Further to our previous article about the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is now accepting job offer submissions from employers and Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from workers.

Current status

Employers are now able to input OINP job offers, and workers named in those offers can upload their EOIs through the OINP portal. For a general overview of the process, see the OINP application process webpage.

The OINP has not yet issued any invitations to apply. Until there have been a number of rounds of invitations, there will be limited insight into the NOCs/occupations the OINP will favour or the points threshold candidates will need to receive an invitation to apply.

Employer takeaways

Employers wishing to support a potential OINP nomination should take advantage of the reopening to submit OINP job offers now, so that candidates can upload EOIs prior to the OINP restarting invitations.

You can monitor the 2026 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Updates to see when the OINP starts issuing invitations and the parameters of the invitations.

Before uploading an OINP job offer, employers should review the circumstances to ensure that the employer, the job offer, and the foreign worker all meet eligibility requirements. 

Employers should also understand that if a worker receives an invitation, the employer has a very tight 14-day timeline to provide further details to request the approval of the employment position through the OINP portal. Employers should anticipate what might be needed in advance to avoid a last-minute rush if the worker receives an invitation.

Given that the OINP has expanded its program integrity measures, employers also need to ensure that they provide accurate information, maintain records in case they are inspected, and are aware of their obligations and ongoing compliance requirements.

Foreign worker takeaways

Foreign workers must have employer support to be able to obtain an OINP nomination, as the OINP is employer-driven and requires an eligible job offer to be uploaded by the employer. 

Foreign workers should review the revised OINP points system to determine if there are any steps that can be taken to increase OINP points.

Most potential candidates will need to ensure that they have any required language test results and/or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) before they can enter the EOI pool.

For the TEER 0-3 stream and the self-employed physician stream, candidates have the option of being nominated through the federal Express Entry regime. For those granted an OINP nomination, this may result in faster IRCC processing at the PR stage. Given this option, eligible candidates may wish to set up an Express Entry profile prior to creating the OINP EOI.

How Gowling WLG can help

If you have questions about the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, please contact a member of Gowling WLG’s Immigration Group.