Ontario is replacing nearly all its permanent residence pathways: here’s what we know so far

Ontario has revoked all its provincial pathways to permanent residence, without putting into place any replacements.

On May 30, 2026, scheduled legislative changes to Ontario's provincial regulations took effect, and invalidated each of the immigration streams through which foreign nationals used to be able to qualify for provincial nomination for permanent residence through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

See your eligibility for all Express Entry-aligned PNP streams

Ontario still hasn't published specific details for what comes next. However, the province shared detailed proposals for replacement streams more than six months ago.

In a December 2025 stakeholder consultation, the OINP laid out plans to replace existing streams with four new pathways — including proposed eligibility criteria. The consultation closed on January 1, 2026.

This article will cover the proposed immigration streams in detail.

As of the time of writing, Ontario has not confirmed which provincial immigration streams will come into force, what the eligibility criteria will be, or when they will come into force.

The province has stated that "all applications received" under the closed streams "will be assessed in accordance with the eligibility requirements in place at the time of application."

Proposed replacement streams

In its December consultation, the province proposed consolidating its immigration intake into the following four nomination streams (one with two intakes, yielding five nomination pathways in total):

Employer Job Offer stream — TEER* 0-3 track;
Employer Job Offer stream — TEER 4-5 track;
Priority Healthcare stream;
Entrepreneur stream (replaces closed Entrepreneur category); and
Exceptional Talent stream.

As detailed above, under the proposal, the three previously operational employer job offer streams would merge into one (with two nomination tracks, for high and low-skilled candidates).

Ontario hasn't published launch dates, final eligibility criteria, or operational details for any of these streams.

*The Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) system is housed within Canada’s National Occupation Classification system, and broadly describes the level of skill required to perform the responsibilities associated with an occupation, with TEER level zero being the highest, and TEER level five being the lowest.

Employer Job Offer stream: TEER 0 to 3 track

This proposed track would target skilled workers and prioritize candidates already in Canada. To qualify, you'd need to meet criteria in three areas:

Job offer wage

To meet this criterion, your job offer* would need to meet the median wage for your occupation in Ontario.

Recent graduates from eligible Ontario institutions (within the past two years) could qualify with a job offer at the low-wage level.

Work experience

To meet the proposed work experience requirement, you'd need to meet one of the following:

Six months of Ontario work experience in your job offer occupation with the same employer;
Two years of experience in your job offer occupation within the past five years; or
A valid license in your occupation with good standing at the relevant regulatory body.

*Note that “job offer” in this context can encompass current employment; candidates do not necessarily have to be about to start a new job to be eligible for this stream.

Education

Under the proposed pathways, candidates do not need to meet a minimum education requirement if they have six months of Ontario work experience with their employer in the job offer occupation.

Candidate lacking six months' Ontario work experience would require a post-secondary credential, which would require an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for non-Canadian credentials.

This track would be most relevant to international students with recent Ontario degrees and foreign workers already employed in Ontario. There are also further considerations that could specifically impact construction workers in the province.

Employer Job Offer stream: TEER 4 to 5 track

This track would support foreign workers in occupations that typically require a combination of a high school diploma and/or on-the-job training.

All TEER 4 and 5 occupations would be eligible under the proposed criteria. Selection would focus on occupations facing labour shortages through targeted draws.

To be eligible, you'd need to meet a minimum language requirement and have at least nine months of work experience in your job offer occupation with the same Ontario employer.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry-aligned PNP streams

Applicable to both streams of the newly consolidated Employer Job Offer stream

The proposal flags two additional flexibilities that could be instituted under the new consolidated stream. These are:

A construction trades pathway where union support could replace a permanent, full-time job offer; and
The ability to invite candidates by region, occupation, or other criteria to address pressing employer needs.

Priority Healthcare stream

This proposed stream would create a dedicated pathway for regulated high-skilled healthcare professionals without requiring a job offer.

To qualify, you'd need a valid professional registration with an Ontario regulatory body. It's possible that recent graduates finalizing their registration would also be eligible, under the proposed rules.

Examples of regulated healthcare professionals in Ontario include nurses, medical technologists, and lab specialists.

Entrepreneur stream

The proposal would replace the previously closed OINP Entrepreneur category with a redesigned stream.

It would target foreign nationals who either:

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

Exceptional Talent stream

This proposed stream would target candidates in academia, innovation, science, technology, and the creative sectors.

It's designed for people whose contributions fall outside traditional employment or job-offer pathways but are compelling enough for the province to consider them for permanent settlement.

To qualify, you'd need to demonstrate achievements such as:

Significant academic publications or research contributions;
Prestigious national or international awards;
Recognized innovations; and/or
Notable artistic or creative works.

The stream would use a qualitative assessment of each candidate's contributions and potential impact on Ontario.

Program in limbo

Ontario published the proposal on December 3, 2025, through the Ontario Regulatory Registry. The consultation period closed on January 1, 2026, and the registry page is no longer open for comments.

Ontario hasn't published a response to stakeholder feedback. No new regulation establishing replacement streams has been filed.

As reported in our coverage of the May 30 changes, the regulatory amendments gave the immigration minister authority to create new streams without full regulatory amendments. This means Ontario could announce new streams with shorter notice than was previously required.

In a post on its website on May 29, the OINP directed interested parties to "stay tuned to the program updates page for any further announcements."

See your eligibility for all Express Entry-aligned PNP streams