What is the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and who is it for?
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is Ontario's provincial nominee program. It allows the province of Ontario to nominate skilled workers, international graduates, and certain other immigrants who meet Ontario's economic and labour market needs. Once nominated by Ontario, the applicant applies to IRCC — the federal government — for permanent residence. Immigration itself is a federal responsibility; OINP provides the provincial filter and endorsement.
OINP now operates through a single consolidated stream — the Ontario Workforce Priority stream — with three pathways covering TEER 0-3 occupations, self-employed physicians, and TEER 4-5 occupations, replacing its earlier multi-stream structure.
Within the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, the three pathways cover TEER 0-3 skilled workers, self-employed physicians, and in-demand TEER 4-5 occupations. Each pathway has its own eligibility requirements and application procedures.
Ontario is Canada's most populous province, and OINP is highly competitive. Demand consistently exceeds the number of nominations Ontario receives each year from the federal government, so not every qualified applicant will receive an invitation.
Key takeaways
- OINP is Ontario's provincial nominee program; permanent residence is still granted federally.
- OINP now runs a single Ontario Workforce Priority stream with an Express Entry-linked pathway and job-offer-based pathways, replacing its former separate streams.
- The Workforce Priority stream's three pathways cover skilled workers, self-employed physicians, and in-demand occupations — a range previously spread across separate streams for graduates and trades workers.
- Ontario is heavily oversubscribed — eligibility does not guarantee an invitation.