Ontario’s nominee program, decoded.
Estimate your Workforce Priority Stream EOI score and check whether your school is a recognized institution — built on Ontario’s official criteria, guided by a licensed RCIC in Brampton and London.
(Workforce Priority)
a nomination
after the job offer
Brampton & London
Live tracker
Ontario in 2026, by the numbers.
OINP redesign - no invitations since Apr 30, 2026; the new Workforce Priority EOI portal opened Aug 4 and has not drawn yet.
| Date | Round | Invited |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2026 | 57 EOIEmployer Job Offer: Foreign Worker or International Student | 1,063 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | —Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, nternational Student or In-Demand Skills | 886 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | —Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student or In-Demand Skills | 539 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | 60 EOIEmployer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student or In-Demand Skills | 428 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | —Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student or In-Demand Skills | 303 |
| Apr 22, 2026 | 61 EOIMasters Graduate | 674 |
OINP Redesign Phase 1. Ontario Regulation 422/17 was amended in force June 25, 2026: all 8 former streams are closed and no further invitations will be issued under them. The old EOI system is closed; the replacement Workforce Priority EOI portal opened August 4, 2026. Unactioned EOIs and job offers are being withdrawn automatically.
Where the OINP stands today.
Ontario rebuilt the OINP in 2026. The eight former streams are closed, one stream replaced them — and the expression of interest portal is now open.
- Aug 4, 2026EOI portal opensCandidates whose employer has registered a job offer — and self-employed physicians — can now register an expression of interest. Ontario says program materials and website pages have been updated. Job offer route Physician route
If you had an EOI or an application in the old system
The former pool is closed. EOIs and job offers registered under the old streams that never received an invitation are being withdrawn automatically, and Ontario says affected registrants, employers and representatives are notified directly. Applications already submitted after an invitation continue to be assessed under the rules in force on the submission date.
Employers already registered in the employer portal do not need to register again — but they must submit a new job offer and a new application for approval of an employment position before you can start a fresh EOI.
Source: ontario.ca — 2026 OINP updates and Ontario Workforce Priority stream · verified August 4, 2026. Ontario’s Act and regulations prevail over any summary, including ours.
Closed on June 25, 2026 (announced June 26)
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker
- Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills
- Employer Job Offer: International Student
- Master’s Graduate
- PhD Graduate
- Express Entry Human Capital Priorities
- Express Entry French-speaking Skilled Worker
- Express Entry Skilled Trades
Check where you stand.
Two quick tools, no sign-up: estimate your Workforce Priority EOI score, and verify whether your school is a recognized eligible institution for OINP education scoring.
Your employer registers the job offer first — then you have 30 calendar days to register the EOI.
Ontario lets self-employed physicians apply with no job offer and no employer, and exempts them from the other applicant requirements. You must be able to confirm all three:
Tick all three to score this route.
The 1st digit is the broad occupational category and the 2nd digit is the TEER — so 21231 is category 2, TEER 1.
Ontario scores this fallback only when you have under 6 months in the offered position.
Which region am I in?
Northern (15) — Muskoka, Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River, Kenora.
Eastern (10) — Frontenac, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
Central outside the GTA (10) — Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Waterloo, Wellington.
Southwestern (10) — Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford, Perth.
Inside the GTA except Toronto (5) — Durham, Halton, Peel, York. Toronto (0) — the City of Toronto.
Three that catch people out: Muskoka, Haliburton and Parry Sound score as Northern, not Central. Hamilton and Niagara are Southwestern. Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Northumberland are Eastern. Regions follow Census Divisions, and Central is only five of them.
Fill in your details and calculate.
Estimate only, based on Ontario’s published scoring factors. No invitation round has run under the Workforce Priority Stream yet, so there is no cut-off history to compare against.
Type your school’s name. We check it against Ontario’s published list of recognized eligible Ontario and Canadian institutions used for OINP education scoring and recent-graduate criteria.
List reflects Ontario’s eligible institutions as published on ontario.ca. Studied abroad? Foreign institutions aren’t on this list — they’re assessed with an ECA. We can confirm your case.
Self-employed physicians: no job offer needed.
The Workforce Priority Stream carries one route that does not involve an employer at all. If you practise medicine in Ontario on your own billing number, you can register an expression of interest yourself.
What you must be able to prove
Ontario sets only two requirements for this route, and you must satisfy both.
- You are eligible to be paid for publicly funded health services under the Health Insurance Act, 1990 — in practice, you hold an OHIP billing number.
- You are a member in good standing of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario holding a certificate of registration authorising independent, academic or provisional practice.
Requirements that fall away
Meet both tests and Ontario exempts you from the rest of the applicant criteria, and the employer criteria do not apply to you at all.
- No job offer, and no employer registration or position approval.
- No employer revenue, headcount, wage-level or recruitment-effort tests.
- The hourly wage scoring factor is simply not applicable — which is why this route is scored out of 115 rather than 130.
A postgraduate licence is not enough
If your CPSO registration is a postgraduate education licence, you cannot use the self-employed physician route. That is a hard line, not a discretionary one.
- Residents and fellows on a postgraduate licence are excluded from this route.
- You may still qualify under the same stream with a job offer from an Ontario employer.
- Restrictions on your certificate class are worth reviewing before you spend anything.
The process, in order
The entry point is different: you contact the OINP directly instead of waiting on an employer portal submission.
- Contact the OINP to begin registering your expression of interest.
- If invited, submit your application and pay within 17 calendar days.
- You may ask to be nominated through Express Entry — a nomination you accept adds 600 CRS points, and you then have 60 days to file with IRCC.
How your points are worked out on this route
Your TEER category and broad occupational category are prepopulated, so a physician effectively banks 9 points for TEER 1 and 10 points for health as the occupational category. Ontario experience is measured as cumulative medical practice in Ontario — 18 points above 24 months, 15 from 13 to 24 months, 12 from 6 to 12 months. Regionalization is read from your Ontario practice address as registered for OHIP billing, so a Northern Ontario practice is worth 15 points where a Toronto practice is worth none.
Everything else is scored exactly as it is for job-offer applicants: earnings history from a CRA Notice of Assessment, legal status in Canada, highest credential, number of Canadian credentials, your lowest CLB across the four abilities, and whether you test in one official language or two.
Source: ontario.ca — Ontario Workforce Priority stream, steps to apply as a self-employed physician · verified August 4, 2026. This is a summary for orientation, not advice on your file.
How OINP points are scored.
The Workforce Priority Stream ranks Expressions of Interest on four groups of factors. The bands add up to a maximum of 130 points, though Ontario publishes the individual factors without stating a total. Higher scores get invited first. Colour tells you which route a factor belongs to.
Employment & labour market
The biggest lever — your job offer’s TEER and occupation, hourly wage, time in the position, Canadian earnings, and legal status.
- Wage $40+/hr scores highest (15) Job offer
- 24+ months in role adds 18 Job offer Practice months
- A valid work permit adds 10
Education
Your highest credential plus how many Canadian credentials you hold — where the institution checker matters.
- Doctorate / medical degree: 10
- Master’s degree: 8
- More than one Canadian credential: 10
Language
Scored on your lowest CLB across all four abilities, with a bonus for a second official language.
- CLB 9+ scores 15
- Two official languages add 10
Regionalization
Rewards jobs outside Toronto — a real edge for our Brampton and London clients hiring across the region.
- Northern Ontario: 15 points
- Eastern / SW / Central: 10
- Toronto: 0 points
What the OINP is — and how it flows.
Ontario’s economic immigration program, run with IRCC. You register interest, get ranked, and can only apply once invited. Official overview →
Workforce Priority Stream
For skilled workers with a qualifying Ontario job offer in any NOC — plus self-employed physicians without a job offer.
Via Express Entry
Job offer in TEER 0–3 (or a physician)? Get nominated through Express Entry for +600 CRS and faster PR.
Non-Express Entry
No EE profile needed. Your nomination is used in the paper-based provincial-nominee PR process.
Employer submits a job offer
They register in the Employer Portal; you get a job offer ID and 30 days to register your EOI.
You register an EOI
Scored on Ontario’s published factors and ranked. Registering costs nothing — you only pay after an invitation. Physicians register without an employer.
If invited, you both apply
Employer approves the position (14 days); you apply and pay (17 days).
Nomination → PR
Apply to IRCC within 6 months. IRCC makes the final PR decision.
What it takes, and when.
Requirements vary by your job offer’s TEER category, and self-employed physicians are exempt from them. Blue marks the job offer route, violet marks the physician route. Deadlines are short — missing one removes your EOI from the pool. Full requirements →
Higher-skilled roles
- 6 months in the role (or 2 yrs same NOC / 3 mo recent Ontario grad)
- CLB 6 all abilities (CLB 5 listed trades)
- 1-year+ post-secondary credential (ECA if foreign)
Lower-skilled roles
- 9 months in the offered position (last 2 yrs)
- CLB 4 in all four abilities
- Canadian high-school diploma or equivalent
Key timelines
Government fees
GTA = Toronto plus Durham, Halton, Peel, York. Non-refundable once processing starts. Amounts set by Ontario. Official fees →
Your employer must also qualify
3+ years in active business, an Ontario premises, no outstanding ESA/OHSA orders, plus revenue and minimum-employee thresholds and recruitment effort. The Ontario Public Service is not currently a participating employer. Employer guide →
Occupation rules, exclusions and employer thresholds.
The Workforce Priority stream has no eligible-occupation list — any NOC can qualify. But a handful of occupations carry their own conditions, some applicants are excluded outright, and the employer has to clear thresholds of its own. These are the details that decide files.
Occupations with their own rules
Transport truck drivers and bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators must meet the six-month consecutive experience requirement even if they hold the licence or graduated recently in Ontario. Neither shortcut is available, and they cannot use the licence-based education pathway.
Requires an Ontario college certificate of at least one year full-time from an eligible Canadian institution. Experience as a licensed practical nurse (32101) or a registered nurse (31301) may be used toward the requirement.
Experience as a pharmacist (31120) may be used toward the requirement for pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants.
For technical occupations related to engineering, experience in the professional engineering group (213) may be used toward the requirement.
Which trades get the CLB 5 concession
A job offer in a listed skilled trade lowers the language bar to CLB 5 and lets a Canadian secondary school diploma satisfy the education requirement. The listed trades are NOC Major Group 72 (excluding Sub-Major Group 726), Major Group 73, Major Group 82, Major Group 83, Major Group 93 (excluding Sub-Major Group 932), Minor Group 6320, and Unit Group 62200, chefs. Outside those groups the standard CLB 6 and post-secondary credential apply.
Who cannot apply
People self-employed or working under a contract for services, where there is no legal employer–employee relationship, are not eligible — with the single exception of self-employed physicians, who have their own pathway.
Job offers from the Ontario Public Service and OPS entities are not accepted. Other government bodies not staffed by OPS employees may still qualify as employers.
A physician holding a postgraduate education licence cannot apply through the self-employed physician pathway. They may still apply with a qualifying job offer.
What the employer has to clear
The employer must have been in active business for at least three years before applying, have premises in Ontario where the applicant will work, carry no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and meet revenue and minimum Canadian-citizen or permanent-resident employee thresholds keyed to the job offer location. Recruitment effort for a Canadian or permanent resident must be shown, but only where the applicant is living outside Canada or working outside Ontario.
Rural relief: lower gross annual revenue thresholds apply to employers in rural communities, defined for the program as a community in a census division with a population under 150,000. The specific revenue and headcount figures sit in the Employer Guide rather than on the stream page.
Language tests that count
Only IELTS General Training — not Academic — CELPIP General, PTE Core — not PTE Academic — TEF Canada and TCF Canada are accepted. One Skill Retake results are not accepted. The test must be within two years of the date you submit. Scoring uses your lowest ability of the four; if you sat both English and French, the higher-scoring test is used.
An educational credential assessment is required for studies completed outside Canada and must be less than five years old on the date you apply.
Where the program is heading
The Workforce Priority stream is phase 1 of a redesign that consolidates the former eight streams into four. Ontario has said the remaining three streams are expected to launch later this year. In 2025 the OINP nominated 10,750 candidates. Ontario published its 2026 allocation on February 6, 2026: 14,119 nominations, up 31% on 2025. What has been retired is the page that used to carry the running nominations-issued count — so the allocation is firm, but any “spots remaining” figure you see quoted for Ontario in 2026 is an estimate, because Ontario no longer publishes how many it has used.
Questions, answered.
Every question and answer now lives in one place, so you can search across all of our guides at once.
Browse the help centre(CICC)
Brampton & London
OINP nomination
in our checker
OINP eligibility review
Is your OINP score good enough this year?
A calculator gives you a number. It cannot tell you whether Ontario will draw at that number, whether your NOC is in a targeted category, or whether Express Entry is the faster door. A licensed RCIC can.
- Your estimate re-checked against Ontario’s published scoring factors
- A written read on the route that fits — job offer, physician, or Express Entry
- Reviewed by a CICC-licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.
Other provinces and territories.
Ontario is one of thirteen systems, and the right province is often the one where your points go furthest. Open a program below, or compare every PNP side by side →