Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

Overview

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) allows Canada's most populous province to nominate foreign workers for permanent residence. In 2026 Ontario overhauled the program: all nine former streams — including the Master's and PhD Graduate, Express Entry and Entrepreneur streams — closed, and the Ontario Workforce Priority stream became the main pathway. Most candidates now need a qualifying full-time, permanent job offer from an Ontario employer, and Ontario has signalled more changes to come.

Who it’s for

• Foreign workers with a full-time, permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer
• Temporary workers and recent graduates already working in Ontario in their offered role
• Workers in intermediate or labour occupations (TEER 4/5) with recent full-time experience
• Self-employed physicians registered to practise in Ontario

Key requirements

• A qualifying full-time, permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer (self-employed physicians are the exception)
• Recent work experience that meets your pathway's rules — for example, time in the offered position or years in the same occupation
• English or French test results at your occupation's minimum (CLB 4 to 6), unless an eligible Ontario degree or diploma exempts you
• At least a secondary diploma — and a post-secondary credential of one year or more for TEER 0–3 roles outside the skilled trades
• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for studies completed outside Canada
• Valid temporary resident status if you are in Canada, and a genuine intention to settle in Ontario
• An employer that meets OINP standards, such as an established business with Ontario premises and a clean compliance record

How it works

1. 01

   Assess your fit

   We review your job offer, occupation, experience, language results and education against the Ontario Workforce Priority rules for your pathway.

2. 02

   Employer registers the job offer

   Your employer submits the position through the OINP Employer Portal and receives a job offer ID for you. We can guide employers through this step.

3. 03

   Register your expression of interest

   Within the deadline, we register your EOI using that ID. Ontario ranks candidates with published scoring factors and invites the highest-scoring profiles.

4. 04

   Invitation & nomination application

   Once invited, your employer files its position approval and we submit your complete application — both under tight deadlines.

5. 05

   Apply for permanent residence

   After nomination, we prepare your IRCC application — through Express Entry where eligible — and IRCC makes the final decision.

Advantages

• Open to occupations at every TEER level, not only highly skilled roles
• Ontario work experience carries significant weight in candidate ranking
• Nominees in TEER 0–3 occupations with an Express Entry profile may receive an enhanced nomination worth 600 CRS points
• Self-employed physicians licensed in Ontario have a dedicated pathway without a job offer

Good to know

FAQ