Ontario PNP (OINP) 2026: Streams and How to Apply

How the OINP works (and the 2026 redesign)

The OINP operates under Ontario's Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 and its regulations, and it works alongside the federal government: Ontario nominates candidates, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes the final permanent residence decision and conducts admissibility, medical, and security checks. A provincial nomination does not by itself grant permanent residence; it is a recommendation that you then use in a federal application.

Until mid-2026 the OINP ran eight nomination streams grouped into three families, alongside a separate business-focused Entrepreneur stream. The Express Entry-linked streams were the Human Capital Priorities stream, the French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream, and the Skilled Trades stream. The Employer Job Offer family included the Foreign Worker stream, the International Student stream, and the In-Demand Skills stream. There were also the Masters Graduate stream and the PhD Graduate stream.

Amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 came into force on June 25, 2026 and removed those eight streams, introducing the Ontario Workforce Priority stream in their place. An earlier set of amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17 took effect on May 30, 2026, but those only prepared the ground for the redesign; the repeal itself is the June 25 change. Ontario opened the expression of interest portal for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream on August 4, 2026, and the OINP website now says that stream has launched and all other streams are closed. The Ontario Workforce Priority stream has pathways for people with a job offer in any National Occupational Classification TEER category, plus a pathway for self-employed physicians. Ontario has described this as the first of a two-phase redesign, but it has not published confirmed details of a second phase, so check the OINP program updates page rather than relying on any list of future streams.

OINP and Express Entry: the 600 CRS points

Express Entry is the federal system that manages applications under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. Candidates in the Express Entry pool are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and IRCC invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence.

A provincial nomination is the single largest CRS boost available: a nomination through an Express Entry-aligned provincial stream adds 600 points to a candidate's CRS score. Because draws typically invite candidates well below 600 points, a nomination effectively guarantees an invitation to apply in a later Express Entry draw. This is why the Express Entry-linked OINP streams were so sought after before the 2026 redesign.

The 600-point boost is a feature of how Express Entry treats provincial nominations in general, not a special Ontario rule. Confirm on the OINP website whether the Ontario Workforce Priority stream is aligned with Express Entry or leads to a paper-based permanent residence application, because that determines whether the 600-point logic applies to a nomination you receive.

Notifications of interest and how invitations worked

Under the OINP Express Entry streams, you generally could not apply directly. Instead, you first created a federal Express Entry profile, and Ontario periodically searched the Express Entry pool and issued a Notification of Interest (NOI) to candidates who met the province's criteria for a given draw. Receiving an NOI was an invitation to apply to the OINP, not the nomination itself.

Once you received an NOI, you had a limited window to submit a complete OINP application with supporting documents. If Ontario approved it, you received the provincial nomination, which you then accepted in your Express Entry profile to receive the 600 CRS points. The Employer Job Offer and graduate streams worked differently, often using an Expression of Interest (EOI) registration where candidates were ranked and the highest were invited to apply.

The redesigned program leans on employer-driven selection through the Expression of Interest system. Ontario reopened the EOI portal for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream on August 4, 2026. Do not rely on the older NOI process described here; check the OINP website for the current intake method, selection factors, and deadlines.

Eligibility factors and what to do now

Across its past streams, the OINP weighed factors such as skilled work experience, education, language ability in English or French, a connection to Ontario through study or a job offer, and whether an occupation was in demand. The Entrepreneur stream instead focused on business net worth, investment, and a business plan. Exact requirements differed by stream, and Ontario could change selection criteria from one draw to the next.

Because the eight former streams closed on June 25, 2026, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the only OINP stream accepting new expressions of interest. Ontario has said that expressions of interest and job offers registered under the former streams that had not resulted in an invitation to apply are being automatically withdrawn, and that affected registrants, employers and representatives are being notified directly. Applications that were already submitted following an invitation under a former stream continue to be assessed against the eligibility requirements that were in effect when the application was submitted. If you are planning ahead, the most useful steps are usually to keep a federal Express Entry profile current, build skilled work experience and language scores, and secure an Ontario job offer, since the new stream is employer-driven.

None of this is legal advice, and program rules can change again. For your specific situation, and especially before making any decision based on a stream you read about here, confirm the current streams on the OINP website and consider speaking with a licensed Canadian immigration lawyer or a regulated CICC consultant.

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