Ontario has launched the first phase of a sweeping redesign of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), effective 26 June but detailed publicly on 22 July. The existing eight employer-based streams are now merged into a single Ontario Workforce Priority Stream with three pathways: TEER 0-3 high-skilled occupations, TEER 4-5 intermediate occupations and a specialised route for self-employed physicians. The province also published its new Expression-of-Interest (EOI) scoring grid, heavily weighting Ontario work experience, tax history and job-offer wages. Health, trades and transport roles receive the highest occupation points, while job offers outside Toronto gain regional bonuses. Employer gross-revenue thresholds are lowered for census divisions under 150,000 people, easing access for rural businesses. During the transition, Ontario has closed the EOI portal and will withdraw all unfinished EOIs. Employers must submit fresh job offers once the system reopens—expected between July and September—and candidates will need to register new EOIs under the updated criteria. Applications already filed under the old streams will be processed to completion. For HR leaders, the redesign means reassessing which employees still qualify and whether wage or language upgrades are needed before the portal reopens. The consolidated stream should simplify messaging to foreign recruits, but tighter language and education rules could exclude some lower-skilled workers who previously qualified under the In-Demand Skills stream. Rural employers, by contrast, may benefit from relaxed revenue thresholds and higher regional scores. The province has signalled that further phases of reform are coming. Companies with large Ontario workforces should monitor subsequent announcements and keep employee documentation—especially Ontario tax slips—readily available to maximise EOI scores once invitations resume.
Source: Fragomen Immigration Alert
