Ontario PNP

About the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) lets Ontario nominate economic immigrants who match its labour market priorities. Ontario nominates; IRCC makes the final permanent residence decision. Because Ontario is Canada’s largest immigration destination, the OINP is closely watched — and it just underwent its biggest structural change in the program’s history.

Major update — June 26, 2026: Ontario eliminated all 8 of its previous OINP streams and replaced them with the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, as Phase 1 of a broader redesign. This page reflects that new structure — always confirm current status on Ontario’s official site before relying on any of it, since Phase 2 is still to come.

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream

The new stream consists of three pathways, each with its own eligibility rules:

TEER 0–3 Pathway

Full-time, permanent job offer in a higher-skilled occupation
Generally requires post-secondary education
CLB 6 or higher in all four language abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking), unless you’re a qualifying recent Ontario graduate
9 months cumulative work experience in the last 2 years with the job-offer employer, or equivalent

TEER 4–5 Pathway

Full-time, permanent (indeterminate) job offer in a lower-skilled occupation
Generally requires the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school credential
CLB 4 or higher

Self-Employed Physicians Pathway

A new dedicated pathway for physicians who bill through OHIP and don’t work through a traditional employer-employee relationship — addressing a gap the previous streams didn’t cover.

What Changed

The Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills, International Student, Master’s Graduate, PhD Graduate, Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker, and Entrepreneur streams have all closed. The Masters and PhD Graduate streams — which previously didn’t require a job offer — are permanently closed; graduates without a qualifying job offer should look at federal pathways like the Canadian Experience Class instead. Lower gross annual revenue thresholds apply to employers in rural communities (census divisions under 150,000 population).

How We Help

Given how recent this redesign is, we track the Expression of Interest system reopening and Phase 2 announcements directly, and can tell you exactly which pathway — if any — currently fits your profile.