Ontario has not conducted selections in its Provincial Nominee Program for more than five months: the last draw took place on April 30, and after a complete overhaul of the program, the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, launched in August, has not yet issued any invitations. According to forecasts, draws may resume in October, but there is no final confirmation.
The Longest Break in OINP History
The last draw in Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program took place on April 30 of this year, when over 1,000 invitations were issued to candidates in streams requiring an employer job offer. Since then, nothing. This is the longest break between draws in the Expression of Interest (EOI) system since its launch in 2021.
The reason for the pause is straightforward: in June, Ontario completely redesigned its provincial immigration program. The province closed all eight previous streams — job offer streams, master’s and PhD graduate programs, three Express Entry streams — and replaced them with a single new unified stream called Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. This new system was officially opened for registration on August 4, but as of October 15 (the date of the video recording), no draws had been conducted.
How the New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream Works
The main feature of the new stream is an employer-focused program. For virtually all candidates, the employer must take the first step: register a job offer through the new OINP portal.
The process begins this way: the employer uploads a job offer to the province’s portal. After that, a candidate can create their Expression of Interest profile. Without a registered job offer in the portal, it is impossible to create an EOI.
Once a profile is registered, the candidate receives a score determined by multiple factors: the job offer itself, work experience, education, language skills, and the region of Ontario where the position is located. Candidates enter a pool from which the province selects people to invite to submit a full nomination application. Important: you can enter the pool right now, but you can only submit a full nomination application after receiving an invitation from a draw.
Why Draws May Resume as Early as October
Several factors suggest that draws could resume in the coming weeks.
First, the Expression of Interest system is already open and operational. Candidates are accumulating in it, waiting for invitations.
Second, Ontario’s nomination quota for 2026 is just over 14,000 nominees. Between February and April of this year alone, the province issued over 13,600 invitations. Invitations and nominations are different things: not everyone who receives an invitation will ultimately be nominated. Ontario is still processing applications submitted under the old streams, so there may still be room in 2026 for issuing invitations and nominations.
However, it’s worth noting that this is only a forecast. The province does not announce draws in advance, and it is difficult to judge by previous patterns — the program was completely redesigned.
The Second Phase of OINP Restructuring: What Could Come Next
The new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is only the first phase of the restructuring. The second phase is still under development, and the province has preliminarily proposed three additional streams.
The first is a priority stream for healthcare workers, which will provide a path for certain regulated healthcare professionals who do not have a job offer.
The second is a stream for exceptional talent, aimed at people with significant achievements in science, technology, and academia.
The third is a stream for entrepreneurs, intended for those who already have a developed business in Ontario or plan to acquire and actively operate one.
All of this remains proposals for now. Specific details of the second phase will appear later. If you previously considered one of Ontario’s closed streams and no longer qualify for the new Workforce Priority Stream, one of the new second-phase programs may be an option for you.
What to Do While You Wait for Draws to Resume
If you meet the criteria for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, start taking action right now. Remember that your employer must take the first step — they must upload the job offer to the OINP portal.
Coordinate with your employer and ask them to register the job offer. Once that’s done, create your own Expression of Interest profile.
After registration, review your score calculation. Look for ways to increase it. It’s difficult to say what score will be competitive without draws being conducted, but once draws begin, it will become clearer what scores are needed. Previously, Ontario issued invitations by specific profession and region of the province, so watch for draw announcements.
Ontario considers many factors when calculating scores: language skills, work experience, salary in Canada. Track these parameters and look for simple ways to improve your result.
Summary: What Has Happened and What Awaits
Ontario has not conducted OINP draws since April 30 of this year. The new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream has been open since August, but no invitations have been issued yet. The second phase of the program’s restructuring has not yet been announced, but it is expected soon. We are monitoring the situation and preparing to publish updates as they become available.
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