The Ontario government announced a major redesign of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) on June 26, 2026.

As part of the reform, the province has closed its existing eight immigration streams and introduced a single new stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. This marks the first phase of a two stage redesign of the OINP. This is extremely important news that requires a comprehensive review of strategies for those currently working in Ontario or aiming to obtain permanent residence in the province in the future.

According to the Ontario government, the redesign aims to:

• Streamline pathways to permanent residence for individuals with employment in Ontario
• Help employers attract and retain qualified workers in occupations facing labour shortages
• Strengthen the quality and integrity of the provincial nominee program by introducing higher language and education requirements
• Improve access to the program for employers in rural and northern communities by lowering business revenue thresholds

As part of the redesign, the following eight familiar streams have been closed to new applications:

• Employer Job Offer Foreign Worker
• Employer Job Offer International Student
• Employer Job Offer In Demand Skills
• Master’s Graduate
• PhD Graduate
• Express Entry Human Capital Priorities
• Express Entry French speaking Skilled Worker
• Express Entry Skilled Trades

These have been replaced by the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream.

Professional, managerial, and technical positions.

Entry level occupations.

Under the new system, there is a strong shift toward emphasizing several months or more of continuous work experience with a local employer in Ontario across all levels. This clearly reflects an intention to prioritize individuals who are literally already working locally.

Self employed physicians practising in Ontario may be eligible to apply without a job offer.

The generally mandatory requirement of a job offer from an employer is waived exclusively for physicians working as self employed practitioners in Ontario. However, they must meet all of the following conditions:

• Be a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
• Hold a valid certificate of registration in an eligible registration class
• Be eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)

For companies located in rural and northern communities with populations of fewer than 150,000, the annual business revenue requirements imposed on employers when supporting foreign workers will be lowered. This will support recruitment activities in regions outside major metropolitan areas that are struggling with severe depopulation and labour shortages.

With the transition to the new system, the current EOI system has completely stopped accepting new registrations. The impact of this depends clearly on your current status.

Applicants Without an Invitation to Apply

EOIs registered under the former streams that have not yet received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) will be sequentially withdrawn. Therefore, you will need to register completely from scratch under the new criteria once the new EOI system begins accepting registrations.

Applicants With an Invitation to Apply

For cases that have already received an ITA and completed the application, the assessment will continue based on the former system in effect at the time of application.

The Ontario government has also introduced measures to strengthen program integrity and prevent fraudulent applications or misuse, including:

• Reducing the response period for Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) and ban notices from 60 days to 30 days
• Allowing notices of contravention to be delivered by email, in addition to mail or in person

These changes establish a system that enables the provincial government to respond more swiftly and efficiently.

This reform represents one of the most significant changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program in recent years.

Instead of selecting from multiple streams as in the past, transitioning to a single consolidated system centered on employed foreign nationals makes the program simpler; however, standards such as language proficiency and education may be higher than before in some cases.

Additionally, some individuals who currently have an EOI registered will need to re register under the new system, so we highly recommend reviewing your situation as early as possible.

The Ontario government is expected to release additional information regarding the launch timing of the new EOI system and detailed operational methods. Visa JP Canada will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.