OINP updates 2026: every Ontario PNP announcement, dated

Expression of interest portal opens for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream

Ontario opened the expression of interest portal for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which has pathways for job offers in all TEER categories and for self-employed physicians. Employers submit the job offer in the Employer Portal first, then the candidate registers.

OINP web pages updated with the Ontario Workforce Priority stream criteria

Ontario updated its OINP web pages with the eligibility criteria for the new stream, ahead of the expression of interest system opening, which it then expected later in the summer.

Redesign phase 1 in force: eight streams removed, Ontario Workforce Priority stream created

Amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17, announced on 26 June 2026, removed the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills and International Student streams, the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams and the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities, French-speaking Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades streams, and created the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Ontario calls this the first of a 2-phase redesign that adds elevated language and education benchmarks and lower business revenue thresholds for rural and northern employers.

Expression of interest system closed to new registrations, no further invitations under the former streams

Registrations and job offers under the former streams that had not produced an invitation were to be withdrawn automatically over the following weeks. Applications filed after an invitation under a former stream continue to be assessed under the rules in force when they were submitted.

Amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17 take effect

The amendments, announced on 16 March 2026 and confirmed on 29 May, prepared the regulation for the redesign. Applications received under the existing framework are assessed under the eligibility requirements in place when they were filed.

1,063 invitations for Greater Toronto Area job offers, the last draws before the redesign

Employer Job Offer streams: 786 invitations to Foreign Worker stream candidates at a score of 57 and above and 277 to International Student stream candidates at 81 and above, for job offers in the Greater Toronto Area.

2,156 invitations in four regional rounds

Employer Job Offer streams: Eastern Ontario 539 (Foreign Worker 63 and above), Northern Ontario 303 (60 and above), Southwestern Ontario 886 (60 and above) and Central Ontario excluding the GTA 428 (60 and above).

918 invitations to Masters and PhD graduates

Masters Graduate stream 674 invitations at a score of 61 and above and PhD Graduate stream 244 at 56 and above, in a general draw.

1,334 invitations, agriculture and other priority occupations

In-Demand Skills stream: candidates in agriculture-related occupations at a score of 35 and above and in other priority occupations at 36 and above.

1,828 invitations in four targeted rounds

Employer Job Offer streams: health care and early childhood education occupations 1,635 (Foreign Worker 20 and above), Francophone candidates 146 (35 and above), the REDI pilot 32 (46 and above) and physicians 15 (43 and above).

759 invitations, mining-related occupations

Employer Job Offer streams: candidates with a job offer in mining-related occupations, Foreign Worker stream at a score of 56 and above.

1,112 invitations in five regional rounds

Employer Job Offer streams: Greater Toronto Area 431 (Foreign Worker 61 and above), Southwestern Ontario 251 (53 and above), Central Ontario excluding the GTA 199 (55 and above), Eastern Ontario 174 (57 and above) and Northern Ontario 57 (54 and above).

1,243 invitations, graduates, physicians and the REDI pilot

Masters Graduate stream 582 invitations at a score of 30 and above and PhD Graduate stream 525 at 49 and above, plus Employer Job Offer physicians 97 (36 and above) and the REDI pilot 39 (Foreign Worker 47 and above).

Regulatory changes announced to let Ontario create and remove streams

Ontario announced amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17 that allow the Minister to redesign the OINP by creating or removing selection streams, an authority approved in the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025. The changes also simplify application processing, clarify how the Director decides draws and strengthen program integrity.

1,404 invitations, skilled trades occupations

Employer Job Offer streams: Foreign Worker stream candidates at a score of 50 and above and International Student stream candidates at 80 and above, in skilled trades-related occupations.

Ontario's 2026 nomination allocation is 14,119

The federal government gave the OINP a 2026 allocation of 14,119 nominations.

1,825 invitations in three targeted rounds

Employer Job Offer streams: health care and early childhood education occupations 1,649 (Foreign Worker 36 and above, International Student 56 and above), physicians 129 (33 and above) and the REDI pilot 47 (Foreign Worker 44 and above).

Self-employed physician eligibility widened

Physicians who are members in good standing of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and hold a provisional certificate of registration can now apply as self-employed if they have an OHIP billing number. The postgraduate license was removed from the eligible list. The change took effect on 1 January 2026.

Ontario reaches its 2025 nomination allocation of 10,750

Ontario issued 10,750 nominations across all streams in 2025. New applications and applications already submitted continue to be accepted and considered under the 2026 allocation.

916 invitations in four regional rounds

Employer Job Offer streams: Eastern Ontario 305 (Foreign Worker 54 and above, International Student 77, In-Demand Skills 30), Northern Ontario 68 (51 and 77), Southwestern Ontario 239 (51 and 73) and Central Ontario excluding the GTA 304 (49, 71 and 30).

1,133 invitations, health care and the REDI pilot

Employer Job Offer streams: health care occupations and early childhood educators and assistants 1,057 (Foreign Worker 49 and above, International Student 73) and the REDI pilot 76 (Foreign Worker 45, International Student 63, In-Demand Skills 30).

Express Entry Skilled Trades stream suspended and applications returned

After a review found systemic misrepresentation or fraud relating to the stream's eligibility criteria, the Director suspended receiving Skilled Trades stream applications and said all outstanding applications would be returned with fees refunded. Applicants who meet another stream could submit a new expression of interest.

More grounds for returning an application before nomination

The regulations were amended to expand the factors that may be considered when deciding to return an application before a nomination is issued, so the program can focus on applications that meet current labour market priorities. The full application fee is refunded.

List of penalties and banning orders updated

Ontario updated the published names of individuals, employers and representatives who have had an administrative monetary penalty or banning order imposed for contravening the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015.

1,680 invitations, health care and the REDI pilot

Employer Job Offer streams: health care occupations and early childhood educators and assistants 1,590 (Foreign Worker 38 and above, International Student 56, In-Demand Skills 31) and the REDI pilot 90 (Foreign Worker 51, International Student 75, In-Demand Skills 33).

1,893 invitations, other priority occupations

Employer Job Offer streams: candidates in other priority occupations, Foreign Worker stream at a score of 42 and above and International Student stream at 63 and above.

2,643 invitations, health care and early childhood education

Employer Job Offer streams: health care occupations and early childhood educators and assistants, Foreign Worker stream at a score of 41 and above, International Student stream at 58 and above and In-Demand Skills stream at 33 and above.

468 invitations, Northern Ontario and the REDI pilot

Employer Job Offer streams: Northern Ontario 330 (Foreign Worker 53 and above, International Student 66) and the REDI pilot 138 (Foreign Worker 45, International Student 68, In-Demand Skills 34).

2024 OINP results published: 21,500 nominations

Ontario reached its full 2024 allocation of 21,500 nominations by December 2024: Human Capital Priorities 6,330, Skilled Trades 4,101, Masters Graduate 3,810, International Student 3,283, Foreign Worker 2,731, PhD Graduate 446, In-Demand Skills 408, French-Speaking Skilled Worker 300 and Entrepreneur 91.

Employer Portal opens and the Employer Job Offer streams become employer-led

Employers register in the new Employer Portal and submit the job offer before a candidate can register an expression of interest. Individuals whose registrations were withdrawn were asked to work with their employer to register again.

In-person interviews, power to return applications and an education exemption for early childhood educators

Regulatory changes in effect from 1 July 2025 let the OINP require in-person interviews, return applications before a nomination is issued and waive the minimum education requirement under Human Capital Priorities and French-Speaking Skilled Worker for members of the College of Early Childhood Educators whose primary NOC is 42202.

Employer Job Offer intake paused for the Employer Portal launch

From 20 June to 2 July 2025 registrants could not create new Employer Job Offer expressions of interest, existing ones were withdrawn automatically on 21 and 22 June, and the system was unavailable for all streams from the close of business on 27 June to 29 June.

72 additional invitations, Greater Sudbury

Employer Job Offer streams: 72 additional invitations for job offers in Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, issued to correct a system error, to candidates in Canada with a Bachelor's degree or higher.

Five targeted rounds: Eastern, Northern, REDI, health care and one occupation

Employer Job Offer streams: Eastern Ontario 334 invitations, Northern Ontario 973 and the REDI pilot 843 to candidates in Canada with a Bachelor's degree or higher, plus health care occupations (Foreign Worker and International Student at 68 and above, In-Demand Skills at 34) and NOC 41321 career development practitioners (Foreign Worker at 45 and above).

Federal government cuts provincial nominee admissions by 50% for 2025

Ontario said applicants should expect longer processing times because fewer nominations were available in 2025, and that it would keep selecting skilled immigrants for the province's most critical labour shortages.

Self-employed physicians can use the Foreign Worker stream without a job offer

Physicians in NOC 31100, 31101 and 31102 who are in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and eligible to be paid through OHIP no longer need an Ontario job offer. The amendments took effect on 27 January 2025, and self-employment experience now counts for physicians under Human Capital Priorities and French-Speaking Skilled Worker.

REDI pilot announced for four partner communities

The Regional Economic Development through Immigration pilot launched on 2 January 2025 for a one-year term, setting aside 200 Employer Job Offer nominations for each of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton and Thunder Bay.

4 invitations, Economic Mobility Pathways Project candidates

Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream invitations for candidates who may qualify under the federal Economic Mobility Pathways Project.

Immediate bans for non-compliant immigration representatives

The Director can now ban immigration representatives who contravene the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 without first issuing an administrative monetary penalty.