Ontario launches a new REDI round: OINP nomination spaces for six northern and eastern communities
Ontario has opened a new round of its Regional Economic Development through Immigration initiative, running to the end of 2027. Six communities, no separate application, and what it means if your job offer is in one of them.
On October 14, 2026, Ontario announced a new round of the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) initiative. The round runs to the end of 2027 and sets aside Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) nomination spaces for six communities outside the Greater Toronto Area that, in Ontario’s words, have shown a critical need for newcomer talent.
The six communities
- Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury
- Kenora District
- Nipissing District
- Rainy River District
- Renfrew County
- Thunder Bay
Ontario defines each one by Statistics Canada census division boundaries, so the district or county as a whole counts, not just the main town. Healthcare and the skilled trades are the sectors Ontario names as critical.
How REDI works
REDI is a partnership between the OINP and the participating communities. Ontario allocates nomination spaces to each partner community, gives the community dedicated OINP support (including information sessions for employers) and offers employers business service support. The communities in this round were chosen after Ontario invited communities outside the GTA to express interest in spring 2026, weighing local labour shortages (including in healthcare), the community’s capacity to support the initiative and settle newcomers, and backing from employers and municipalities.
The initiative began as a pilot in 2020 with three communities and added four more in 2025. Ontario says it has supported the nomination of nearly 1,000 workers so far.
There is no separate application
This is the point most people miss. You cannot apply to REDI directly. Ontario says that to be considered, you must meet OINP eligibility requirements. Today the OINP’s route in is an expression of interest under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which opened on August 4, 2026 for candidates whose employer has registered a job offer, and for self-employed physicians.
Ontario has not said how REDI invitations will be targeted in this round. In the earlier pilot, invitations went to candidates with a job offer in a partner community: on April 8, 2026, for example, Ontario issued 32 REDI pilot invitations to candidates with a job offer in Lanark or Leeds and Grenville. Lanark and Leeds and Grenville are not on the 2026-2027 list.
What it means for you
- If your job offer is in one of the six communities, your profile now sits in a part of Ontario with dedicated nomination spaces. The location also matters for your score: in the Workforce Priority stream a job in Northern Ontario earns the top regional points, and Renfrew County counts as Eastern Ontario. Estimate your OINP score with the job’s region selected.
- If you are an employer there, register your job offer in Ontario’s employer portal before the candidate can start an expression of interest, and contact Ontario at immigration.ontario@ontario.ca for an employer consultation.
- Sudbury, Thunder Bay and North Bay (in Nipissing District) also take part in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot. A job offer there may open two provincial and federal routes at once, each with its own rules. Compare the federal rural pilot communities.
- If you are elsewhere in Ontario, nothing changes for you: the Workforce Priority stream is open across the province. Compare provincial programs if Ontario is not the best fit.
We track every OINP round as it lands on our PR draw tracker.
Our Brampton and London offices can check whether your job offer and profile fit the OINP and REDI. Request a consultation. General information only, not legal advice; confirm current requirements on ontario.ca, and Ontario and IRCC make all final decisions.
Sources: ontario.ca, 2026 OINP updates (October 16 entry); ontario.ca, REDI initiative. Verified October 16, 2026.
