ONTARIO OPENS EOI PORTAL FOR NEW WORKFORCE PRIORITY STREAM

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has officially opened its Expression of Interest (EOI) portal for the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream, the province's redesigned pathway to provincial nomination. This is the eligibility window candidates and employers have been waiting for since Ontario closed its previous eight nomination streams on June 26, 2026.

Who Can Register

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream covers eligible foreign workers with a qualifying Ontario job offer across any National Occupational Classification (NOC), organized around two broad requirement tiers, plus a separate path for self-employed physicians:

● TEER 0–3 occupations (management, professional, technical, and skilled trades roles)

● TEER 4–5 occupations (intermediate and labour-based roles)

● Self-employed physicians who bill through OHIP and hold an eligible certificate of registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario — the only path that doesn't require a job offer

If you registered under a former stream: Any Expression of Interest or job offer submitted under the previous OINP streams that had not resulted in an invitation to apply has been automatically withdrawn. If this applies to you, you'll need to register a new EOI under the Workforce Priority stream — your old registration will not carry forward.

How Scoring Works

The Workforce Priority stream uses a points system covering employment and labour market factors (NOC TEER category, occupational category, hourly wage, and Ontario work experience), education, language ability, and regionalization — with candidates working or practicing outside the Greater Toronto Area, and especially in Northern Ontario, scoring meaningfully higher on the regional factor.

Work experience, language, and education requirements differ depending on whether your job offer falls under TEER 0–3 or TEER 4–5. For most TEER 0–3 applicants, that means either six months of recent full-time experience in the job offer role, or two years of relevant occupational experience in the past five years, plus a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 6 (or 5 for listed skilled trades). TEER 4–5 applicants generally need nine months of relevant work experience and a CLB of 4.

What Happens After You're Invited

If invited to apply, you and your employer face separate deadlines: employers must submit their application for approval of the employment position within 14 days of the invitation, and applicants have 17 days to submit their own application, which can only happen after the employer's application is filed. If nominated, you have 6 months to apply to IRCC for permanent residence — or, for TEER 0–3 applicants who opt in, you may be nominated through the federal Express Entry system instead, which adds 600 CRS points to your profile.

Ready to Register Your Expression of Interest?

Do you have an Ontario job offer, or are you an employer trying to determine which requirements apply to your hire? With the EOI portal now open, understanding exactly which TEER category and scoring factors apply to your situation can make the difference between a competitive registration and a missed opportunity.

At Global Opportunities, we help you confirm eligibility, get your documentation in order, and register a strong Expression of Interest under the new stream. Contact us today to get started.