Ontario overhauls OINP streams, invitation criteria through immigration regulations

Ontario has revoked its provincial pathways to permanent residence.

As of May 30, 2026, all nine Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) nomination categories (streams) have been repealed from the provincial regulations.

The revocation covers every existing pathway to provincial nomination in Ontario. It's the largest single change to the OINP since the program began.

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The Ontario provincial government hasn't published details on what will replace the nomination categories, nor what will happen to candidates currently in Expression of Interest (EOI) systems under the current OINP programs.

In addition to the above, regulations supporting the introduction of targeted draws across all new EOI streams and the criteria for these targeted draws will also come into effect on May 30.

The OINP has confirmed that applications submitted before the change will be assessed according to the eligibility criteria that were in place at the time that the application was submitted.

What's being revoked

Under amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17, the following nine streams (referred to in the regulations as categories) will be revoked on May 30:

• The foreign worker category;
• The international student with a job offer category;
• The in-demand skills category;
• The master's graduate category;
• The Ph.D. graduate category;
• The human capital priorities category;
• The French-speaking skilled worker category;
• The skilled trades category; and
• The entrepreneur category.

After May 30, candidates who currently meet the eligibility criteria for these categories won't qualify for nomination under existing rules.

Other changes taking effect May 30

The amended regulation also introduces two operational changes.

The OINP director will now have the authority to issue both general and targeted invitations to apply (ITAs) across all categories. Under targeted draws, candidates will only be ranked if they meet labour market or human capital attributes set by the director. Only the highest-ranking candidates who meet those targets will receive ITAs.

The second operational change is the formal regulation supporting employer verification. Candidates in any category that requires an Ontario job offer can't apply unless their employer is registered with the OINP director.

Employers must register and provide an eligible job offer before a candidate can apply.

This was already an operational reality with the introduction of the OINP’s new employer portal, but it is now formally codified into the program's regulations.

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What Ontario has proposed but not confirmed

In December 2025, the OINP consulted stakeholders on a two-phase redesign of its streams.

In the proposed first phase, Ontario would merge its three-employer job offer streams into one. That stream would have two tracks — one for higher-skilled occupations at TEER 0 to 3, and one for TEER 4 to 5.

In the proposed second phase, the remaining streams would be replaced by three new pathways:

• a Priority Healthcare stream;
• an Entrepreneur stream; and
• an Exceptional Talent stream.

These are proposals. Ontario hasn't published eligibility rules, launch dates, or details for any replacement streams.

What remains unknown

Ontario hasn't addressed several questions that affect current and prospective OINP candidates.

Perhaps most pressingly: the province hasn't confirmed whether existing EOI profiles will carry over to new streams, nor what eligibility criteria for the proposed new streams would be.

It also hasn't said whether candidates will need to re-register or whether profiles will be withdrawn. During the Employer Portal transition in July 2025, existing profiles were withdrawn — but Ontario hasn't confirmed whether the same approach applies here.

Ontario has not further published a formal transition policy for pending applications. Applications submitted before May 30 are generally expected to be assessed under the rules in effect at submission. However, the regulation doesn't include explicit transitional provisions confirming this.

How we got here

Ontario began signaling this overhaul in late 2025.

The Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025, gave the immigration minister authority to create or remove OINP selection streams. Previously, changes required full regulatory amendments through the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

In December 2025, the OINP consulted stakeholders on a proposed redesign. The consultation closed on January 1, 2026.

On March 16, 2026, Ontario formally amended its immigration regulation through O. Reg. 47/26. That amendment set May 30 as the date for all nine stream revocations, the expanded draw authority, and the employer verification requirements.

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