As of August 5, 2026. Checked against Ontario's published application process for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.
Ontario opened the Expression of Interest portal for its new Ontario Workforce Priority stream on August 4, 2026. Registering an Expression of Interest (EOI) is now the only way into the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), because every other stream is closed.
Most of what you will read about the OINP EOI describes the old system. The guides ranking for it were written when Ontario ran nine categories and candidates could register themselves. Neither is true anymore. Under the new stream you cannot start the process at all until your employer acts first, and there are three separate deadlines that can end your registration before Ontario ever looks at it.
What is an OINP Expression of Interest?
Short answer: An EOI is a free profile you register in Ontario's e-Filing Portal telling the province you want to be considered for a nomination. It is not an application. Ontario scores every profile in the pool, then issues invitations to apply to the highest-ranked candidates in periodic draws. Only after you receive an invitation do you submit an actual application and pay a fee.
The distinction matters because registering costs nothing and guarantees nothing. Ontario states plainly that you should not register if you do not meet the stream criteria: if you are invited and then cannot prove what you claimed, the application is refused and the fee is not refunded.
Who can register an EOI right now?
Short answer: Skilled and intermediate workers with a qualifying Ontario job offer, and self-employed physicians who meet the College and Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) requirements. Everyone else is out for now, because the Ontario Workforce Priority stream is the only stream open and the other eight closed in June 2026.
Self-employed physicians are the exception to almost every rule here. They register without a job offer and without an employer, provided they are members in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, hold a certificate of registration in an eligible class, and are eligible to bill OHIP.
For everyone else, the sequence is the thing people get wrong. Your employer registers in the Employer Portal and submits a job offer for your position. That generates a job offer ID. You cannot register an EOI without it.
What deadlines can end your EOI before a draw?
Short answer: Three, and two of them are easy to miss. You have 30 calendar days from your employer submitting the job offer to register your EOI. A registered EOI stays in the pool for 12 months and is then removed automatically. After an invitation, you have 17 calendar days to submit and pay, but you cannot submit until your employer files their own application, and they have 14 days to do it.
| Clock | Who it applies to | Length | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job offer to EOI registration | You | 30 calendar days | The job offer expires and your employer must submit a new one |
The last two run at the same time and depend on each other. Your 17 days start when the invitation is issued, but Ontario blocks submission until your employer has filed their application for approval of the employment position. You can build your application during those 17 days. You cannot press submit. An employer who takes their full 14 days leaves you three. Agree a filing date with your employer before you register, not after the invitation lands.
One more trap sits in the job offer itself. If your employer needs to change the wage or the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code on the offer, they have to withdraw it and submit a new one, and you then have to register a brand new EOI. Your place in the pool does not survive the correction.
