OINP Updates 2026: EOI Portal Open, No Invitations Yet

As of September 4, 2026. Ontario opened the Ontario Workforce Priority expression of interest (EOI) portal on August 4, 2026. The province has not published any Workforce Priority invitations to apply since that date.

TL;DR

August 4, 2026: Workforce Priority EOI portal opened | No Workforce Priority draw posted as of September 4, 2026 | Last 2026 OINP invitations on the public log: April 30, 2026, under closed former streams | Eight old streams closed; three more new streams promised later in 2026 and not live | Applicant fee $1,500 outside the GTA, $2,000 inside

What is the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream and who is eligible for it?

What are the new OINP streams in Ontario?

Short answer: Phase 1 of the redesign, in force June 25, 2026 and posted on the 2026 OINP updates page on June 26, 2026, removed the eight former streams and put one new stream in Ontario Regulation 422/17: Ontario Workforce Priority, with TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, and self-employed physician categories. Ontario's June 26, 2026 newsroom release said the rebuild would go from eight streams to four, with Workforce Priority first and the remaining three later in 2026. As of September 4, 2026, Ontario has not named or opened those other three streams. The OINP hub states that Workforce Priority has launched and all other streams are closed. Files already invited under a former stream continue under the old rules.

The eight closed streams are Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills, and International Student; Master's Graduate; PhD Graduate; and Express Entry Human Capital Priorities, French-speaking Skilled Worker, and Skilled Trades. Old EOIs that had not produced an invitation were to be withdrawn. Employers already in the Employer Portal do not re-register the business. They do need a new job offer so the worker can file a new Workforce Priority EOI.

How many streams are under OINP?

Short answer: One stream is open to new expressions of interest: Ontario Workforce Priority. That stream has three categories, not three separate streams. Ontario still describes a two-phase rebuild that should leave four streams in total, so three more are promised and not live. Count live intake, not closed pages that still sit on ontario.ca. The only new registration path on the OINP hub is Workforce Priority.

This is a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination, not a federal visa on its own. After Ontario issues a certificate of nomination, you apply to IRCC as a provincial nominee. IRCC can still refuse you. Ontario's rebuild does not open other provinces or federal Express Entry by itself.

Has Ontario issued an Ontario Workforce Priority stream draw?

Short answer: No. Ontario's invitations to apply page still lists 2026 invitation rounds only under the former Employer Job Offer and graduate streams. The latest date on that table is April 30, 2026. The 2026 program updates page has no invitation item after the August 4, 2026 notice that the Workforce Priority EOI portal is open. On June 26, 2026 Ontario said no further invitations would be issued under the former streams. Opening the portal is not a draw. Registering an EOI does not guarantee an invitation.

Ontario says it does not give advance notice before it issues invitations. It ranks one or more selection pools, generally or against targeted labour-market attributes, and invites the highest-ranking candidates. Scoring is not eligibility. You can meet every stream test and sit uninvited. EOI points reward TEER, occupational category, hourly wage, Ontario work experience, Canadian earnings, status, education, language, and work location (Northern Ontario is 15 points, Toronto is 0).

If you are eligible, register. An EOI stays in the pool for 12 months unless you are invited, you withdraw, the employer withdraws the job offer, or Ontario removes it. After 12 months you start again. Watch the invitations page and the 2026 updates page. Do not treat a rumour as a substitute for those two government pages.

Which OINP streams are Express Entry?

Short answer: None of the three former OINP Express Entry streams is open. Under Workforce Priority, Express Entry is an optional nomination method, not a separate stream. If you apply with a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 job offer, or as a self-employed physician, you may ask Ontario to nominate you through IRCC's Express Entry process for provincial nominees. You must meet a federal Express Entry program, keep a valid Express Entry profile from application through nomination, and select Ontario or all provinces when you create the profile. TEER 4 to 5 job-offer files use the non-Express Entry provincial nominee route.

Ontario's stream page says that if you accept an Express Entry nomination you receive an extra 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points and should get an IRCC invitation in the next provincial-nominee round. You have 30 calendar days to accept or refuse the nomination in Express Entry, then 60 calendar days to file permanent residence with IRCC. If the profile expires after nomination, Ontario says you start the OINP process again, including a new EOI. Use the CRS calculator to see where 600 points would put you.

If you do not opt into Express Entry, the nomination still supports a federal PNP application. IRCC, not Ontario, issues the visa. Read Express Entry and provincial nominee before you pick a lane.

How do I apply to the Ontario Workforce Priority stream?

Short answer: For a job offer, the employer starts. They register the business, submit a job offer in the Employer Portal, and you get a job offer ID. You then have 30 calendar days to register an EOI. There is no fee to register. The EOI stays in the pool for 12 months unless you are invited, it expires, or it is withdrawn. If Ontario invites you, the employer has 14 calendar days to apply for approval of the employment position, and you have 17 calendar days to pay and submit, but only after the employer files. Self-employed physicians start through Ontario's webform and have the 17-day clock with no employer step. Nomination is not permanent residence. You then apply to IRCC within 6 months.

If the employer misses the 14-day clock, Ontario withdraws the job offer and removes your EOI. A new job offer and a new EOI are required. If you are invited and you do not apply, the EOI is gone. You cannot submit your nomination application until the employer has submitted the position-approval file.

Item	Rule
EOI fee	$0
Applicant fee	$1,500 outside GTA; $2,000 inside GTA (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York). Same split for physicians, based on the OHIP practice address
After invitation	Employer: 14 calendar days to file position approval. Applicant: 17 calendar days to pay and submit, after the employer files
EOI window	Register within 30 calendar days of the job offer. Pool validity 12 months
After nomination	Apply to IRCC within 6 months. Express Entry: 30 days to accept, then 60 days to file PR

Approved English tests are IELTS General Training (not Academic, not One Skill Retake), CELPIP General, and PTE Core. French tests are TEF Canada and TCF Canada. The test date must be within 2 years of application. Upload the documents on the applicant checklist. If you are nominated with a job offer, Ontario issues a work permit support letter so you can ask IRCC for a work permit while the permanent residence file is in process. That letter is not a work permit. Self-employed physicians do not get one.

We are Go Far Global, a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) firm. If your employer is ready to file a job offer, or you are a physician checking the no-job-offer path, book a consultation before you attest to scoring factors you cannot prove. More explainers sit under news. Check processing times for the federal side after nomination.

Pathway	Work experience	Language	Education
TEER 0 to 3 job offer	One of: 6 months consecutive in the last 12 months in the job-offer position; 3 months if a recent Ontario graduate; 2 years in the last 5 years in the same NOC; or a mandatory licence (truck and bus drivers still need the 6 months)	Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6, or CLB 5 for listed trades, or an eligible Ontario graduate credential in the last 3 years	One-year post-secondary (high school for listed trades). Foreign credentials need an Educational Credential Assessment less than 5 years old
TEER 4 to 5 job offer	9 months cumulative in the job-offer position with that employer in the last 2 years	CLB 4	Canadian high school or equivalent
Self-employed physician	No job offer. OHIP billing number plus a CPSO independent, academic, or provisional certificate. A postgraduate education licence is not enough	Other job-offer tests do not apply	Not the job-offer education grid

OINP Updates 2026: EOI Portal Open, No Invitations Yet

Key Takeaways