Looking for the new OINP scoring factors? Ontario replaced eight older streams with the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, published a new points grid in July 2026, and opened the Expression of Interest portal on August 4, 2026.
That last date matters more than anything else on this page. For five weeks after the redesign was announced, nobody could register. That waiting period is over. If you have a qualifying Ontario job offer, you can enter the pool today.
If your plan is still built around old OINP EOI points, Human Capital Priorities draws, or the Masters Graduate stream, that plan no longer works. Ontario rebuilt the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) from the ground up in 2026.
This guide covers what changed, what advice is now outdated, a clear old versus new points comparison, and the exact registration deadlines that can knock you out of the process before you even get scored. When you are ready, estimate your profile with our free OINP Points Calculator, updated for the July 2026 factors.
Quick reality check: Scoring factors are not the same as eligibility. You still have to meet the pathway requirements (job offer rules, language, education, and work experience). Always confirm details on Ontario.ca or with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC).
What happened to OINP in 2026?
Ontario rolled the redesign out in stages, and each stage changed the advice:
- June 25, 2026. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 came into force. Eight legacy streams disappeared. The Ontario Workforce Priority stream (OWPS) replaced them. The province announced the change publicly the following day.
- Late June to early August. The EOI system stayed shut. No new invitations went out under the old streams. Uninvited EOIs and old job offers were withdrawn while Ontario rebuilt the platform. See Ontario’s 2026 OINP updates page for the official record.
- July 20, 2026. The OWPS scoring factors went live. Job offer candidates are scored out of 130 points. Self employed physicians are scored out of 115.
- August 4, 2026. The EOI portal reopened. Employers can register qualifying positions through the OINP Employer Portal, and eligible workers can now submit an Expression of Interest through Ontario’s e-Filing Portal.
- Still ahead. Ontario has said the Workforce Priority stream is Phase 1 of a bigger redesign. More streams have been signalled, including options aimed at healthcare, entrepreneurs, and exceptional talent. None of those are open. For now, OWPS is the only active OINP pathway.
Streams and advice that are no longer valid
A lot of content published between 2024 and early 2026 is now actively misleading. Treat all of this as retired:
| Old OINP approach | Status in mid-2026 |
|---|---|
| Human Capital Priorities (Express Entry NOI) | Retired. Do not wait for HCP NOIs under the old model |
| French-Speaking Skilled Worker / Skilled Trades EE streams | Retired |
| Masters Graduate / PhD Graduate (no job offer) | Retired |
| Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, International Student, In-Demand Skills | Replaced by OWPS job-offer pathways |
| Field of study points (STEM/health vs arts) | Removed from EOI scoring |
| Ontario study location points | Removed from EOI scoring |
| “6 months with the employer equals plus 3 tenure points” | Replaced by a much larger Ontario work-experience ladder (up to 18 points) |
If an article, a YouTube video, or a consultant is still ranking you against September 2025 EOI tables, ask for an OWPS recalculation before you pay anyone.
The three Ontario Workforce Priority pathways
OWPS is one stream with three pathways:
1. TEER 0-3 job offer
For higher-skilled occupations with a full-time, permanent Ontario job offer. Minimum language is typically CLB 6 (CLB 5 for listed trades), plus education and work-experience rules that depend on your situation.
2. TEER 4-5 job offer
For lower-skilled occupations with a qualifying job offer. Requirements are different (for example, language often starts at CLB 4, and work experience is measured differently). Confirm your TEER with our NOC Finder before you assume which pathway you are in.
Be clear-eyed about what this pathway costs you on points. TEER 4 and TEER 5 both score zero on the TEER factor, and you cannot use the Express Entry route, so no 600 point CRS boost is available. Your realistic maximum is 121 points rather than 130, and your PR application goes to IRCC through the slower non-Express Entry process. Wage, Ontario work experience, language, and location are where your entire score gets built.
3. Self-employed physician
For physicians who can bill OHIP and who meet College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario registration rules. No employer job offer needed. Wage scoring does not apply, and Ontario medical practice experience is scored instead. This pathway is graded out of 115 points rather than 130.
One important note for employers: Ontario lowered the revenue thresholds for employers in eligible rural communities, defined as census divisions with populations under 150,000. If you work for a smaller business in Northern or rural Ontario, your employer may now qualify when it previously could not.
Bottom line for most foreign workers: a qualifying Ontario employer is now the centre of everything. The old “no job offer” Ontario routes are gone for new filings.
How to register your EOI now that the portal is open
This is the part almost nobody had written down in July, because the process had not been published yet. Here is how it actually works.
Your employer goes first. You cannot start this yourself. Your employer registers and submits the job offer through the OINP Employer Portal.
You get a job offer ID by email. Once the employer submits, the system emails you an ID number. This is your key to the next step.
You register your EOI using that ID. You do this in Ontario’s e-Filing Portal. Your profile then sits in the selection pool, scored out of 130 (or 115 for physicians).
You wait for a draw. Ontario periodically pulls the highest ranked candidates from the pool and issues Invitations to Apply.
If invited, your employer moves first again. The employer submits the position for approval, then you submit your personal application and pay the fee. You cannot submit before your employer does, so this is worth agreeing on with your employer in advance.
If nominated, you go federal. An Ontario nomination linked to Express Entry adds roughly 600 CRS points, which in practice means an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence very soon after.
The deadlines that can disqualify you
Ontario built hard clocks into this process. Missing one is not something you can appeal or reinstate, so treat these as the most important numbers on this page.
| Stage | Who acts | Time limit | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register EOI after receiving your job offer ID | You | 30 calendar days | The job offer expires. Your employer has to submit a brand new one |
| EOI sits in the pool | Nobody | 12 months | No invitation in 12 months means you re-register from scratch |
| Submit position for approval after an ITA | Employer | 14 calendar days | Application cannot proceed |
| Submit application and pay the fee after an ITA | You | 17 calendar days | Cannot be reinstated |
| Accept or refuse the nomination in Express Entry (TEER 0-3 and physicians only) | You | 30 calendar days | You lose the nomination |
| Submit your PR application to IRCC, Express Entry route | You | 60 calendar days | You lose the nomination |
| Apply to IRCC for PR, non-Express Entry route (all TEER 4-5, plus anyone not using Express Entry) | You | 6 months | Nomination certificate expires |
Three things people get caught by:
The 30 day EOI window starts when your employer submits, not when you notice the email. Check your spam folder and tell your employer to warn you when they file.
The 14 day and 17 day clocks run at the same time, not one after the other. If your employer takes 13 days, you have 4 days left to do your part. Have your documents ready before you are invited, not after.
The 6 month rule and the 60 day rule are not the same deadline, and picking the wrong one is costly. If you are in TEER 0-3 and you choose the Express Entry route, you get 30 days to accept the nomination and then 60 days to file with IRCC. The 6 month window applies to the non-Express Entry route, which is the only route available if your job offer is TEER 4 or 5.
Old vs new OINP scoring: what actually changed?
Here is a practical comparison between the previous employer EOI model used through 2025 and early 2026, and the July 2026 OWPS grid. Exact legacy values varied by stream, but these are the shifts candidates feel most.
Point values that moved
| Factor | Previous (typical) | New OWPS (July 2026) | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOC TEER 0 or 1 | 10 | 9 | Slightly less weight on skill level alone |
| NOC TEER 2 or 3 | 8 | 6 | TEER alone will not carry a weak profile |
| NOC TEER 4 or 5 | scored under old streams | 0 | Your TEER contributes nothing. Everything rests on your other factors |
| Hourly wage $40+ | 10 | 15 | Pay matters more |
| Hourly wage $30 to $34.99 | 7 | 10 | Mid wages also gained |
| Ontario job tenure | 0 or plus 3 (6+ months) | up to 18 | The biggest winner by far |
| Canadian earnings history | plus 3 if $40k+ | up to 8 (tiered to $70k+) | Stronger reward for proven Canadian income |
| Work vs study permit | Both often 10 | Work 10 / Study 5 | Students score lower on status |
| Language (CLB 9+) | 10 | 15 | Strong English/French pays more |
| Language (CLB 6) | 0 | 4 | CLB 6 now earns points (still meet pathway minimums) |
| Northern Ontario job | 10 | 15 | Regionalization boosted |
| Outside GTA (non-North) | 8 | 10 | Still valuable compared to Toronto |
| GTA except Toronto | 3 | 5 | Small bump |
| Field of study | up to 12 | 0 (removed) | The STEM and health bonus is gone |
| Study location in Ontario | up to 10 | 0 (removed) | Where you studied no longer scores |
The full hourly wage ladder
- $40 per hour or higher: 15 points
- $35 to $39.99: 12 points
- $30 to $34.99: 10 points
- $25 to $29.99: 8 points
- $20 to $24.99: 5 points
- Under $20 per hour: 0 points
The occupational category reshuffle
Ontario still scores the first digit of your NOC, but the priorities moved:
- Category 3 (Health): 10 points, still the top
- Category 7 (Trades and transport): 8 points, up
- Category 2 (Natural and applied sciences): 6 points, down from the old top tier
- Categories 0, 1, 4, 8, 9: 4 points
- Categories 5 and 6: 2 points
A software role that used to sit in a high scoring bundle may now trail a comparable health or trades profile on this factor alone.
Where you work: the full regionalization ladder
- Northern Ontario: 15 points
- Eastern Ontario: 10 points
- Central Ontario outside the GTA: 10 points
- Southwestern Ontario: 10 points
- Inside the GTA but not Toronto: 5 points
- Toronto: 0 points
A job in Thunder Bay or Sudbury is worth 15 points more than the identical job in Toronto. On a 130 point scale that is close to 12 percent of your total score, decided purely by postal code.
How the new EOI grid is structured
Job offer candidates are scored across four buckets, out of 130 points total:
- Employment and labour market: TEER, broad category, wage, Ontario work experience, Canadian earnings, temporary status
- Education: highest credential plus number of eligible Canadian credentials
- Language: lowest CLB across four skills, plus one or two official languages
- Regionalization: where you will work, or practise if you are a physician
Self employed physicians are scored out of 115, because wage factors do not apply to them.
Ontario work experience (the make-or-break factor)
If you have 6 or more months in the job offer position:
- Over 24 months: 18 points
- 13 to 24 months: 15 points
- 6 to 12 months: 12 points
If you have less than 6 months in that specific position, Ontario switches you to a lower ladder for other Ontario work experience, capped at 12 points.
Read that again if you are planning to arrive with a fresh job offer and no Ontario history. Under the old plus 3 tenure model, that gap barely mattered. Under OWPS it can be an 18 point swing, and 18 points out of 130 is enormous.
A language tip most people miss
Your points come from your lowest CLB across reading, writing, listening, and speaking. One weak skill drags your whole language score down to its level. Convert your IELTS, CELPIP, or French results with our CLB Converter before you estimate anything.
To claim two official languages, you generally need at least CLB 6 in all four skills on both tests.
Here is the full scale:
- CLB 9 or higher: 15 points
- CLB 8: 12 points
- CLB 7: 8 points
- CLB 6: 4 points
- CLB 5 or lower: 0 points
Knowledge of official languages is scored separately: 10 points for two official languages, 5 points for one.
Who gains and who loses under the new system?
Often stronger now:
- Workers already employed in Ontario in the same role as the job offer, especially with one to two years behind them
- Higher wage offers, roughly $35 to $40 per hour and above
- Jobs outside Toronto, and Northern Ontario most of all
- Candidates at CLB 8 to 9 and above
- People with solid Canadian tax history, in the $50k to $70k range and up
Often weaker now:
- Profiles that leaned on field of study or Ontario study location points
- Study permit holders, at 5 points versus 10 for a work permit
- Fresh job offers with little or no Ontario work history
- Anyone still waiting for the retired no job offer streams
Want a second opinion on other provinces? Compare pathways with the PNP Score Calculator or model British Columbia separately with the BC PNP Calculator.
How to estimate your new OINP score (step by step)
- Confirm your NOC and TEER with the NOC Finder. TEER decides both eligibility pathway and points.
- Gather the facts your employer will enter: hourly wage, work location, and occupation. These have to match what the employer files.
- Map your Ontario experience honestly. Count months in the exact job offer role separately from other Ontario jobs. They score differently.
- Pull your language results and your CRA Notices of Assessment for the last five years.
- Run the updated OINP Points Calculator for TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, or the physician pathway.
- Check your federal position too. An Ontario nomination linked to Express Entry still adds around 600 CRS points. See where you stand with the CRS Score Calculator and the latest Express Entry draw results.
Not sure you qualify for Express Entry at all yet? Start with the Express Entry Eligibility Checker, then come back to provincial scoring.
Have there been any OWPS draws yet?
No. As of mid August 2026, Ontario has not held a single Workforce Priority draw.
This matters for how you read advice online. There are no cutoff scores yet, because there are no draws yet. Anyone quoting you an OWPS “cutoff” is guessing, or is quoting a number from a retired stream that no longer applies.
Ontario also gives no advance notice before issuing invitations. There is no published schedule. The practical takeaway is that your documents need to be ready before a draw happens, not after you are invited.
For context on scale, Ontario’s federal allocation for 2026 is 14,119 nominations across the entire OINP.
What to do this week
If you already have an Ontario job offer: talk to your employer now about registering it in the Employer Portal. Your 30 day EOI clock does not start until they file, so the sooner they move, the sooner you are in the pool.
If you are already working in Ontario: staying in the job offer role longer unlocks the 12, 15, and 18 point experience bands. Sometimes the smartest move is simply to wait a few more months in the same job before your employer files.
If your language score is capping you: if your lowest skill is holding you at CLB 6 or 7, book a retake. Jumping to CLB 9 across all four skills is worth 11 points compared to CLB 6.
Everyone: get your ECA reports, CRA Notices of Assessment, and work reference letters together now. Invitations move on a 17 day clock. Document chasing does not.
Employers: review the OWPS employer and job offer rules, especially the revenue thresholds if you are in a rural census division. Portal accounts may carry over, but you will need a new job offer and position approval under the new stream regardless.
Browse all free tools on our immigration tools hub while you prepare.