Dear future neighbour,
Ontario just gave skilled workers a new way to permanent residence, and the rules look nothing like before.
On August 4, 2026, the province opened its brand new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, replacing all eight of its old OINP streams with one employer-driven system. The old EOI portal had been closed since late June, so this is the first real chance to get back in the game since then.
Here’s the shift in a nutshell: instead of multiple streams for different occupations, Ontario now runs everything through three pathways, and your NOC TEER level decides which one applies to you.
| Requirement | TEER 0-3 Pathway | TEER 4-5 Pathway | Self-Employed Physicians |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Offer | Required (full-time, permanent) | Required (full-time, permanent) | Not required |
| Language (CLB) | CLB 6 (CLB 5 for skilled trades) | CLB 4 | Not required |
| Education | Post-secondary degree/diploma (1+ year) or high school for skilled trades | Canadian high school diploma or equivalent | Not required |
| Work Experience | 6 months consecutive, 3 months for recent Ontario grads, or 2 years cumulative | 9 months cumulative in last 2 years | Not required |
| Express Entry Option | Yes | No | Yes |
Physicians skip the job offer requirement entirely, but they need an active OHIP billing number and registration with Ontario’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Everyone else needs a real job offer, and the employer has to move first: registering their business, then submitting the offer before a candidate can register an EOI. Once that happens, candidates get 30 days to register, and there’s no fee to do it. An EOI sits in the pool for 12 months, though getting in doesn’t promise an invitation.
Language testing is straightforward but strict. TEER 0-3 candidates need CLB 6 (or CLB 5 for skilled trades), TEER 4-5 candidates need CLB 4, and recent Ontario grads applying within three years of graduating skip the test altogether. Only these tests count:
| English Tests Accepted | French Tests Accepted |
|---|---|
| IELTS General Training | TEF Canada |
| CELPIP General | TCF Canada |
| PTE Core | — |
Academic versions of IELTS and PTE don’t qualify, and results need to be under two years old.
Every EOI gets scored on factors like wage, work experience, education, and location, and the highest scorers get invited first:
| Scoring Category | Maximum Points |
|---|---|
| NOC TEER Category (0-1 highest) | 9 points |
| NOC Broad Occupational Category | 10 points (Category 3) |
| Hourly Wage ($40+/hr highest) | 15 points |
| Ontario Work Experience (24+ months in position) | 18 points |
| Canadian Earnings History ($70K+) | 8 points |
| Legal Status in Canada (work permit) | 10 points |
| Highest Education Level (Doctorate) | 10 points |
| Number of Canadian Credentials (2+) | 10 points |
| Official Language Ability (CLB 9+) | 15 points |
| Knowledge of Two Official Languages | 10 points |
| Regional Immigration (Northern Ontario) | 15 points |
A job in Northern Ontario earns the most regional points, while one in Toronto proper earns none, so location genuinely affects your odds.
Once invited, timelines get tight: employers have 14 days to complete their portion, and candidates have 17 days to submit and pay after that.
| Job Offer Location | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| Outside the Greater Toronto Area | $1,500 |
| Inside the Greater Toronto Area | $2,000 |
One of the biggest perks here is the Express Entry link. TEER 0-3 candidates and physicians can choose an Express Entry nomination, which adds 600 CRS points, essentially guaranteeing an invitation, and cuts processing to around six to seven months instead of thirteen.
On the employer side, businesses need at least three years of active operation in Ontario, a real physical location, a clean labour record, and proof they tried to hire locally before looking abroad. Ontario Public Service employers can’t take part.
Timing matters too. Ontario has 14,119 nomination spots for 2026, up 31% from last year, but roughly 13,000 invitations already went out before the June shutdown. That leaves a narrower window than the headline number suggests, and a second phase covering healthcare workers and entrepreneurs may still be coming later this year.
Thinking About Applying? Let’s Make Sure You Do It Right
Ontario’s new stream rewards strong profiles and punishes small mistakes, an expired test, the wrong NOC code, a missed 30-day deadline can set you back months. If you want help figuring out which pathway fits you, building a competitive EOI, or connecting it to Express Entry for that 600-point boost, we can guide you through it. We support clients with provincial nomination, Express Entry, work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, and school admissions. Book a consultation at https://euiacademy.selar.com/60minutes and let’s get your application moving.