The provincial government is reworking the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to be more flexible and more targeted.
The program allows the provincial government to nominate immigrants in Ontario for permanent residence (PR), though final approvals are made at the federal level.
Where previously the program drew immigrants from several different streams, the focus is now being reworked: in place of the old set, one new stream, Ontario Workforce Priority (OWP), has been launched, with three more streams expected to launch later this year.
Much like Thunder Bay’s Rural Community Immigration Pilot, the OWP stream will be tied to employers, selecting workers to nominate for PR based in part on whether they have received job offers in important sectors with high demand for labour, such as healthcare or the trades.
Applicants in the OWP stream will also have to meet language proficiency and education requirements, and may require work experience in the province.
The new OWP stream is expanding its eligibility requirements for employers, allowing smaller businesses in rural and northern Ontario to more easily take advantage of the program.
Beginning on June 25, 2026, applicants will be unable to use the OINP’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system to receive the consideration of the province, as the system will be temporarily closed while it is reworked.
The province’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development says that the EOI system should reopen later this summer.
The Ministry notes that any OINP applications that have already been submitted will still be judged based on the criteria of the old streams selected by applicants, and will not be affected by the new changes.
