{"id":23409,"date":"2026-08-26T09:06:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T05:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/oinp-workforce-priority-en-tmp\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T09:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T05:36:56","slug":"oinp-workforce-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/oinp-workforce-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OINP): The Complete 2026 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On June 25, 2026, Ontario replaced its entire provincial nomination system with a single new pathway: the <strong>Ontario Workforce Priority stream<\/strong> of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Eight familiar streams \u2014 from Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker to the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream \u2014 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream?<\/h2>\n<p>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&#8217;s eligibility pages were published on July 20, 2026, and the new Expression of Interest (EOI) portal opened on <strong>August 4, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The eight closed streams are: Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker; Employer Job Offer: International Student; Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills; Master&#8217;s Graduate; PhD Graduate; Express Entry Human Capital Priorities; Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker; and Express Entry Skilled Trades.<\/p>\n<p>Three transition rules matter:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>EOIs and job offers registered under the former streams that had not yet led to an invitation were <strong>automatically withdrawn<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Candidates already invited under a former stream continue to be assessed under the previous eligibility requirements.<\/li>\n<li>Employers who previously registered in the Employer Portal do <strong>not<\/strong> need to register again \u2014 but they must submit a new job offer and a new application for approval of an employment position under the new system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Who Can Apply<\/h2>\n<p>The stream serves two groups: skilled foreign workers with a qualifying full-time, permanent job offer in <strong>any<\/strong> National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupation \u2014 all TEER categories 0 through 5 \u2014 and eligible self-employed physicians, who do not need a job offer. Self-employed professionals other than physicians are not eligible.<\/p>\n<h3>Work experience requirements<\/h3>\n<p>For a <strong>TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3<\/strong> job offer, you need <strong>one<\/strong> of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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);<\/li>\n<li>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 \u2014 a 2+ year degree or diploma, Ontario College Graduate Certificate, Master&#8217;s, or PhD \u2014 completed within the last 3 years);<\/li>\n<li>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<\/li>\n<li>A licence or authorization required under Ontario or federal law for the position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For a <strong>TEER 4 or 5<\/strong> job offer: at least <strong>9 months<\/strong> of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience in the job offer position \u2014 same occupation, same employer, same location \u2014 gained within the 2 years before applying.<\/p>\n<h3>Language, education, licensing and status<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Language:<\/strong> CLB 6 or higher in all four abilities for TEER 0\u20133 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\u20135. 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Education:<\/strong> for TEER 0\u20133 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\u20135, a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent. Foreign credentials need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report less than 5 years old.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Licensing:<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Status and intent:<\/strong> 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, <strong>no settlement-funds requirement<\/strong> is published for this stream.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Job offer and employer requirements<\/h3>\n<p>The job offer must be full-time (at least 30 hours per week), permanent (indeterminate duration), located in Ontario, urgently necessary to the employer&#8217;s business, and must not affect a labour dispute. The wage must meet or exceed the <strong>median<\/strong> wage level for the region where you will work (the <strong>low<\/strong> wage level suffices if you are a recent Ontario graduate in a TEER 0\u20133 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.<\/p>\n<p>The employer must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have been in active business for at least 3 years, with premises in Ontario where you will work;<\/li>\n<li>Have no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act;<\/li>\n<li>Meet gross revenue minimums: <strong>$1,000,000<\/strong> (most recent fiscal year) for work locations in the GTA (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York); <strong>$500,000<\/strong> in 14 designated census divisions including Ottawa, Waterloo, Hamilton, Middlesex and Essex; <strong>$250,000<\/strong> in the last two fiscal years anywhere else;<\/li>\n<li>Employ at least 5 full-time Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the work location inside the GTA, or at least 3 outside it;<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrate recruitment efforts (minimum 2 methods, ads posted at least 4 weeks before the offer) \u2014 unless you are already authorized to work in Ontario or the employer holds a positive LMIA for the same NOC and position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Self-employed physicians<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>The EOI Points Grid<\/h2>\n<p>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 <strong>130 points<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-tscroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Factor<\/th>\n<th>Breakdown<\/th>\n<th>Max<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>NOC TEER category<\/td>\n<td>TEER 0\u20131: 9 \u00b7 TEER 2\u20133: 6 \u00b7 TEER 4\u20135: 0<\/td>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>NOC broad occupational category<\/td>\n<td>Cat. 3: 10 \u00b7 Cat. 7: 8 \u00b7 Cat. 2: 6 \u00b7 Cats. 0, 1, 4, 8, 9: 4 \u00b7 Cats. 5, 6: 2<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hourly wage<\/td>\n<td>$40+: 15 \u00b7 $35\u2013$39.99: 12 \u00b7 $30\u2013$34.99: 10 \u00b7 $25\u2013$29.99: 8 \u00b7 $20\u2013$24.99: 5 \u00b7 under $20: 0<\/td>\n<td>15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ontario work experience<\/td>\n<td>In the job offer position: over 24 months: 18 \u00b7 13\u201324: 15 \u00b7 6\u201312: 12. Under 6 months in the position, general Ontario experience scores instead: over 24 months: 12 \u00b7 13\u201324: 9 \u00b7 6\u201312: 6<\/td>\n<td>18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Earnings history (CRA NOA in last 5 years)<\/td>\n<td>$70,000+: 8 \u00b7 $50,000\u2013$69,999: 6 \u00b7 $30,000\u2013$49,999: 4<\/td>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Legal status in Canada<\/td>\n<td>Valid work permit: 10 \u00b7 valid study permit: 5<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Highest education<\/td>\n<td>Doctorate or degree in medicine\/dentistry\/veterinary\/optometry: 10 \u00b7 Master&#8217;s: 8 \u00b7 Bachelor&#8217;s or above-bachelor certificate: 6 \u00b7 other post-secondary credentials: 5<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Canadian education credentials<\/td>\n<td>More than one: 10 \u00b7 one: 5<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Official language ability (lowest CLB)<\/td>\n<td>CLB 9+: 15 \u00b7 CLB 8: 12 \u00b7 CLB 7: 8 \u00b7 CLB 6: 4<\/td>\n<td>15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Knowledge of official languages<\/td>\n<td>Both English and French (CLB 6+ in all areas on both tests): 10 \u00b7 one: 5<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Regionalization (work location)<\/td>\n<td>Northern Ontario: 15 \u00b7 Eastern, Central (outside GTA) and Southwestern Ontario: 10 \u00b7 GTA except Toronto: 5 \u00b7 Toronto: 0<\/td>\n<td>15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Apply: Step by Step<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Step 1 \u2014 Employer submits the job offer.<\/strong> The employer registers the business in the OINP Employer Portal (existing registrations carry over) and creates the job offer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Step 2 \u2014 You register an EOI.<\/strong> You receive a job offer ID by email and must register your EOI within <strong>30 calendar days<\/strong> of the employer submitting the offer. Your EOI stays valid for <strong>12 months<\/strong> until you receive an invitation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Step 3 \u2014 Invitation to apply.<\/strong> The OINP periodically ranks the pool \u2014 on a general or targeted basis \u2014 and invites the highest-scoring candidates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Step 4 \u2014 Employer application.<\/strong> After you are invited, your employer has <strong>14 calendar days<\/strong> to apply for approval of the employment position. Without employer approval, your nomination cannot be approved.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Step 5 \u2014 Your application.<\/strong> You have <strong>17 calendar days<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Step 6 \u2014 Nomination and permanent residence.<\/strong> If approved, TEER 0\u20133 applicants and physicians may take the nomination through Express Entry \u2014 worth <strong>600 additional CRS points<\/strong>, with 30 days to accept and 60 days to submit the PR application \u2014 or receive a base nomination (TEER 4\u20135 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Self-employed physicians register an EOI without an employer and, if invited, apply and pay within 17 calendar days.<\/p>\n<h2>Fees<\/h2>\n<div class=\"av-tscroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Situation<\/th>\n<th>Fee (CAD)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Job offer or physician practice outside the GTA<\/td>\n<td>$1,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Job offer or physician practice inside the GTA (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York)<\/td>\n<td>$2,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>EOI registration and employer portal registration<\/td>\n<td>No fee published<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>Where Things Stand in 2026 \u2014 An Honest Assessment<\/h2>\n<p>The stream is <strong>open<\/strong>, but as of the invitations page&#8217;s latest update (August 11, 2026), <strong>no invitation rounds have yet been held<\/strong> 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&#8217;s 2026 federal nomination allocation is reported at 14,119 nominations \u2014 announced February 6, 2026, per third-party reporting, as the figure does not appear on the official OINP pages.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s job offer into the portal, your EOI registered and your score maximized before the first draw lands.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Do I need an Express Entry profile to apply?<\/h3>\n<p>No. The stream itself runs on Ontario&#8217;s own EOI system. If your job offer is in TEER 0\u20133 (or you are a qualifying physician), you can optionally take your nomination through Express Entry for 600 CRS points \u2014 but you must then meet the minimum criteria of a federal Express Entry stream and maintain a valid profile throughout. TEER 4\u20135 applicants receive a base nomination.<\/p>\n<h3>I had an EOI under one of the old streams. Is it still valid?<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I need to show settlement funds?<\/h3>\n<p>No settlement-funds requirement is published for this stream on any official page. Ontario&#8217;s focus is the job offer, your experience, and the employer&#8217;s capacity.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I apply if I&#8217;m self-employed?<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>My job offer is TEER 5 \u2014 do I really have a pathway?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes \u2014 this is one of the redesign&#8217;s biggest changes. TEER 4\u20135 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\u20135 occupations score 0 on the TEER factor, so wage, regional location and Canadian experience become decisive.<\/p>\n<h2>Get a Professional Assessment<\/h2>\n<p>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&#8217;s eligibility, and build your file before the first draw.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/assessment\/\">Start your free online assessment<\/a> or <a href=\"\/consult\/\">book a consultation<\/a> to discuss your Ontario pathway today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 \u2014 from Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker to the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream \u2014 are gone. In their place stands one employer-driven [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration-to-canada-en","category-immigration-to-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}