Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OINP): The Complete 2026 Guide

On June 25, 2026, Ontario replaced its entire provincial nomination system with a single new pathway: the Ontario Workforce Priority stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Eight familiar streams — from Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker to the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream — are gone. In their place stands one employer-driven stream that covers every skill level, from executives to general labourers, plus a special pathway for self-employed physicians.

This guide, prepared by Hadi Imani, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC #R522575), is based exclusively on the official Ontario government pages as updated in August 2026. It covers who qualifies, the full points grid, the application process, fees, and an honest assessment of where the stream stands today.

What Is the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream?

The stream is Phase 1 of a two-phase OINP redesign. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17 took effect on May 30, 2026, closing the former streams to new candidates, and amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 came into force on June 25, 2026, formally removing the old streams and creating the new one. The stream’s eligibility pages were published on July 20, 2026, and the new Expression of Interest (EOI) portal opened on August 4, 2026.

The eight closed streams are: Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker; Employer Job Offer: International Student; Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills; Master’s Graduate; PhD Graduate; Express Entry Human Capital Priorities; Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker; and Express Entry Skilled Trades.

Three transition rules matter:

• EOIs and job offers registered under the former streams that had not yet led to an invitation were automatically withdrawn.
• Candidates already invited under a former stream continue to be assessed under the previous eligibility requirements.
• Employers who previously registered in the Employer Portal do not need to register again — but they must submit a new job offer and a new application for approval of an employment position under the new system.

Who Can Apply

The stream serves two groups: skilled foreign workers with a qualifying full-time, permanent job offer in any National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupation — all TEER categories 0 through 5 — and eligible self-employed physicians, who do not need a job offer. Self-employed professionals other than physicians are not eligible.

Work experience requirements

For a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offer, you need one of the following:

• At least 6 months of consecutive, paid, full-time work experience in the job offer position within the 12 months before applying (full-time means at least 780 paid hours in 12 months and at least 30 hours per week);
• At least 3 months consecutive, paid, full-time in the position within the last 12 months, if you are a recent Ontario graduate (an eligible Ontario credential — a 2+ year degree or diploma, Ontario College Graduate Certificate, Master’s, or PhD — completed within the last 3 years);
• At least 2 years of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience in the same NOC occupation within the 5 years before applying (part-time equivalents accepted: 15+ hours/week totalling 3,120 hours over 4 years, or 30+ hours/week across multiple jobs totalling 3,120 hours over 2 years); or
• A licence or authorization required under Ontario or federal law for the position.

For a TEER 4 or 5 job offer: at least 9 months of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience in the job offer position — same occupation, same employer, same location — gained within the 2 years before applying.

Language, education, licensing and status

• Language: CLB 6 or higher in all four abilities for TEER 0–3 occupations (CLB 5 for listed skilled trades in Major Groups 72 excluding 726, 73, 82, 83, 93 excluding NOC 932, Minor Group 6320 and Unit Group 62200); CLB 4 for TEER 4–5. Accepted tests, less than 2 years old: IELTS General Training, CELPIP General or PTE Core for English; TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French. Recent Ontario graduates (eligible credential within the last 3 years) are exempt from language testing.
• Education: for TEER 0–3 non-trades occupations, a post-secondary degree or diploma of at least 1 year full-time from an eligible Canadian institution or the foreign equivalent; for TEER 4–5, a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent. Foreign credentials need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report less than 5 years old.
• Licensing: if the position legally requires a licence or authorization in Ontario or Canada, you must hold it when you apply and throughout the nomination period.
• Status and intent: if you are in Canada, you need valid legal status (work permit, study permit, visitor record, or maintained status), and you must intend to live and work in Ontario. Notably, no settlement-funds requirement is published for this stream.

Job offer and employer requirements

The job offer must be full-time (at least 30 hours per week), permanent (indeterminate duration), located in Ontario, urgently necessary to the employer’s business, and must not affect a labour dispute. The wage must meet or exceed the median wage level for the region where you will work (the low wage level suffices if you are a recent Ontario graduate in a TEER 0–3 job). If you already work in the position, the offered wage must also equal or exceed your current wage. Ontario Public Service employers are not accepted.

The employer must:

• Have been in active business for at least 3 years, with premises in Ontario where you will work;
• Have no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
• Meet gross revenue minimums: $1,000,000 (most recent fiscal year) for work locations in the GTA (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York); $500,000 in 14 designated census divisions including Ottawa, Waterloo, Hamilton, Middlesex and Essex; $250,000 in the last two fiscal years anywhere else;
• Employ at least 5 full-time Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the work location inside the GTA, or at least 3 outside it;
• Demonstrate recruitment efforts (minimum 2 methods, ads posted at least 4 weeks before the offer) — unless you are already authorized to work in Ontario or the employer holds a positive LMIA for the same NOC and position.

Self-employed physicians

Physicians qualify without a job offer if they (1) are eligible to bill OHIP under the Health Insurance Act, 1990, and (2) hold a CPSO certificate of registration in good standing authorizing independent practice, academic practice, or a provisional certificate. Postgraduate education licence holders are not eligible under this pathway but may apply with a job offer.

The EOI Points Grid

Invitations are issued from an EOI pool ranked against a published scoring grid. The official page does not state a maximum score, but the factor maxima sum to 130 points:

The regional factor is significant: a job in Thunder Bay, Sudbury or Kenora (Northern Ontario) is worth 15 points more than the identical job in Toronto. Ottawa, Hamilton, Waterloo, London and Windsor all score 10.

How to Apply: Step by Step

• Step 1 — Employer submits the job offer. The employer registers the business in the OINP Employer Portal (existing registrations carry over) and creates the job offer.
• Step 2 — You register an EOI. You receive a job offer ID by email and must register your EOI within 30 calendar days of the employer submitting the offer. Your EOI stays valid for 12 months until you receive an invitation.
• Step 3 — Invitation to apply. The OINP periodically ranks the pool — on a general or targeted basis — and invites the highest-scoring candidates.
• Step 4 — Employer application. After you are invited, your employer has 14 calendar days to apply for approval of the employment position. Without employer approval, your nomination cannot be approved.
• Step 5 — Your application. You have 17 calendar days to submit your nomination application, upload all checklist documents proving the points you claimed, and pay the fee. Key documents include work reference letters, your two most recent pay slips if already in the position, T4s together with CRA Notices of Assessment (T4 slips alone are not accepted), language results, ECA report, and evidence of intention to reside in Ontario.
• Step 6 — Nomination and permanent residence. If approved, TEER 0–3 applicants and physicians may take the nomination through Express Entry — worth 600 additional CRS points, with 30 days to accept and 60 days to submit the PR application — or receive a base nomination (TEER 4–5 applicants always receive a base nomination). Certificates are valid for 6 months, and you must apply to IRCC within that window. You must remain employed in the position until IRCC decides your PR application.

Self-employed physicians register an EOI without an employer and, if invited, apply and pay within 17 calendar days.

Fees

Payment is by Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard or Mastercard Debit. Fees are refunded only if your application is incomplete or you withdraw before processing starts.

Where Things Stand in 2026 — An Honest Assessment

The stream is open, but as of the invitations page’s latest update (August 11, 2026), no invitation rounds have yet been held under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. All 2026 draws listed to date (March 18 to April 30, 2026) took place under the former streams before closure. Ontario’s 2026 federal nomination allocation is reported at 14,119 nominations — announced February 6, 2026, per third-party reporting, as the figure does not appear on the official OINP pages.

Also not yet published: processing times for the new stream, the tie-break methodology for ranked candidates, and Phase 2 of the redesign. Practically, this means the current window is for positioning: getting your employer’s job offer into the portal, your EOI registered and your score maximized before the first draw lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an Express Entry profile to apply?

No. The stream itself runs on Ontario’s own EOI system. If your job offer is in TEER 0–3 (or you are a qualifying physician), you can optionally take your nomination through Express Entry for 600 CRS points — but you must then meet the minimum criteria of a federal Express Entry stream and maintain a valid profile throughout. TEER 4–5 applicants receive a base nomination.

I had an EOI under one of the old streams. Is it still valid?

No. All EOIs and job offers under the former streams that had not resulted in an invitation were automatically withdrawn. You need a new job offer registration and a new EOI under the Workforce Priority stream. If you were already invited before the closure, your application continues under the old criteria.

Do I need to show settlement funds?

No settlement-funds requirement is published for this stream on any official page. Ontario’s focus is the job offer, your experience, and the employer’s capacity.

Can I apply if I’m self-employed?

Only if you are a physician who can bill OHIP and holds an eligible CPSO certificate in good standing. No other self-employed professionals qualify under this stream.

My job offer is TEER 5 — do I really have a pathway?

Yes — this is one of the redesign’s biggest changes. TEER 4–5 workers qualify with 9 months of experience in the position with the same employer, CLB 4 language ability, and a high school diploma or equivalent. Expect competition, though: TEER 4–5 occupations score 0 on the TEER factor, so wage, regional location and Canadian experience become decisive.

Get a Professional Assessment

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream rewards preparation: the difference between an invitation and a year in the pool often comes down to a few points on wage, region or documented experience. As a licensed RCIC (#R522575), Hadi Imani can score your profile against the official grid, verify your employer’s eligibility, and build your file before the first draw.

Start your free online assessment or book a consultation to discuss your Ontario pathway today.