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
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 EOIs and job offers registered under the old streams that never received an invitation are being withdrawn automatically, and Ontario says affected registrants, employers and representatives are notified directly.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
- 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.
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, worth up to 130 points. 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 →
OINP FAQ.
Do I need a job offer?
Can I apply directly, or must I be invited?
How does OINP connect to Express Entry?
How do I know if my school is eligible?
Does living outside Toronto help my score?
What does it cost?
(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 →