What to Do If You’re Waiting for The New OINP Streams

The province has confirmed that an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) redesign is coming, but no timeline has been announced yet. Ontario revoked all nine of its existing nomination streams on May 30 but hasn’t replaced them with any other streams yet. The goal of the overhaul, according to the province, is to better target the program toward Ontario’s labour market needs. But until the new streams are announced, candidates who had the OINP in their permanent residence plan are left waiting with no clear path forward.

So, what do you do now? That depends entirely on what stage of the process you were at.

If You Submitted an OINP Application Before May 30

If you received an OINP Invitation to Apply before the streams were revoked and submitted your application in time, you are in the most straightforward position. Applications received under the existing OINP framework will be assessed in accordance with the eligibility requirements in place at the time of application.

There are still a couple of things worth keeping in mind:

• If you completed a Master’s or PhD in Ontario, you must have submitted your OINP application within the two years from the date on your degree. If your application was submitted after that time, it will not be accepted.
• Make sure your contact information in the OINP e-Filing Portal is up to date. Under the March 2026 regulatory changes, notices are legally considered as received on the day Ontario sends an email to the address on file, even if you never read it.

If You Are in the OINP Expression of Interest Pool Without an ITA

Ontario has not confirmed whether existing profiles will carry over into any new system, or whether applicants will need to start fresh and submit a new Expression of Interest. However, since no replacement streams have been announced yet, you don’t need to submit or update EOIs at present.

Use this time to research the proposed OINP stream structure. Ontario has not published final eligibility rules for the replacement streams, but based on the December 2025 stakeholder consultation, four pathways are expected: a consolidated Employer Job Offer stream divided by occupation skill level, a Priority Healthcare stream, an Entrepreneur stream, and an Exceptional Talent stream. Understanding where you might fit in that structure will help you move quickly once details are released. More on this later.

But for now, the clock is still ticking. EOI profiles are valid for 12 months. The last OINP draw was on April 30, 2026 — over 2.5 months ago at the time of writing. As a result of the delay, some applicants may be running out of time. Their profiles may expire even before the new streams are launched.

Even if you have time left before your OINP EOI expires, there are advantages to proactively assessing your options under other permanent residence programs. Some pathways to look into are:

Express Entry

Express Entry is the main system Canada’s federal government uses to manage permanent residence applications for skilled workers and their families. The system is highly competitive, using the points-based Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) to rank and select candidates.

If your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is competitive, or if you fall into one of the priority categoriestargeted in recent draws, Express Entry may be a viable path to permanent residence without waiting on Ontario.

Some high-skill OINP streams will likely continue to be delivered through the Express Entry system. And getting a provincial nomination adds a whopping 600 CRS points to your score, almost guaranteeing an invitation to apply for permanent residence. If you’re not already in the Express Entry pool, get your profile ready now and list Ontario as a preferred province. This could give you a head start for when the new streams begin.

Other Provincial Nominee Programs outside Ontario

Although these are theoretically an option, the majority of PNP streams require candidates to either reside in the province, have work or study history in the province, or have a job offer from an employer in the province. If you’ve been working in Ontario, your PNP options in other provinces and territories may be limited.

However, if you can get a job offer from an employer elsewhere, especially in a priority or high-wage occupation, you may be able to qualify for other PNPs.

You can explore Canada’s many different PNP streams using the Moving2Canada PNP Live Tracker.

If You Are a Recent Ontario Graduate

Under the previous OINP framework, the master’s and PhD Graduate streams allowed international graduates who had graduated from eligible Ontario universities in the last two years to apply for a provincial nomination without a job offer.

Both the Graduate streams were revoked on May 30. However, none of the four replacement pathways currently being proposed are designed specifically for Ontario graduates, and no job-offer-free option equivalent to the old streams has been announced.

That leaves you with a narrower set of options to consider.

The proposed Exceptional Talent stream and the higher-skilled tier of the new Employer Job Offer stream may be relevant to some graduates, but no details are confirmed yet.

If you have Canadian work experience, Express Entry’s Canadian Experience Class (CEC) may be worth assessing. Your CRS score, language scores, and NOC code will determine whether you are competitive in current draws. If your score is not quite at the cut-off yet, it is worth exploring strategies to improve your CRS score, such as retaking a language test.

In the meantime, the two-year window from your degree completion date is closing. If new streams are announced and a graduate pathway does emerge, you will want to be ready to move quickly.

What the New OINP Streams Are Expected to Look Like

Ontario has been allocated 14,119 nominations for 2026, up substantially from 10,750 in 2025. Despite the delay in launching the new streams, we do expect a revival of the OINP in the coming weeks or months. However, not everyone who was eligible to submit an EOI under the previous streams would be eligible under the new framework.

Ontario proposed replacing its nine existing streams with four pathways in two phases. The new framework has not yet been finalized, but here’s the expected direction based on the December 2025 consultation:

Phase one would consolidate three employer-based streams into a single Employer Job Offer stream with two pathways: one for higher-skilled occupations at TEER (Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities) levels 0 to 3, and one for TEER 4 and 5 occupations in sectors facing persistent shortages.

Phase two would introduce a Priority Healthcare stream that would not require a job offer, allowing regulated healthcare professionals to apply directly with valid registration in an Ontario regulatory body. It would also bring in a redesigned Entrepreneur stream and an Exceptional Talent stream for people in academia, innovation, and the creative sectors.

One notable change expected is increased employer accountability. Going forward, employers who want to support OINP applications with a job offer will have to register with the OINP before a candidate can apply.