annual revenue requirements apply to employers in rural communities, defined as those within a census division with a population of fewer than 150,000 people. 

Self-Employed Physicians Pathway

Unlike the other two pathways, this one allows physicians to qualify without a job offer. To apply, physicians must:

• Be a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario;
• Hold a valid certificate of registration in an eligible class: independent, academic or provisional; and
• Be eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

Although the regulatory changes took effect on June 26, 2026, the expression-of-interest system that allows applicants to apply only opened on August 4, 2026.

Expression of Interest Portal Now Open

On August 4, 2026, the expression-of-interest portal opened for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. To be considered for the OINP, foreign nationals must create an expression of interest in Ontario’s e-filing portal. The expression of interest must be linked to a qualifying job offer from an eligible Ontario employer and uploaded through the employer portal to be considered for an invitation to apply.

Once an invitation is received, the candidate has 17 days to submit a full application, and the employer must apply for approval of the position within 2 weeks of the invitation’s issuance. The employer must complete this step for the employee to be approved. If approved, the candidate will receive a letter of support that they can use to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a work permit. It is important to note that if a candidate does not receive an invitation to apply within a year, they will need to register a new expression of interest to be considered under the OINP.

Applicants With Existing Expressions of Interest at the Time of the Changes

It is important to note that anyone who had an active expression of interest under the old streams that had not yet received an invitation had that expression of interest withdrawn during the transition and will need to submit a new one under the current rules. Applications that were already submitted for nomination before the transition continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were received.

Scoring System

Since the changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program were announced, more news about the program has been released. On July 20, 2026, it was announced that the OINP will rank candidates using a new points system. The maximum number of points available is 130, and there are different numbers of points available for different categories and qualifications:

Category	Max Points	Notes
Work region	15	Determined by the work location in the job offer entered by the employer. Northern Ontario earns 15 points, Toronto earns 0. 5 points are awarded for the GTA outside of Toronto, and 10 points are awarded for other regions that are not Northern Ontario.
Occupation skill level (TEER)	9	TEER 0/1 roles score highest, TEER 2/3 score lower, TEER 4/5 score 0 points
Compensation	15	$40+/hour earns full points; points decrease with salary ranges of $5; below $20/hour is 0 points
Occupational category	10	Occupational Category 3 scores the highest
Ontario work experience	18	24+ months of full-time  experience in the job-offer position earns the most points; less than 6 months earns no points
Canadian income tax history	8	Based on CRA Notice of Assessment, 8 points earned for $70,000 earnings in one year; under $30,000 earns no points
Education level	10	Doctorate or medical/dental/vet/optometry degree scores highest, with varying levels of points awarded for other university and college degrees
Canadian credentials	10	Two or more eligible Canadian post-secondary credentials earn 10 points
Language proficiency	15	CLB 9+ across all four abilities earns the most points, less points for each level of CLB below 9, with CLB 5 or lower earning 0 points
Bilingualism	10	CLB 6+ in both English and French earns 10 points
Temporary resident status	10	A valid work permit scores higher than a study permit

Now that the points allocated for each category have been released, potential applicants can evaluate their own skills, credentials, and circumstances to determine how many points their application would receive. This transparency gives potential applicants a sense of where their application would stand, even if the requisite number of points for a successful application has not yet been revealed. 

Future of the Program

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is the first of many changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, with the recent changes described as Phase 1 of the redesign. These changes have been contemplated since late 2025, and at that time it was signalled that three more streams might be launched, although no dates have yet been given for their launch. Potential new streams that may open in the future include the Priority Healthcare Stream, Entrepreneur Stream, and Exceptional Talent Stream.

As always with immigration programs, details continue to evolve. Anyone considering applying to the OINP should work with a qualified immigration professional to help ensure they submit their best possible application. 

Contact Garson Immigration Law for Comprehensive Help With Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Applications

Garson Immigration Law is a Toronto-based law firm that helps people find solutions for their immigration needs, such as obtaining permanent residence in Canada and overcoming inadmissibility. Our focus on immigration allows us to understand our clients’ unique concerns and obstacles. Our skilled immigration lawyers have extensive expertise in all immigration matters, including work permits, student visas, and US immigration from Canada. If you have any questions about an immigration matter, do not hesitate to contact us online or call us at 416-321-2860.