Ontario proposes complete overhaul of provincial pathways to permanent residence

Ontario’s provincial government has proposed a two-phased approach for introducing major changes to how it selects nominees for permanent residence.

In phase one, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) would consolidate its three “Employer: Job Offer streams” into a single stream.

In phase two, the OINP would eliminate all its other existing streams and introduce three brand new streams:

• A priority healthcare stream.
• An entrepreneur stream.
• An exceptional talent stream.

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The OINP is currently seeking feedback from stakeholders on the proposed approach.

The province did not specify how it would intend to handle in-progress applications under existing streams when implementing phase two.

Phase 1: New Employer Job Offer stream

The proposed new Employer Job Offer stream would include two separate pathways: one for occupations at the National Occupation Classification (NOC) Training Education Experience and Responsibility (TEER) 0-3 level, and another for TEER 4-5 occupations.

TEER 0-3 pathway

The TEER 0–3 pathway would target skilled workers and prioritize candidates already in Canada with advanced qualifications. To qualify, applicants would need to meet minimum criteria in three main areas: wage, work experience, and education.

Job offer wage

The job offer would need to meet the median wage for that occupation in Ontario. Recent graduates of eligible Ontario institutions (within the past 2 years) may qualify with a job offer at the low-wage level.

Work experience

Applicants would need to meet one of the following criteria:

• At least 6 months of work experience in Ontario in the job offer NOC with the same employer;
• At least 2 years of experience in the job offer NOC within the past 5 years ; or
• Have a valid licence in their occupation and be in good standing with the relevant regulatory body (for regulated occupations).

Education

Applicants would also require a post-secondary credential, unless they have 6 months of Ontario work experience in their job offer occupation with their job offer employer.

Employer Job Offer – TEER 4–5 track

The TEER 4–5 track would support employers who rely on roles that typically require a high school diploma or on-the-job training but are facing persistent shortages—such as many frontline, service, manufacturing, and support occupations.

Key elements of the proposed track include:

• Eligibility across all TEER 4 and 5 NOCs:
  • All TEER 4 and 5 occupations would be eligible, with selection focused on occupations facing labour shortages.
• Targeted draws:
  • The Ministry could run draws based on labour market needs and program priorities, focusing on specific occupations or worker profiles.
• Minimum language requirement:
  • Applicants would need to meet a minimum language standard (for example, a specified Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level—details to be set in regulation).
• Work experience requirement:
  • Applicants would be required to have at least 9 months of work experience in the job-offer NOC with the same Ontario employer.

The proposal also notes two important flexibilities:

1. A potential construction pathway that for construction trades workers, allowing them to qualify with the support of their union even without having a permanent, full-time job offer; and
2. Regional and sector targeting using the Employer Job Offer stream to invite candidates by region, occupation, or other criteria to address urgent employer needs—building on recent efforts to run region-specific and occupation-specific draws under the OINP.

Phase two: Three new OINP streams

In the second phase of the redesign, Ontario would eliminate all its other existing streams, replacing them with three new streams.

Priority healthcare stream

This stream would create a dedicated pathway for healthcare workers, with a focus on those in regulated healthcare professions.

Key proposed features include:

• No job offer required:
  • Applicants with valid professional registration in a regulated healthcare profession could apply without a job offer.
• Support for new graduates:
  • Recent graduates who are in the final stages of obtaining their license or registration with a regulatory body may also be eligible.

Entrepreneur stream

Ontario would also introduce a redesigned entrepreneur stream as a pathway for newcomers who invest in the province, create jobs and support regional economic development.

The proposed stream replaces the previously closed entrepreneur stream, and would target foreign nationals who either:

• Have established and are actively operating a new business in Ontario, or
• Have purchased and are actively operating an existing Ontario business (business succession).

Exceptional talent stream

The proposed exceptional talent stream is designed to capture candidates whose contributions fall outside traditional employment or job-offer pathways but are nonetheless highly valuable to Ontario.

It would focus on individuals in areas such as academia, innovation, science, technology, and the creative sectors who:

• Have proven achievements and recognition in their field; and
• May not qualify under other OINP streams.

Examples of qualifying accomplishments could include

• Significant academic publications or research contributions;
• Prestigious national or international awards;
• Recognized, groundbreaking innovations; or
• Notable artistic or creative works with wide recognition.

The stream would evaluate candidates with a qualitative assessment of each person's contributions and their potential impact on Ontario’s economic, social and cultural life, rather than relying solely on traditional points-based criteria.

The creation of this stream was telegraphed in previous comments made by Ontario's immigration minister, David Piccini.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams