Canada's Ontario province has opened applications for its new Workforce Priority Stream, giving eligible foreign workers a fresh route to permanent residence.
The pathway runs through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a provincial programme that lets Ontario nominate skilled workers for Canadian permanent residence.
Effective August 4, 2026, eligible foreign nationals can register an Expression of Interest (EOI) through Ontario’s e-Filing Portal, linked to a qualifying job offer from an eligible Ontario employer.
According to the OINP, the new stream has three pathways: one for higher-skilled workers, one for lower-skilled workers, and another for self-employed physicians registered to practise in Ontario and eligible to bill the province’s public health insurance plan, OHIP.
Eligible foreign nationals must create an EOI linked to a qualifying job offer created by an eligible employer in the OINP Employer Portal to be considered for nomination.
The Workforce Priority Stream was first announced on June 26, 2026, but candidates could not enter the selection pool until the online portal opened this week.
The new stream accepts job offers across all skill categories, from senior managerial roles to traditionally lower-skilled occupations, a broader scope than most of the streams it replaced.
How The New Points-Based System Works
Ontario said candidates with active EOIs will be ranked under a points-based scoring system introduced on July 20, 2026, with invitations to apply issued through periodic draws.
“Once submitted, an EOI remains valid for up to 12 months,” the province said, adding that candidates who do not receive an invitation within that period must register a new EOI to remain under consideration.
Invited candidates will have 17 calendar days to submit a complete application, while employers must apply for approval of the employment position within 14 calendar days of the invitation.
Successful job-offer nominees will receive a provincial support letter they can use to apply for a federal work permit while their permanent residence application is processed.
Applicants under the higher-skilled worker stream and the self-employed physician stream may also qualify for the Enhanced Provincial Nominee Program linked to Express Entry, Canada’s federal application-management system for economic immigration, which could mean faster processing.
Employers must first register the job offer through the OINP Employer Portal before a worker can file an EOI, and lower revenue thresholds apply to employers based in rural communities, defined as areas with a population under 150,000.
The Workforce Priority Stream is the first pathway introduced under Ontario’s overhaul of the OINP, after the province closed all eight of its previous streams on May 30, 2026.
Ontario said additional pathways, including a Priority Healthcare Worker Stream, an Entrepreneur Stream and an Exceptional Talent Stream, will follow in the second phase of the programme’s modernisation.
