New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream 2026 Eligibility And How To Apply

Last Updated On 21 July 2026, 11:56 AM EDT (Toronto Time)

Ontario has now officially published the complete eligibility requirements for the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream in 2026 after the province shut down all 8 former OINP streams last month.

The eligibility criteria for the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream are now officially confirmed and available on the provincial government’s website.

Every requirement for all 3 pathways, covering skilled workers, essential workers, and self-employed physicians, is now publicly accessible for the first time since the June 26 overhaul.

The updated webpages reflect amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015, which came into force on June 25, 2026.

Ontario has confirmed that the Expression of Interest system for the new stream is expected to launch later this summer, though no specific date has been announced.

What Changes In OINP In 2026

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development eliminated all 8 existing OINP streams and replaced them with a single new stream called the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.

This is the largest structural overhaul in the history of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

The 8 former streams that are now permanently closed are:

#	Former OINP Stream	Status
1	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker	Closed
2	Employer Job Offer: International Student	Closed
3	Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills	Closed
4	Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities	Closed
5	Express Entry: Skilled Trades	Closed
6	Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker	Closed
7	Masters Graduate	Closed
8	PhD Graduate	Closed

No further invitations will be issued under any of these former pathways.

Applications that were already submitted under a former stream before June 26 will continue to be assessed under the rules that were in effect at the time of submission.

EOIs registered under the former streams that did not result in an invitation to apply will be automatically withdrawn over the coming weeks.

The replacement is a single unified stream with 3 distinct pathways based on the applicant’s occupation and licensing status.

New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream 3 Pathways

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream covers workers across all National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER levels from 0 through 5, plus a dedicated pathway for self-employed physicians.

TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, the federal system used to classify occupations under Canada’s NOC system.

Your TEER level determines which pathway you can apply under, and each pathway has its own language, education, and work experience requirements.

The following table summarizes the core eligibility criteria across all 3 pathways at a glance.

Ontario Workforce Priority Stream: Pathway Comparison

Requirement	TEER 0–3 Pathway	TEER 4–5 Pathway	Self-Employed Physicians
Job Offer	Full-time, permanent	Full-time, permanent	Not required
Language (CLB)	CLB 6 (CLB 5 for certain occupations)	CLB 4	Not specified
Education	Post-secondary degree or diploma (ECA if foreign)	Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent	CPSO registration required
Work Experience	Option A: 6 months consecutive (last 12 months, same employer) Option B: 2 years cumulative (last 5 years, same NOC) Option C: 3 months (recent Ontario graduates)	9 months cumulative (last 2 years, with job offer employer)	N/A
Licensing Exemption	Yes—licensed professionals may be exempt from work experience	No—9 months with job offer from the employer required	Must hold CPSO registration
Eligible Occupations	All NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, 3	All NOC TEER 4 and 5	Physicians with CPSO + OHIP billing

TEER 0–3 Pathway For Skilled Workers Eligibility

The TEER 0–3 pathway is designed for workers with a full-time, permanent job offer in higher-skilled occupations.

TEER 0 through 3 occupations generally include the following types of roles:

TEER Level	Occupation Type	Examples
TEER 0	Management occupations	Financial managers, restaurant managers, construction managers
TEER 1	Professional occupations (usually require a university degree)	Software engineers, accountants, registered nurses, lawyers
TEER 2	Technical and skilled occupations (usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship)	Computer network technicians, paralegals, electrical technicians
TEER 3	Intermediate occupations (usually require a combination of on-the-job training and secondary school)	Administrative assistants, dental assistants, cooks, bakers

Language Requirement

Applicants who are not recent Ontario graduates must demonstrate English or French language proficiency at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6 or higher in all 4 abilities: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

The language test must have been completed within 2 years before the application.

Accepted language tests include IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada.

For certain occupations, the language requirement is reduced to CLB 5 or higher. These occupations include:

Category	Occupations Eligible For CLB 5
Transport	Truck drivers, transit operators
Skilled Trades	Trades workers covered under TEER 3
Food Industry	Cooks, butchers, bakers, chefs
Natural Resources	Natural resource occupations (forestry, mining support, etc.)
Manufacturing	Production occupations
Health Care	NOC 33102 — nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates

Applicants in these occupation groups who qualify for CLB 5 also face a lower education requirement, requiring only a Canadian secondary school diploma or its foreign equivalent with an ECA instead of a post-secondary credential.

Recent Ontario graduates are exempt from the TEER 0–3 language requirement entirely.

Education Requirement

The minimum education requirement depends on the occupation:

Applicant Type	Minimum Education
Most TEER 0–3 applicants	Post-secondary degree or diploma from a recognized institution
CLB 5 occupations (trades, transport, food, health care, natural resources, production)	Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent foreign credential with ECA
All applicants with foreign credentials	Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization such as WES, completed within the past 5 years

Work Experience Requirement

Applicants can qualify through 1 of 3 work experience options:

Option	Requirement	Who It Fits
Option A	6 consecutive months of full-time paid work in the last 12 months in the job offer position with the job offer employer	Workers currently employed by their sponsoring employer
Option B	2 years of cumulative paid full-time work in the last 5 years in the same NOC occupation as the job offer	Workers with broader experience in the same occupation across multiple employers
Option C	3 consecutive months in the last 12 months in the job-offer position (recent Ontario graduates only)	Recent graduates from Ontario post-secondary institutions already working for their sponsoring employer

Applicants who already hold a valid licence to practise in a regulated profession in Ontario may be exempt from the work experience requirement entirely.

This licensing exemption applies only to the TEER 0–3 pathway and does not extend to TEER 4–5 applicants.

Alternate NOC Work Experience

The regulation permits alternate work experience only in specifically listed occupation combinations.

These include:

Higher-Level Occupation (Experience Held)	Lower-Level Occupation (Job Offer)
Certain engineering professionals	Engineering technical occupations
Pharmacists	Pharmacy assistant roles
Registered or licensed practical nurses	Nurse aide roles

The rule is not open to every related higher-level occupation.

Applicants should verify that their specific NOC combination is expressly listed in the regulation before relying on this provision.

TEER 4–5 Pathway For Essential Workers Eligibility

The TEER 4–5 pathway opens the door for workers in essential and intermediate occupations who have a full-time, permanent job offer in Ontario, covering roles in healthcare support, transport, food service, agriculture, manufacturing, and other TEER 4 and 5 occupations.

This represents a significant broadening compared to the former In-Demand Skills stream, which was limited to a specific list of eligible occupations.

Under the new pathway, all TEER 4 and TEER 5 occupations are eligible, including but not limited to:

TEER Level	Occupation Type	Examples
TEER 4	Intermediate occupations (usually require secondary school or occupation-specific training)	Home support workers, transport truck helpers, retail salespersons, food counter attendants
TEER 5	Labouring and elemental occupations (usually require on-the-job training)	Construction trades helpers, fruit and vegetable harvesters, industrial cleaners, material handlers

Language Requirement

Applicants must demonstrate English or French language proficiency at CLB 4 or higher in all 4 abilities.

This is a new requirement compared to the former In-Demand Skills stream, which previously had no mandatory language benchmark for certain TEER 4 and 5 workers.

The language test must have been completed within 2 years before the application.

Accepted tests are the same as the TEER 0–3 pathway: IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada.

Education Requirement

The minimum education requirement is a Canadian secondary school diploma or its equivalent foreign credential accompanied by an ECA report.

This is a lower bar than the TEER 0–3 pathway, which requires a post-secondary degree or diploma for most applicants.

Work Experience Requirement

Applicants must demonstrate 9 months of cumulative work experience in the last 2 years in the job offer position with the job offer employer.

This is the key difference from the TEER 0–3 pathway:

Requirement	TEER 0–3	TEER 4–5
Work experience duration	6 months (Option A) or 2 years (Option B) or 3 months (Option C)	9 months cumulative only
Must be with the job offer employer?	Only for Options A and C	Yes—always
Multiple employer experiences accepted?	Yes, under Option B (same NOC)	No
Recent graduate reduced requirement?	Yes—3 months	No
Licensing exemption from work experience?	Yes	No

The experience must be specifically with the employer making the job offer, not just in the same occupation with a different employer.

There is no licensing exemption for TEER 4–5 applicants, and there is no reduced work experience option for recent graduates under this pathway.

Self-Employed Physicians Pathway Eligibility

The self-employed physicians pathway is the only track in the redesigned OINP that does not require a job offer from an Ontario employer.

To qualify, physicians must meet all 3 of the following conditions simultaneously:

#	Requirement	Detail
1	CPSO membership	Must be a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
2	Certificate of registration	Must hold a valid certificate in 1 of 3 eligible classes: independent practice, academic, or provisional
3	OHIP billing eligibility	Must be eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan

This pathway addresses a long-standing barrier where many physicians work under independent practice arrangements rather than traditional employment contracts, making previous employer-focused pathways difficult to access.

Ontario has been actively recruiting physicians through targeted OINP draws throughout 2026, and the federal government launched a dedicated Express Entry physician category earlier this year.

New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream Scoring System

Employment / labour market factors

NOC TEER category 

This is prepopulated in the EOI if applying with a job offer or if you are applying as a self-employed physician.

• NOC TEER 0 or 1 — 9 points
• NOC TEER 2 or 3 — 6 points
• NOC TEER 4 — 0 points
• NOC TEER 5 — 0 points

NOC broad occupational category

This is prepopulated in the EOI if applying with a job offer or if you are applying as a self-employed physician.

• Occupational Category 3 — 10 points
• Occupational Category 7 — 8 points
• Occupational Category 2 — 6 points
• Occupational Category 0, 1, 4, 8, 9 — 4 points
• Occupational Category 5, 6 — 2 points

Hourly wage 

This is prepopulated in the EOI if applying with a job offer. For self-employed physicians, the hourly wage scoring factor is not applicable.

• $40 per hour or higher — 15 points
• $35 to $39.99 per hour — 12 points
• $30 to $34.99 per hour — 10 points
• $25 to $29.99 per hour — 8 points
• $20 to $24.99 per hour — 5 points
• Less than $20 per hour — 0 points

Ontario work experience

Job offer applicants

• Over 24 months working in job offer position — 18 points
• 13 to 24 months working in job offer position — 15 points
• 6 to 12 months working in job offer position — 12 points
• Less than 6 months working in job offer position or not currently working in position — 0 points

If the applicant has less than 6 months work experience in the job offer position, the scoring is as follows:

• Over 24 months working in Ontario — 12 points
• 13 to 24 months working in Ontario — 9 points
• 6 to 12 months working in Ontario — 6 points
• Less than 6 months working in Ontario or not currently working in Ontario — 0 points

Ontario work experience

Self-employed physicians

• Over 24 months (2 years or more) cumulative medical practice in Ontario — 18 points  
• 13 months up to 24 months cumulative medical practice in Ontario — 15 points 
• 6 months up to 12 months cumulative medical practice in Ontario — 12 points 
• Less than 6 months cumulative medical practice in Ontario — 0 points 

Canadian work experience: earnings history

Based on a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency in the last 5 years.

• $70k or more earnings in a year — 8 points
• $50k to $69,999 — 6 points
• $30k to $49,999 — 4 points
• Under $30k earnings in a year — 0 points

Legal status in Canada

The work or study permit must confer legal status.

• With valid work permit — 10 points
• With valid study permit — 5 points
• Without valid work or study permit — 0 points

Education

Highest level of education

Canadian credential or ECA required.

• Doctorate or degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry — 10 points
• Masters degree — 8 points
• University certificate or diploma above a bachelor level — 6 points
• Bachelors degree or equivalent — 6 points
• Ontario College Graduate Certificate — 5 points
• University certificate or diploma below a bachelor level — 5 points
• College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma that is not an Ontario College Graduate Certificate — 5 points
• Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma — 5 points
• Less than college or trade certificate — 0 points

Number of Canadian education credentials

Credential must be a post-secondary education credential from an eligible Canadian institution that takes at least one year to complete on a full-time basis.

• More than one Canadian credential — 10 points
• One Canadian credential — 5 points
• No Canadian credential — 0 points

Language

Official language ability (English or French)

You must take an approved English or French language test, and you will receive points based on your lowest CLB level across the 4 language areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking).

If you have taken both an English and French test, you will receive points based on the test with the higher CLB level. We do not accept Academic or One Skill Retake tests.

• CLB 9 or higher — 15 points
• CLB 8 — 12 points
• CLB 7 — 8 points
• CLB 6 — 4 points
• CLB 5 or lower — 0 points

Knowledge of official languages

To receive points for 2 official languages, you must have at least CLB 6 across the 4 language areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking) for both tests. 

• 2 official languages — 10 points
• 1 official language — 5 points

Regionalization

Regional immigration: location of work location in job offer

For EOI registrations with a job offer, regional immigration will be determined based on the location of the work location in the job offer entered by the employer.

For self-employed physicians, regional immigration will be determined based on your Ontario practice address per your OHIP billing number registration.

• Northern Ontario — 15 points
• Eastern Ontario — 10 points
• Central Ontario outside GTA — 10 points
• Southwestern Ontario — 10 points
• Inside GTA (except Toronto) — 5 points
• Toronto — 0 points

For regionalization scoring factors, the regions are defined as follows:

• Northern Ontario — includes the following Census Divisions: Muskoka, Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora
• Eastern Ontario — includes the following Census Divisions: Frontenac, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
• Central Ontario (excluding Greater Toronto Area) — includes the following Census Divisions: Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Waterloo and Wellington
• Southwestern Ontario — includes the following Census Divisions: Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford and Perth
• Inside Greater Toronto Area (except Toronto) — includes the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel and York
• Toronto — includes the City of Toronto

Employer Eligibility Requirements

A qualifying job offer under the TEER 0–3 and TEER 4–5 pathways requires an eligible Ontario employer.

Employers must meet all of the following criteria:

#	Requirement	Detail
1	Business operating history	Must have been in active business operation for at least 3 years
2	Gross annual revenue	Minimum thresholds apply based on business location (GTA vs. rural)
3	Full-time, permanent job offer	The position must have no predetermined end date and provide a minimum of 1,560 hours per year
4	Business need	The position must be urgently needed for the employer’s business
5	Ontario work location	The work must occur primarily in Ontario
6	Wage level	Must meet the required level for the occupation and region
7	No labour dispute	The job must not be affected by a labour dispute at the time of application
8	Employee threshold	Must meet the minimum number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents on staff

Revenue Thresholds

Under the former OINP structure, the minimum gross annual revenue thresholds were:

Employer Location	Former Minimum Gross Revenue
Greater Toronto Area (GTA)	$1,000,000
Outside GTA	$500,000

The redesigned program introduces reduced gross annual revenue requirements for employers located in rural communities, defined as census divisions with a population under 150,000.

Employers in rural Ontario should confirm whether their business location qualifies for the lower threshold under the new regulation.

Wage Requirement

The wage must generally meet or exceed the regional median wage for the occupation.

However, a job offer for a recent Ontario graduate under the TEER 0–3 category may meet the applicable regional low-wage level instead of the median wage.

This lower wage threshold is created expressly by the new regulation and applies only to qualifying recent Ontario graduates.

Employer Portal

Employers who previously registered in the OINP Employer Portal do not need to register again.

However, once the Employer Portal reopens, they will need to submit a new job offer and a new application for approval of an employment position under the redesigned Ontario Workforce Priority stream.

Job offers and employment position approvals from the former streams do not carry over to the new system.

How To Apply For New Ontario Workforce Priority stream

Once the portal reopens, the application process will follow these steps.

Candidates can look up their NOC code on the Government of Canada’s NOC website to confirm their TEER level before proceeding.

Step	Action	Detail
1	Confirm your TEER category	Look up your occupation’s NOC code and confirm which TEER level (0–3, 4–5, or physician) you fall under. This determines your pathway and all eligibility criteria.
2	Take or retake your language test	Ensure you have a valid IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, or TCF score meeting CLB 6 (TEER 0–3), CLB 5 (certain occupations), or CLB 4 (TEER 4–5). Tests must be within 2 years. Recent Ontario graduates under TEER 0–3 are exempt.
3	Obtain or verify your ECA	TEER 0–3 applicants with foreign post-secondary credentials need a valid ECA (e.g., from WES). TEER 4–5 applicants need proof of a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent with ECA.
4	Secure a qualifying job offer	Must be full-time, permanent, from an eligible Ontario employer meeting all OINP employer requirements. Wages must meet the regional median (or low-wage level for TEER 0–3 recent graduates).
5	The employer registers job offer	Once the Employer Portal reopens, your employer must register the job offer and submit an application for approval of the employment position. Previous registrations carry over, but new job offers must be submitted.
6	Register your EOI	Create a new Expression of Interest profile under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Old EOI profiles do not carry over. EOI scoring criteria will be published when the system launches.
7	Receive an invitation to apply	Ontario will issue invitations through periodic draws from the EOI pool, typically targeted by region, sector, or occupation.
8	Submit your complete application	After receiving an invitation, submit your application through the OINP e-Filing Portal. Select the correct stream — you cannot change your selection after submission. If you select the wrong stream, you must withdraw and reapply.
9	Receive your provincial nomination	If Ontario approves the application, you receive a provincial nomination certificate.
10	Apply for permanent residence through IRCC	Submit a permanent residence application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada through the applicable Provincial Nominee Program process. IRCC makes the final decision on permanent residence.

The province has historically conducted targeted draws based on region, sector, and occupation, and the new system is expected to continue this approach.

Ontario’s March 2026 draws reopened the Masters and PhD streams for the first time since 2024 before the closure, following earlier targeted rounds.

Important: As of writing on July 20, 2026, the OINP e-Filing Portal is undergoing system maintenance. Expression of Interest registrations and the creation of new job offers in the Employer Portal are temporarily unavailable. Ontario has confirmed the system is expected to reopen later this summer, but no specific date has been announced. Candidates and employers should monitor the OINP Program Updates page for the reopening announcement.

What Happens To Masters And PhD Graduates

The former Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams were among the 8 pathways permanently closed on June 26, 2026. The regulatory amendments underpinning the closure came into force on June 25, 2026.

Under the current Phase 1 structure, international graduates will generally need a qualifying full-time, permanent job offer to access the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.

Candidates without a qualifying job offer may consider federal options such as the Canadian Experience Class, depending on their work experience and Express Entry eligibility.

Ontario has indicated that Phase 2 of the OINP redesign may introduce additional streams, but no confirmed eligibility rules or launch dates have been announced.

The Phase 2 streams under consideration include:

Proposed Phase 2 Stream	Status
Priority Healthcare Stream	No confirmed eligibility rules or launch date
Exceptional Talent Stream	No confirmed eligibility rules or launch date
Redesigned Entrepreneur Stream	No confirmed eligibility rules or launch date

Ontario’s 2026 Nomination Allocation

Ontario received approximately 14,119 nomination spots for 2026 under the federal Provincial Nominee Program allocation.

The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan increased the national PNP admissions target to 91,500 for 2026, up from 55,000 in 2025.

Provincial nominees receive a significant CRS boost in Express Entry PNP draws, making a provincial nomination 1 of the most effective pathways to permanent residence for candidates already in the Express Entry pool.

After nominations were already issued under the former streams before the June 26 closure, the remaining allocation is expected to flow through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream for the rest of 2026 and into 2027.

Ontario conducted multiple targeted OINP draws before the transition, issuing thousands of invitations across healthcare, mining, agriculture, and regional priority occupations.

The publication of the Ontario Workforce Priority stream eligibility criteria marks the end of the information gap that followed the June 26 overhaul.

Candidates and employers now have the full regulatory framework to assess eligibility, prepare documentation, and position themselves for the EOI system reopening later this summer.

Workers in Ontario with valid job offers should use the preparation window to confirm their NOC TEER category, take or retake language tests, and verify their educational credentials before the portal comes back online.

The candidates who are fully prepared when the system reopens will have a significant advantage in the first rounds of invitations under the new stream.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Fact-Checked: All eligibility criteria in this article have been verified against the Ontario Workforce Priority stream webpage and Ontario Regulation 422/17 as amended and in force on June 25, 2026. Program update details verified against the official OINP 2026 Program Updates page.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice; readers should consult with a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer for advice specific to their situation.

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