On June 26, 2026, Ontario fundamentally restructured its immigrant nominee program. Eight existing streams have been replaced by a single new stream — the Ontario Workforce Priority stream — with three distinct pathways targeting skilled workers, essential workers, and self-employed physicians. Here is everything you need to know about who qualifies, what the requirements are, and when the application system opens.
Ontario just made one of the most significant changes to its immigration program in years. On June 26, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) launched a major restructuring — replacing eight separate immigration streams with a single unified program called the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. For workers with a permanent job offer in Ontario, and for self-employed physicians, this is a landmark development. The new program is simpler to understand, more inclusive across occupation types, and directly tied to the labour market needs of Ontario employers.
What Was Replaced: Eight Streams Are Now Closed
To understand the scale of this change, it helps to know what was there before. The following eight OINP streams are now closed to new applications:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker
- Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills
- Employer Job Offer: International Student
- Master's Graduate stream
- PhD Graduate stream
- Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities
- Express Entry: Skilled Trades
- Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Workers
The New Structure: One Stream, Three Pathways
All of the above are replaced by a single stream — the Ontario Workforce Priority stream — with three distinct pathways depending on your occupation level, experience, and employment situation. Here is how each works.
Pathway 1: TEER 0–3 — Skilled and Professional Workers
This pathway targets workers in higher-skilled occupations (TEER categories 0, 1, 2, and 3 under the National Occupational Classification). To qualify you need:
- A full-time, permanent job offer from an Ontario employer in a TEER 0–3 occupation
- A post-secondary credential (degree, diploma, or certificate)
- Language proficiency of CLB 6, or CLB 5 in certain roles (English or French)
- PLUS at least one of: (a) current professional licensing in Ontario in your occupation, OR (b) two years of cumulative work experience in the same occupation within the past five years, OR (c) six months of consecutive work experience with your current Ontario employer within the last 12 months
Pathway 2: TEER 4–5 — Essential and Support Workers
This pathway opens the OINP to workers in essential occupations that were previously harder to access under the old structure — trades, care workers, food processing, retail, and other TEER 4 and 5 categories. Requirements:
- A full-time, permanent job offer from an Ontario employer paying at least the median wage for the occupation
- Nine months of cumulative work experience with the same employer, within the past two years
- Secondary school diploma or equivalent
- Language proficiency of CLB 4 (English or French)
Pathway 3: Self-Employed Physicians
This pathway stands apart from the other two — it does not require a job offer at all. It is specifically designed for physicians who practice independently in Ontario and are already registered with the province's medical regulator. To qualify:
- You must be licensed with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and in good standing
- You must hold a valid certificate as an independent practitioner, academic practitioner, or provisional practitioner
- You must be eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)
How Applications Will Work: The EOI System
The Ontario Workforce Priority stream uses an Expression of Interest (EOI) model. The process works in stages: your employer submits an EOI on your behalf into the OINP pool, you wait to be selected by Ontario through periodic draws, and — if selected — you are invited to submit a full application for nomination. The EOI system is expected to open later in the summer of 2026. The exact launch date and draw schedule have not yet been announced.
Rural Advantage: Employers Outside Major Centres
Ontario has built in an incentive for workers placed with employers in smaller communities. Employers located in communities with a population under 150,000 are subject to lower gross annual revenue thresholds than employers in larger urban centres. This is designed to help rural and mid-sized Ontario communities compete for immigrant workers alongside Toronto, Ottawa, and other major cities.
Tighter Compliance Rules
The June 2026 changes also tightened the rules for employers participating in the OINP. Employers who receive a compliance notice from the program now have 30 days to respond — down from the previous 60-day window. Compliance notices can now be delivered by email or mail, meaning response timelines begin sooner. These changes reflect Ontario's commitment to program integrity and ensuring nominated workers are placed in legitimate, long-term positions.
What This Means for You
If you currently hold one of the eight closed streams in progress, check the OINP website for transition guidance — applications already submitted before June 26, 2026 are generally expected to continue processing. If you are starting fresh, the new structure is actually more accessible for many workers. The TEER 4–5 pathway in particular opens a route that was previously much harder to access under the old In-Demand Skills stream. Physicians who are already registered in Ontario now have a dedicated, job-offer-free pathway. The most important next step for workers in any category is securing a permanent, full-time job offer from an Ontario employer — that remains the foundation of this entire program.
