OINP Master's Graduate Stream (Closed): What Graduates Can Do Now

The Master's Graduate stream was part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program's (OINP) Human Capital category. It was designed to keep international students who completed a master's degree at an eligible Ontario university.

Its main feature was that no job offer was needed. Instead, applicants had to hold an eligible Ontario master's degree, meet a language requirement, and show they had recently lived in Ontario. Ontario chose candidates from an expression of interest (EOI) pool in periodic draws. Application files began with the prefix NMAS.

The stream is closed, so its old rules no longer apply to anyone applying today.

The Master's Graduate 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 Ontario repealed it, along with the other legacy OINP streams, effective June 25, 2026, when it introduced the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.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 big change is that Ontario now expects a job offer. The Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the only open OINP stream, and all of its pathways need a full-time, permanent job offer, except for self-employed physicians.

If you have a job offer, a recent master's degree helps you in several ways:

Ontario has also proposed an Exceptional Talent stream for Phase 2 of its redesign. As of September 2026, Ontario has not published rules or a launch date, so no one can say yet whether it will help graduates without a job offer.

• Get skilled Canadian work experience: one year of skilled work can make you eligible for the Canadian Experience Class. A Canadian master's degree also raises your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
• Watch category-based draws: Express Entry holds draws for groups such as researchers, healthcare and French speakers.
• Get a job offer: then apply through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.
• Keep your status: make sure your post-graduation work permit or other status stays valid while you build experience.
• Consider other provinces: several Provincial Nominee Program streams elsewhere target graduates.