The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has published detailed eligibility requirements for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, the single consolidated pathway that replaced all eight of the OINP’s former streams when amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 took effect on June 26, 2026. The newly published guidance sets out applicant and employer requirements across three pathways and confirms the scoring model that will govern expressions of interest once the redesigned EOI system reopens.

Stream overview

| Pathway | Eligible occupations | Job offer required |
| Skilled workers | NOC TEER 0 to 3 | Yes |
| Essential workers | NOC TEER 4 to 5 | Yes |
| Self employed physicians | Independent or academic practice, OHIP billing number | No |

Applicant requirements by pathway

For TEER 0 to 3 job offers, applicants need one of: six months of consecutive full time work in the job offer position within the prior 12 months, three months for a recent Ontario graduate, or two years of cumulative full time experience in the same NOC within the prior five years, unless a mandatory licence applies. Language sits at CLB 6 across all four abilities for most occupations, CLB 5 for listed skilled trades, with eligible Ontario graduates exempt from testing. Education requires at minimum a one year postsecondary credential, or a high school diploma for listed skilled trades.

For TEER 4 to 5 job offers, applicants need nine months of cumulative full time experience within the prior two years, CLB 4 across all four abilities, and a high school diploma or equivalent.

Self employed physicians qualify without a job offer if they hold an OHIP billing number and a certificate of registration for independent or academic practice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. They bypass the standard applicant and employer requirements entirely.

Employer requirements

Employers must have operated for at least three years, maintain an Ontario business premises for the position, carry no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act or Occupational Health and Safety Act, meet location based revenue and full time staffing minimums, and in most cases demonstrate genuine efforts to recruit a Canadian citizen or permanent resident first. Job offers must be full time, permanent, urgently necessary to the business, and paid at the required wage level for the job’s location.

Practitioner implications

The Workforce Priority stream folds prior nomination streams into a single points based EOI model, with scoring tied to TEER category, occupational category, hourly wage, Ontario work experience, education, language, and regional location, with the strongest weighting favouring roles outside Toronto. Practitioners advising clients under legacy OINP streams should note that EOIs and job offers registered under the former eight streams that have not yet resulted in an invitation are being withdrawn as the system transitions, and clients will need to register fresh EOIs once the new system opens. Applications already submitted following an invitation under a former stream continue to be assessed against the rules in place when filed. With the EOI system expected to reopen later this summer, now is the window to reassess client eligibility under the new scoring criteria before allocations open.

Full program details are available directly from the Ontario government: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-workforce-priority-stream

Ontario’s OINP redesign is exactly the kind of shift practitioners need to get ahead of. Join Andrew Carvajal and Clinton Green for The Complete Guide to OINP 2026 on August 12, a 4 hour deep dive into Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program streams and practical application strategies under the new framework. Register at lpen.ca.

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