Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

What is the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program?

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is Ontario's economic immigration program, the provincial half of Canada's wider Provincial Nominee Program. It lets Ontario nominate people whose skills, education and experience match the province's labour-market and economic needs. A provincial nomination is your stepping stone: you use it to apply to IRCC for permanent residence, but IRCC still makes the final PR decision on a separate application.

Ontario runs the country's largest provincial program. For 2026, its nomination allocation is roughly 14,119, the biggest of any PNP (source: ontario.ca / IRCC, May 2026). Even so, demand far exceeds supply, so the Ontario PNP is highly competitive and meeting the minimum eligibility is not the same as receiving an invitation. With the 2026 redesign underway, the program is also in transition, so verify current rules before committing time and fees.

The three OINP categories and their streams

The OINP organises its streams into three broad categories. Human Capital targets skilled workers and graduates, often through Express Entry. The Employer Job Offer category is for people with a permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer. The Business category is for entrepreneurs who will establish or buy an Ontario business. The table below links the main OINP streams within each category, note that several are being consolidated or revised under the 2026 redesign.

Enhanced vs base OINP nomination: the +600 CRS difference

As with every PNP, this distinction changes your whole timeline. An enhanced OINP nomination is aligned with federal Express Entry: you must already hold an active Express Entry profile, and the nomination adds 600 CRS points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score. That boost lifts most candidates well above the cut-off. In recent draws it has been more than enough to earn an Invitation to Apply at the next Express Entry draw, though IRCC still issues the invitation.

Ontario's Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades streams have historically been enhanced. Candidates with skilled Canadian work experience may also qualify under the Canadian Experience Class inside Express Entry.

A base (or "paper") nomination is not connected to Express Entry. Once Ontario nominates you under a base stream, such as the Masters Graduate, PhD Graduate, Employer Job Offer or Entrepreneur streams, you submit a separate permanent-residence application directly to IRCC. It earns no CRS points and is generally processed more slowly. Not sure where your federal score sits? Because the enhanced streams rank on CRS, our free CRS calculator doubles as a practical OINP points calculator for those Express Entry-aligned routes.

How the OINP Expression of Interest works

Most OINP streams use an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. You create a profile and the program scores you against factors such as work experience, education, official-language ability, and your job offer or ties to Ontario. Ontario then issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to the highest-ranked candidates in periodic draws, which are frequently targeted at specific occupations, categories or language profiles.

Each OINP draw can set its own minimum score and may be limited to selected NOC codes, so the OINP NOC targeting in a given round matters as much as your raw points. Submitting an OINP Expression of Interest places you in the pool. It does not guarantee an invitation.

OINP eligibility

Requirements differ by stream, but a few themes run through the program. Human Capital streams generally look at your Express Entry profile, education, skilled work experience and language results, and the graduate streams (Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate) add a recent eligible Ontario credential, often after a study permit and a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

The Employer Job Offer category requires a permanent, full-time job offer from an eligible Ontario employer, and employer registration is now part of the process. The Entrepreneur stream tests net worth, investment and a viable business plan rather than a job offer. Because the published criteria are detailed and, in 2026, actively changing, the safest first step is a profile review against the current ontario.ca program requirements.

How to apply for the OINP

How to apply for the OINPfollows a clear sequence for most streams, though the redesign may adjust individual steps. Confirm you meet a stream's requirements, submit an Expression of Interest where the stream uses one, and wait to see whether your score earns an Invitation to Apply. If invited, you submit a complete nomination application with supporting documents; once nominated, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

1. 01

   Confirm your stream

   Match your profile to a current OINP stream, Human Capital, Employer Job Offer or Business, under the rules in force now.

2. 02

   Submit your EOI

   Create an Expression of Interest profile where the stream uses one, and maximise every eligible point. For enhanced streams, keep an active Express Entry profile.

3. 03

   Receive an ITA & apply

   If invited, file a complete nomination application within the deadline. Missing documents is a common reason for refusal.

4. 04

   Apply to IRCC for PR

   Use the nomination to apply for permanent residence, through Express Entry (enhanced, +600 CRS) or a separate paper application (base).

OINP processing times, fees and the 2026 outlook

There are two stages, each with its own timeline and fee. The OINP processing time for a complete nomination application has historically sat in the region of 30 to 90 daysunder Ontario's published service standard, varying by stream and volume. Once nominated, an enhanced Express Entry application to IRCC is typically processed in about six months, while a base paper application generally takes longer.

On fees, OINP application fees have historically ranged from about $1,500 for Express Entry-aligned and graduate streams up to roughly $1,500–$2,000 for Employer Job Offer applications, with a higher amount for Greater Toronto Area positions; the Entrepreneur stream carries its own fee. These provincial amounts are separate from the IRCC permanent-residence fees at the federal stage, and from our own professional fees. With the OINP 2026 redesign in progress, both processing times and fees may shift, confirm the current figures on ontario.ca before you apply.

How Wild Mountain helps with the OINP

Wild Mountain Immigration assesses your profile against Ontario's current priorities, confirms whether the stream you want is enhanced or base, and builds the Express Entry and Expression of Interest strategy that ranks you well. Our team works under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497) to prepare a nomination application that stands up to scrutiny, and we represent you with both Ontario and IRCC.

With the OINP being redesigned in 2026, we keep your strategy aligned to the rules that are actually in force when you apply, and we give you a candid read on your realistic chances first. We are a Canmore, Alberta firm acting online for clients across Canada and abroad, so distance from Ontario is no obstacle.

1. 01

   Confirm the right stream

   We match your profile to a current OINP stream and confirm whether it is enhanced (Express Entry, +600 CRS) or a base paper nomination, under the rules in force now.

2. 02

   Build the EOI and profile

   We prepare your Express Entry profile where the stream is enhanced, maximise every Expression of Interest point, and track the redesign so nothing catches you out.

3. 03

   Nominate and apply for PR

   After an Invitation to Apply we file a complete nomination, then represent you with IRCC through Express Entry or a base permanent-residence application.

Not sure where to begin? Compare the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program with our Alberta program and the Manitoba MPNP, read how the wider Provincial Nominee Program works, and see our fees before you reach out on the contact page.