OINP Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream (Closed)

The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream was one of three job offer streams in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). It let Ontario employers support foreign workers for permanent residence when they could not fill a job locally.

It was aimed at skilled occupations, meaning jobs in TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities) categories 0, 1, 2 and 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). You could apply from inside Canada or from abroad. Unlike the graduate streams, you did not need Canadian education. Instead, you needed relevant work experience (or an Ontario license for regulated jobs), and your employer had to meet revenue, staffing and wage rules and apply for approval of the position.

For years it was one of Ontario's main routes for workers already in the province on a work permit, often after an employer-specific LMIA work permit or a post-graduation work permit.

The Foreign Worker stream is closed. Ontario repealed it, along with the other legacy OINP streams, effective June 25, 2026, when it introduced the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. It does not accept new expressions of interest (EOIs) or applications, and it will not reopen under its old rules.

As of September 2026, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the only OINP stream taking new candidates. The full story is on our 2026 OINP overhaul page.

Ontario's updates page explains two rules for people caught in the change:

• You applied after an invitation: your application continues to be assessed against the rules that were in effect on the day you submitted it. You do not need to reapply.
• You only had an EOI (or your employer had registered a job offer) and no invitation: Ontario is withdrawing these automatically. Nothing carries over to the new stream. If you qualify for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, you (and your employer, if you have a job offer) must start again in the new system.

If you were already nominated, the nomination is still valid for the time stated on it, and you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence as usual. If your temporary status is running out while you wait, look at maintained status and your options to extend your status. If your situation is complex, talk to a lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) before acting.

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream took over the Foreign Worker stream's role. The TEER 0-3 pathway is the closest match. Key rules as of September 2026:

CLB means Canadian Language Benchmarks. The new stream uses a points system that rewards higher wages, Ontario experience, language ability and jobs outside Toronto. TEER 0-3 candidates can also choose to be nominated through Express Entry.

• You have an Ontario job offer: ask your employer to register in the OINP Employer Portal and submit a job offer, then register an EOI in the Ontario Workforce Priority stream within 30 days.
• You have strong points without a job offer: create a federal Express Entry profile. Check your score with the CRS calculator.
• You can work in a smaller Ontario city: the Rural Community Immigration Pilot includes North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
• You speak French: the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot covers Sudbury, Timmins and Superior East.
• You are open to other provinces: compare other Provincial Nominee Program streams, including the Atlantic provinces.