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Ontario nominee program streams
Compare Ontario provincial nominee streams, eligibility and current status. Follow each program's guide and check the official provincial sources.
In this section
- Entrepreneur (closed)ClosedThe OINP Entrepreneur stream let foreign business owners and managers start or buy a business in Ontario, run it on a work permit, and then seek a provincial nomination. Ontario stopped accepting new candidates years before its 2026 overhaul, and the category was formally removed in Ontario's 2026 overhaul. Ontario has proposed a new Entrepreneur stream for Phase 2 of its redesign, but as of September 2026 it has published no rules or launch date.
- Foreign Worker (closed)ClosedThe Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream was an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) stream for skilled workers with a full-time, permanent job offer from an Ontario employer. Ontario closed it in 2026 as part of a full redesign of the program. Skilled workers with a job offer now apply through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, TEER 0-3 pathway.
- French-Speaking Skilled Worker (closed)ClosedThe Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream let Ontario invite French-speaking candidates with good English from the federal Express Entry pool, without a job offer. Ontario closed it in 2026. French speakers can still use Express Entry's French-language draws, the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot in Sudbury, Timmins and Superior East, or the Ontario Workforce Priority stream with a job offer.
- Human Capital Priorities (closed)ClosedThe Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream let Ontario pick skilled candidates from the federal Express Entry pool and invite them to apply for a provincial nomination, without a job offer. Ontario closed it in 2026. Express Entry candidates can still reach Ontario through federal draws, or through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream if they have a skilled job offer.
- In-Demand Skills (closed)ClosedThe Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream was an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) stream for workers in a set list of lower-skilled, in-demand occupations who had a permanent job offer in Ontario. Ontario closed it in 2026. Its role now belongs to the TEER 4-5 pathway of the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which is open to any TEER 4 or 5 occupation, not just a fixed list.
- International Student (closed)ClosedThe Employer Job Offer: International Student stream was an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) stream for recent graduates of Canadian colleges and universities who had a skilled job offer from an Ontario employer. Ontario closed it in 2026. Graduates with a job offer now use the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which has special, lighter rules for recent Ontario graduates.
- Master's Graduate (closed)ClosedThe OINP Master's Graduate stream let people who earned a master's degree at an eligible Ontario university apply for a provincial nomination without a job offer. Ontario closed it in 2026. Master's graduates can now get an Ontario nomination only with a full-time, permanent job offer through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, or they can use federal Express Entry.
- Ontario Workforce PriorityOpenThe Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the only open stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) as of September 2026. It lets foreign workers with a full-time, permanent job offer from an eligible Ontario employer, in any occupation, apply for a provincial nomination, and it also accepts self-employed physicians without a job offer. A nomination lets you apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
- PhD Graduate (closed)ClosedThe OINP PhD Graduate stream let people who completed a PhD at an eligible Ontario university apply for a provincial nomination without a job offer. Ontario closed it in 2026. PhD graduates can still immigrate through federal Express Entry, including the researcher category, or get an Ontario nomination with a job offer through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.
- Skilled Trades (closed)ClosedThe Express Entry Skilled Trades stream let Ontario invite trades workers with Ontario work experience from the federal Express Entry pool. Ontario closed it in 2026. Trades workers with a job offer now apply through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which has a lower language bar for listed trades, and federal Express Entry still runs trades draws.
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