Ontario Workforce Priority Stream: Full Eligibility Guide (2026)

Ontario has replaced its previous Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) streams with a single new pathway: the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. If you're a foreign worker with a job offer in Ontario, or a self-employed physician, this stream may be your route to Canadian permanent residence.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) portal opened on August 4, 2026, so this guide is current as of publication.

What Is the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream?

The Workforce Priority stream is Ontario's consolidated pathway under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). It replaced the province's previous multi-stream system, folding foreign worker and self-employed physician pathways into one program with a single set of rules.

There are two main routes:

1. Job offer route — for skilled foreign workers with a qualifying job offer in any NOC (National Occupational Classification) occupation
2. Self-employed physician route — for physicians with an OHIP billing number who don't have a traditional employer

Who Is Eligible?

If You Have a Job Offer

To qualify, you generally need:

• An employer who has registered with the program and secured approval for your position
• The right amount of work experience, which depends on your job's TEER category
• Language ability meeting the required Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level
• The right education credentials (a Canadian credential or an Educational Credential Assessment if educated abroad)
• Legal status in Canada, if you're applying from within the country
• A genuine intention to live and work in Ontario

If You're a Self-Employed Physician

You may qualify without a job offer if you:

• Are eligible to bill OHIP for publicly funded health services
• Hold a certificate of registration (independent practice, academic practice, or provisional) and are in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

Physicians on a postgraduate education licence don't qualify under this route but may still qualify with a job offer.

Understanding TEER Categories

Your work experience, language, and education requirements all hinge on your job's TEER category — the second digit of your occupation's 5-digit NOC code.

• TEER 0–3 (management, professional, and technical/skilled trade roles): generally need CLB 5–6, at least one year of postsecondary education, and 6 months to 2 years of relevant work experience depending on your situation
• TEER 4–5 (occupations requiring high school or short-term training): need CLB 4, a high school diploma, and 9 months of cumulative work experience within the past 2 years

Not sure which TEER category your job falls under? Our free eligibility tool at OntarioWorkforcePriority.ca checks this for you automatically.

Employer Requirements

Your employer isn't off the hook either. They must:

• Have been in active business in Ontario for at least 3 years
• Have a physical business location in Ontario
• Have no outstanding employment standards or health and safety violations
• Meet minimum revenue and staffing thresholds based on your job's location
• Show recruitment effort to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident first, if you're currently living or working outside Ontario

The job offer itself must be full-time, permanent, urgently necessary to the business, and pay the required wage for your region.

How Scoring Works

Once you register an Expression of Interest, you're ranked using a points system across:

• NOC TEER category and occupational group
• Hourly wage
• Ontario work experience
• Canadian earnings history
• Legal status in Canada
• Education level and number of Canadian credentials
• Language ability
• Regional location of your job (Northern and rural Ontario score highest; Toronto scores lowest)

Higher-scoring candidates are more likely to receive an invitation to apply.

Application Timeline

1. Employer submits a job offer through the Employer Portal
2. You register an EOI within 30 days of that submission
3. If invited, your employer has 14 days to apply for position approval, and you have 17 days to submit your own application
4. If nominated, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence within 6 months