As of October 27, 2026, Ontario has posted no invitations under its Workforce Priority stream, which opened for expressions of interest on August 4.
As of October 27, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has not posted any invitations under its new Ontario Workforce Priority stream, according to Ontario's official 2026 OINP updates page. The stream's expression of interest (EOI) system opened on August 4, 2026, about 12 weeks ago. Several immigration outlets had reported that a first draw was expected in October; Ontario itself has not announced a date.
What Ontario has confirmed so far
Every item below is taken from ontario.ca's 2026 OINP updates page, checked on October 27, 2026.
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| June 26, 2026 | Redesign Phase 1: the existing eight streams were removed and the Ontario Workforce Priority stream introduced, the first of a two-phase redesign |
| August 4, 2026 | The Workforce Priority EOI portal opened |
| October 7, 2026 | EOIs from registrants who earned $80,000 or more in a single year in the past 5 years (per a CRA Notice of Assessment) now receive 10 points for earnings history; applied automatically to existing EOIs |
| October 16, 2026 | A new Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) round, running to the end of 2027 |
What has not happened yet
The page lists no Workforce Priority invitation rounds at all. The only invitation entries for 2026 are from March and April, under streams that existed before the redesign. Neither the June 26 nor the August 4 update gives a date for the first invitations, so any October timing remains a media expectation, not an official commitment.
Who is affected
The wait matters most to three groups:
- Candidates who have already submitted a Workforce Priority EOI: your EOI stays in the pool and, if the $80,000 earnings rule applies to you, the extra points are added automatically.
- Candidates who had planned to apply under a pre-redesign OINP stream: those streams are closed, so the Workforce Priority stream is the current route.
- Employers supporting candidates: there is no new action announced for you since the August opening.
What it does not change
The absence of a draw so far is not a closure.
The Workforce Priority stream remains open for expressions of interest. A delay before the first round does not mean the stream has stopped, and it does not change the scoring or eligibility rules Ontario has published.
What to do next
Keep your EOI accurate and current, since invitations will be issued from the pool when Ontario holds a round. You can estimate where your profile would score with our OINP Workforce Priority calculator, read our explainer on the $80,000 earnings band, or see our Ontario PNP page. We will report the first round once Ontario publishes it.
Ontario sets the timing and size of OINP rounds; an EOI does not guarantee an invitation or a nomination, and processing times are estimates. The official source is Ontario's 2026 OINP updates page.
Not sure how this applies to your situation? A licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) can review your profile with you.
