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PNP Ontario

Ontario, situated in central Canada, is the most popular province for immigrants to Canada. It is considered to be the center of Canada’s social and cultural society, and hosts the nation’s capital city of Ottawa, and the nation’s economic hub, Toronto. Ontario offers a variety of immigration pathways through its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), aimed at attracting foreign skilled workers who wish to immigrate and contribute to the province’s economy.

THE ONTARIO IMMIGRANT NOMINEE PROGRAM (OINP) WAS REDESIGNED IN 2026:

On June 25, 2026, Ontario closed all eight of its former OINP streams:

They were replaced by a single new stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, whose Expression of Interest system opened on August 4, 2026.

Expressions of Interest registered under the former streams that had not received an invitation were withdrawn. Candidates who qualify must register again under the new stream. Ontario has described this as the first phase of a two-phase redesign, so further changes are expected.

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Ontario Workforce Priority Stream

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream is designed to target skilled foreign workers who have a qualifying job offer from an Ontario employer in any NOC occupation, as well as self-employed physicians. It is currently the OINP’s only open stream.

JOB OFFER AND EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS:

The job offer must be for a full-time, permanent position in Ontario that is urgently necessary to the employer's business, and the wage must meet the required level for the job's location
The employer must have been actively operating for at least 3 years, have business premises in Ontario where the candidate will work, and meet revenue and full-time staff requirements that depend on the job's location
The employer must show recruitment efforts for Canadian citizens and permanent residents if the candidate lives outside Canada or will work outside Ontario

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA – JOB OFFERS IN TEER 0, 1, 2 OR 3:

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

Have one of the following: at least six (6) consecutive months of full-time paid work experience in the past 12 months (three months for some recent Ontario graduates), at least two (2) years of cumulative experience in the past five (5) years, or a licence required for the occupation
Have a valid language test score in either English or French equal to Canadian Language Benchmark Level 6 (CLB 6) in all four skills (CLB 5 for listed skilled trades), unless they hold a qualifying Ontario credential from the last three years
Have a post-secondary credential of at least one year of full-time study (a high school diploma for listed skilled trades)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA – JOB OFFERS IN TEER 4 OR 5:

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

SELF-EMPLOYED PHYSICIANS:

Physicians who are eligible to bill the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and hold a qualifying certificate from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario can apply without a job offer.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST ALSO:

HOW IT WORKS:

The employer first submits the job offer through the OINP Employer Portal. The candidate then registers an Expression of Interest within 30 calendar days. Expressions of Interest are scored on factors such as occupation, wage, Ontario work experience, Canadian earnings, education, language ability and the region of the job, with more points for jobs outside Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. If invited, the employer applies within 14 days and the candidate must apply within 17 calendar days. Candidates in TEER 0 to 3 occupations who have a valid Express Entry profile may receive their nomination through Express Entry, which adds 600 points to their CRS score; other nominees apply to IRCC for permanent residence within six months of nomination.

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