Ontario unveils scoring system for new permanent residence pathways
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has revealed how it will score candidates vying for nominations for Canadian permanent residence under its three new immigration pathways.
The highest ranking candidates will be prioritized to be invited to apply for provincial nomination under the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS).
Those who are invited to apply will have the opportunity to obtain Canadian permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams
Each job offer candidate under the OWPS will receive a score of up to 130 points, calculated as follows:
Work Region
Candidates are awarded up to 15 points according to where in Ontario they will be working:
| Region | Points | Region's census divisions |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ontario | 15 | Muskoka, Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora |
| Eastern Ontario | 10 | Frontenac, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry |
| Central Ontario (outside GTA) | 10 | Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Waterloo and Wellington |
| Southwestern Ontario | 10 | Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford and Perth |
| Outside Toronto, within GTA | 5 | Durham, Halton, Peel and York |
| Toronto | 0 | City of Toronto |
Occupation skill level
Candidates receive up to 9 points based on the skill level accorded to their occupation under the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) framework in Canada's National Occupation System (NOC).
| NOC TEER | Points | NOC TEER definition |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 9 | Management positions |
| 1 | 9 | Jobs typically requiring a university degree |
| 2 | 6 | Supervisory roles, or jobs typically requiring a college diploma or apprenticeship of at least 2 years |
| 3 | 6 | Jobs typically requiring a college diploma or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or requiring at least 6 months of on-the-job training |
| 4 | 0 | Jobs typically requiring a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training |
| 5 | 0 | Jobs typically requiring only short-term work demonstration |
Compensation
Job offer candidates receive up to 15 points based on their rate of pay.
| Hourly wage | Points |
|---|---|
| ≥ $40 | 15 |
| $35–$39.99 | 12 |
| $30–$34.99 | 10 |
| $25–$29.99 | 8 |
| $20–$24.99 | 5 |
| <$20 | 0 |
Occupational category
Candidates are awarded up to 10 points based on the nature of their occupation.
| Broad cccupational category | Points | Broad occupational category definition(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | Health |
| 7 | 8 | Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations |
| 2 | 6 | Natural and applied sciences and related occupations |
| 0, 1, 4, 8, or 9 | 4 | Legislative and senior management; Business, finance and administration; Education, law and social, community and government services; Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations; Manufacturing and utilities |
| 5 or 6 | 2 | Art, culture, recreation and sport; Sales and service |
Ontario work experience
Candidates working at least six months in job offer position:
| Work experience in job offer position | Points |
|---|---|
| >24 months | 18 |
| 13–24 months | 15 |
| 6–12 months | 12 |
Other candidates:
| Work experience in Ontario | Points |
|---|---|
| >24 months | 12 |
| 13–24 months | 9 |
| 6–12 months | 6 |
| <6 months | 0 |
Canadian income tax history
| Highest annual income within the past five years | Points |
|---|---|
| ≥$70,000 | 8 |
| $50,000–$69,999 | 6 |
| $30,000–$49,999 | 4 |
| <$30,000 | 0 |
Income is determined on the basis of a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Level of education
| Highest level of education | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctorate | 10 |
| Degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or optometry | 10 |
| Master's degree | 8 |
| University certificate or diploma above the bachelor's level | 6 |
| Bachelor's degree or equivalent | 6 |
| Ontario College Graduate Certificate | 5 |
| University certificate or diploma below the bachelor's level | 5 |
| College, CEGEP, or other non-university certificate or diploma | 5 |
| Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma | 5 |
| Lower than college or trade certificate | 0 |
Canadian educational credentials
| Number of post-secondary Canadian credentials* | Points |
|---|---|
| Two or more | 10 |
| One | 5 |
| None | 0 |
*To count, a credential must be from an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution, and must be from a program that takes at least one year to complete on a full-time basis.
Highest official language proficiency
Candidates are awarded up to 15 points based on their level of proficiency in their highest scoring official language, across all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
| Minimum CLB score across all four language abilities in English or French | Points |
|---|---|
| ≥9 | 15 |
| 8 | 12 |
| 7 | 8 |
| 6 | 4 |
| ≤5 | 0 |
Language scores are based on the completion of a government-approved official immigration language test completed within the past two years.
Official language bilingualism
Candidates can score up to 10 points for demonstrating at least an advanced intermediate level of proficiency across both official languages.
| Number of official languages with minimum score of CLB 6 across all four abilities | Points |
|---|---|
| Both languages | 10 |
| One language | 5 |
Temporary resident status
Candidates can score up to 10 points for having a valid work permit.
| Temporary resident status | Points |
|---|---|
| Work permit | 10 |
| Study permit | 5 |
| Neither | 0 |
Candidates with neither a valid work permit or study permit must still have legal immigration status in order to qualify for the OWPS.
Work experience for self-employed physicians
Self-employed physician candidates are not scored on the hourly wage factor, and are assessed using an alternate scoring method for Ontario Work Experience:
| Work experience of cumulative medical practice in Ontario | Points |
|---|---|
| ≥24 months | 18 |
| 13–24 months | 15 |
| 6–12 months | 12 |
| <6 months | 0 |
The above scoring criteria were published on the "Ontario Workforce Priority Stream" webpage, which went live on the OINP website on July 20, 2026.
The new web page page also includes lists of eligible Ontario and Canadian postsecondary institutions applicable to the education requirements and education scoring.
The OINP also published a document checklist for OWPS applicants on a separate web page on 20 July.
Pursuing permanent residence through the OWPS
The process of obtaining permanent residence through the OWPS would be as follows:
- Create an eligible profile in the OINP online EOI system.
- Be selected by the OINP, and receive an invitation to apply for provincial nomination.
- Submit to the OINP a complete application for provincial nomination
- Receive a provincial nomination from the OINP.
- Apply to the federal government for permanent residence as a provincial nominee.
- Be issued a confirmation of permanent residence (COPR) by the federal government, and then land as a permanent resident.
To pursue a provincial nomination for permanent residence under the OWPS, a foreign national must qualify for one of its three pathways, either as a worker with a job offer from an eligible Ontario employer, or as a self-employed physician:
- TEER 0–3 pathway – higher-skilled occupations.
- TEER 4–5 pathway – lower-skilled occupations.
- Self-employed physicians – physicians eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
To be considered for provincial nomination, an eligible foreign national must have an active expression of interest (EOI) in Ontario's online system; in the case of job offer pathways, the employer must initiate creation of the EOI.
Ontario's online EOI system is currently closed, but is expected to re-open later this summer, according to the OINP website.
Once the OINP re-opens its expression of interest system, it is expected to begin holding draws and inviting candidates to apply for provincial nomination.
OINP Overhaul
The OWPS is the only new provincial immigration stream for which Ontario has announced full eligibility criteria in the course of the province's 2026 overhaul of provincial immigration programs.
Ontario retired all its old provincial immigration pathways on May 30, 2026.
The province announced the the full eligibility criteria for the three new OWPS immigration pathways on June 26, 2026.
The province has announced plans to launch three additional provincial immigration streams:
- A Priority Healthcare stream;
- An Entrepreneur stream; and
- An Exceptional Talent stream.
The province has not announced a launch date for any of the above streams, as of the time of writing.
The priority healthcare stream is for workers in healthcare occupations, and is not expected to require a job offer to qualify.
The Exceptional Talent stream is designed for foreign nationals demonstrating excellence in domains such as the literary, creative and performing arts, academic research, and scientific innovation.
Candidates who submitted applications for provincial nomination to the OINP under the retired streams are continuing to be being assessed on the basis of the criteria that were in place at the time their applications were received.
Ontario first announced the planned changes in December 2025.
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