Ontario switched its provincial immigration system back on this week. On Monday 4 August, the province opened the Expression of Interest portal for the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream, the single pathway that replaces all eight streams of the old Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. Employers can now register job offers and candidates can file new profiles for the first time since the old system closed in June. The reopening matters well beyond Ontario: the OINP is Canada's largest provincial nominee program, and for skilled workers, graduates and physicians who want permanent residence in the province, this portal is now the main door in. Anyone who had an Expression of Interest sitting in the old system needs to know that it was withdrawn and must be filed again under the new rules.
Background
Provincial nominee programs let Canadian provinces select immigrants for permanent residence based on local labour needs, with the federal government completing the process. Until this summer, Ontario ran eight separate streams, including Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student, In-Demand Skills, Master's Graduate and PhD Graduate pathways. On 25 June 2026, regulatory changes took effect that eliminated all eight, and the province announced the redesign the following day. Ontario closed the old Expression of Interest system, stopped issuing invitations under the former pathways, and withdrew every existing profile that had not already received an invitation to apply. Since then, prospective applicants have been waiting for the replacement to open. That happened on 4 August, when the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development launched the portal for what it calls Phase 1 of the redesign.
What exactly changed
The Workforce Priority stream is one stream with three pathways, each with its own thresholds published on the province's official page. Workers in higher-skilled occupations (National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0 to 3) need six months of consecutive experience in the last twelve months in the position they are being offered, language ability at Canadian Language Benchmark 6 (CLB 5 for certain occupations), and a post-secondary degree or diploma. Workers in TEER 4 and 5 occupations need nine months of cumulative experience in the last two years, CLB 4, and a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent. A third pathway is open to self-employed physicians registered in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and eligible to bill OHIP; uniquely, they do not need a job offer. Selection is by points: the scoring framework weighs Ontario work experience and Canadian income-tax history most heavily, and awards additional points for wage level, official-language ability including bilingualism, job location, education, occupation type and current temporary resident status, with health occupations scoring highest on the occupation factor.
Before vs after
- Old: eight separate OINP streams, including dedicated International Student, Master's and PhD Graduate pathways
- New: one Workforce Priority stream with three pathways (TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, self-employed physicians)
- Transition: all old Expressions of Interest without an invitation were withdrawn; candidates and employers must refile from 4 August
Who it affects
The change reaches several concrete groups. A temporary foreign worker already employed in Ontario is in the strongest position, because the points system rewards Ontario experience and Canadian tax history. An international student who was counting on the old International Student or Master's Graduate streams no longer has a dedicated pathway and now competes in the general pool, where a qualifying job offer is essential. An employer who had registered a job offer before June must resubmit it under the new framework; employers in rural census divisions with fewer than 150,000 residents benefit from reduced revenue thresholds. Self-employed physicians gain the simplest route, with no job offer required. Candidates abroad can still be nominated, but the scoring tilt toward in-province experience makes arriving on a work permit first the more realistic sequence for many.
What this means in practice
If Ontario is your target province, the practical step is to create a new Expression of Interest now, because Ontario has said invitation rounds may take place without advance notice, and profiles that are not in the pool cannot be invited. Gather proof of work experience, language test results and education credentials against the pathway thresholds before filing, and make sure any job offer is resubmitted by the employer under the new rules rather than assumed to carry over. The province has also signalled that further phases of the redesign are coming, so criteria for later pathways may still be announced. For the wider context on permits, permanent residence routes and settling in, see our Canada country guide (/country-guides/canada), and check the official Ontario page for the current pathway requirements before relying on any summary, including this one.
When it takes effect
The Expression of Interest portal opened on 4 August 2026. The underlying regulatory changes have been in force since 25 June 2026. Ontario has not announced the date of the first invitation round and says rounds may occur without notice.
Key Takeaway
Ontario's nominee program is open again as a single Workforce Priority stream: old submissions are gone, new criteria apply, and candidates who refile early with an Ontario job offer and in-province experience are best placed for the first invitation rounds.