Ontario invites over 900 Master’s and PhD graduates to apply for provincial nomination

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has just issued more invitations under its Master’s Graduate and PhD Graduate streams—its second such selection round in 2026.

On April 22, the province invited over 900 international student graduates currently residing in Canada with a valid work or study permit to apply for provincial nomination.

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This selection round comes just a week after the OINP’s April 15 draw targeting workers in priority and agriculture-related occupations.

Draw details

A total of 918 invitations to apply (ITAs) were extended to candidates who completed a master’s or PhD degree at an Ontario university.

The majority of the invitations (approximately 73.4%) were issued through the Master’s Graduate Stream.

The number of invitations issued, as well as the minimum score required, varied by stream:

Stream	Invitations issued	Cutoff score
Master’s Graduate Stream	674	61
PhD Graduate Stream	244	56

Candidates must have created their profile between April 22, 2025, and April 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. to have been considered.

Unlike the OINP’s first selection round of the year (March 18) targeting master’s and PhD graduates, this latest round did not require individuals to have experience in any National Occupational Classification (NOC) code to qualify.

Compared to the March 18 draw, cutoff scores were higher under each stream:

• Master’s Graduate Stream: 30 (March 18) versus 61 (April 22)—31 point difference.
• PhD Graduate Stream: 49 (March 18) versus 49 (April 22)—7 point difference.

These increases point to a more competitive selection round, potentially due to more candidates with strong scores entering the pool following the March 18 draw.

This latest draw marks only the second issuance of invitations through these two streams since selection was paused for over a year; prior to March 18, the last time the OINP held a draw under either stream was on September 17, 2024.

Next steps after receiving an invitation

After getting an invitation, you must log into the OINP e-Filing Portal and click the newly created file number with the prefix “NMAS” or “NPHD” depending on the applicable stream.

You will have 14 calendar days from the date of ITA receipt to submit a complete application for provincial nomination. 

Per the Master’s Graduate and PhD Graduate stream requirements, there is a two-year eligibility window to submit an application for provincial nomination after completing your degree (not from the date of ITA receipt). For example, if your degree is dated June 1, 2022, all steps of the process must be completed by June 1, 2024. 

If your degree was obtained more than two years ago when you go to apply, you should decline your ITA.

Once you receive a provincial nomination, you may apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

Upcoming changes to the OINP

These draws come as Ontario moves toward a major restructuring of its immigration system.

Recent amendments to the Ontario Immigration Act detail the elimination of the existing application categories (streams), encompassing the

• Foreign worker category;
• International student with a job offer category;
• In-demand skills category;
• Master’s Graduate category;
• PhD Graduate category;
• Human Capital Priorities category;
• French-speaking skilled worker category;
• Skilled trades category; and
• Entrepreneur category.

These changes are set to take effect on May 30, 2026.

In their place, Ontario has proposed four streamlined pathways: a consolidated Employer: Job Offer stream, a priority healthcare stream, an entrepreneur stream and an exceptional talent stream.

Specific details on the implementation and timelines of these proposed streams have not yet been announced.

 

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