The 2026 OINP overhaul: eight former streams closed, new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS)
As of June 25, 2026, eight former OINP streams closed and were replaced by a new stream, OWPS. Applications already submitted are assessed under the former rules, and EOIs that did not lead to an invitation are being withdrawn by Ontario automatically. The OWPS expression of interest system opened on August 4, 2026. A cut-off score is produced by each draw rather than set in advance by the province.
What changed in the OINP, and which eight streams closed
Ontario amended Ontario Regulation 422/17. The amending regulation is O. Reg. 204/26, in force June 25, 2026 and announced June 26 (regulation text: Ontario e-Laws · O. Reg. 422/17). Ontario describes the change as removing the existing 8 streams and introducing the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream (Ontario.ca · 2026 OINP program updates page). On July 20, 2026, the OWPS eligibility criteria and scoring pages went live.
Ontario calls this change the first phase of a program redesign. The contents of the second phase have not been published.
The eight streams that closed:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker
- Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills
- Employer Job Offer: International Student
- Master's Graduate
- PhD Graduate
- Express Entry Human Capital Priorities
- Express Entry French-speaking Skilled Worker
- Express Entry Skilled Trades
I already submitted my application. Does it still count?
Yes. It continues to be assessed under the former rules that were in effect on the day you submitted it, and the new OWPS criteria do not apply to it.
Official wording (Ontario.ca · 2026 OINP program updates page, entry dated 2026-06-26):
Official wording
Applications submitted following an invitation under a former stream will continue to be assessed against the eligibility requirements that were in effect when the application was submitted.
The update entry dated May 29, 2026 on the same page says the same thing:
Official wording
All applications received under the existing OINP framework will be assessed in accordance with the eligibility requirements in place at the time of application.
Here, "already submitted" means an application that was completed and submitted in the system after receiving an ITA (Invitation to Apply) under a former stream.
I registered an EOI but never received an invitation. What now?
Ontario states that the withdrawal is automatic and that affected registrants will receive notice.
EOI stands for Expression of Interest, a candidate profile registered in the system while waiting for Ontario to issue an invitation.
Official wording (Ontario.ca · 2026 OINP program updates page):
Official wording
The Expression of Interest (EOI) system is now closed to new EOIs. No further invitations will be issued under the former program streams. EOIs and job offers registered under the former streams that have not resulted in an invitation to apply will be automatically withdrawn over the coming weeks while the EOI and application platforms are updated. Affected registrants, employers and representatives will receive a notice directly.
A new EOI can be considered when the new system opens, subject to the rules then in force.
My employer registered before. What does the employer need to redo?
An employer that already registered in the employer portal does not need to register an account again. The job offer registered earlier does not carry over to the new stream, so once the portal reopens the employer has to submit a new job offer and a new application for an approval of an employment position before the applicant can generate a new EOI under OWPS.
Official wording (Ontario.ca · 2026 OINP program updates page):
Official wording
Employers who have previously registered in the employer portal will not need to register again when the EOI system reopens. Once the Employer Portal reopens they will need to submit a new job offer and a new application for an approval of an employment position (re-register a new job offer) to initiate a new EOI for the applicant under the new program stream.
How is the OWPS EOI score calculated, and what are the factors?
There are 11 scoring factors. Rather than reading through them one by one here, it is faster to run the numbers. The calculator turns all 11 into dropdowns and produces a live total and a factor by factor breakdown, using the same official bands.
Open the OINP scoring calculator →
Prefer the full text version (complete bands for all 11 factors)
First, separate two things: scoring and eligibility are not the same. In the scoring section Ontario writes Scoring factors are not the same as stream criteria. You must meet all criteria for this stream and provide the mandatory documents with your application. The score decides whether you can be selected in a draw. Whether you can apply depends on meeting all of the eligibility criteria that apply in your situation and providing the mandatory documents. A high score does not help if the eligibility criteria are not met.
There are 11 factors in four groups. All bands and point values below are taken word for word from Ontario.ca · OWPS page, Scoring factors section (checked 2026-08-03). The matching online tool is the OINP OWPS scoring calculator: score yourself online against the official scoring table.
Employment and labour market (6 factors)
The 6 factors in this group are taken from Ontario.ca · OWPS page, Scoring factors section.
1. NOC TEER category, up to 9 points. For applicants with a job offer, and for applicants applying as a self-employed physician, this factor is populated by the system and is not selected by the applicant.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 or 1 | 9 |
| TEER 2 or 3 | 6 |
| TEER 4 | 0 |
| TEER 5 | 0 |
2. NOC broad occupational category, up to 10 points. Also populated from the job offer. The ontario.ca OWPS page lists only the category numbers and not the names; the names in the table below are taken from the Statistics Canada NOC 2021 classification, not from the ontario.ca OWPS page.
| Number | Category | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Health occupations | 10 |
| 7 | Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations | 8 |
| 2 | Natural and applied sciences and related occupations | 6 |
| 0 | Legislative and senior management occupations | 4 |
| 1 | Business, finance and administration occupations | 4 |
| 4 | Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services | 4 |
| 8 | Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations | 4 |
| 9 | Occupations in manufacturing and utilities | 4 |
| 5 | Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 2 |
| 6 | Sales and service occupations | 2 |
3. Hourly wage, up to 15 points. Populated by the system for applicants with a job offer. This factor does not apply to self-employed physicians: it is left out of the calculation rather than scored as 0.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| $40 or more per hour | 15 |
| $35 to $39.99 | 12 |
| $30 to $34.99 | 10 |
| $25 to $29.99 | 8 |
| $20 to $24.99 | 5 |
| Less than $20 | 0 |
4. Ontario work experience, up to 18 points. This factor has two stages and is the easiest one to get wrong.
Main table, for applicants with a job offer:
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| More than 24 months in the job offer position | 18 |
| 13 to 24 months | 15 |
| 6 to 12 months | 12 |
| Less than 6 months, or not currently working in that position | 0 |
Less than 6 months in the job offer position does not mean this factor is automatically 0. Ontario provides an alternate table scored on total work time in Ontario, worth up to 12 points. The official wording is If the applicant has less than 6 months work experience in the job offer position, the scoring is as follows, so this is alternate scoring: it does not stack with the main table, and it applies only when the main table gives 0.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| More than 24 months working in Ontario | 12 |
| 13 to 24 months | 9 |
| 6 to 12 months | 6 |
| Less than 6 months, or not currently working in Ontario | 0 |
Table for self-employed physicians, mutually exclusive with the two tables above:
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| More than 24 months practising in Ontario in total | 18 |
| 13 to 24 months | 15 |
| 6 to 12 months | 12 |
| Less than 6 months | 0 |
5. Canadian income record, up to 8 points. Based on an NOA issued by the Canada Revenue Agency within the past 5 years. NOA stands for Notice of Assessment.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| Annual income $70,000 or more | 8 |
| $50,000 to $69,999 | 6 |
| $30,000 to $49,999 | 4 |
| Less than $30,000 | 0 |
6. Legal status in Canada, up to 10 points. Ontario notes that the work permit or study permit has to be one that confers legal status. A visitor record counts as legal status under the eligibility criteria, but it falls into the lowest band in this table.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| Valid work permit | 10 |
| Valid study permit | 5 |
| No valid work or study permit | 0 |
Education (2 factors)
The 2 factors in this group are taken from Ontario.ca · OWPS page, Scoring factors section.
7. Highest level of education, up to 10 points. The credential has to be Canadian, or a foreign credential with an ECA.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctorate, or a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry | 10 |
| Master's degree | 8 |
| University certificate or diploma above the bachelor's level | 6 |
| Bachelor's degree or equivalent | 6 |
| Ontario College Graduate Certificate | 5 |
| University certificate or diploma below the bachelor's level | 5 |
| College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma (other than an Ontario College Graduate Certificate) | 5 |
| Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma | 5 |
| Below a college or trades certificate | 0 |
Two things are easy to misread: a doctorate has no band of its own, it sits in the 10 point band together with degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and optometry; and a university certificate or diploma above the bachelor's level scores 6, the same as a bachelor's degree, not more.
8. Number of Canadian credentials, up to 10 points. These have to be post-secondary credentials from an eligible Canadian institution, studied full time for at least one year.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| More than one Canadian credential | 10 |
| One Canadian credential | 5 |
| No Canadian credential | 0 |
Language (2 factors)
The 2 factors in this group are taken from Ontario.ca · OWPS page, Scoring factors section.
9. Official language ability, up to 15 points. Scored on the lowest CLB across reading, writing, listening and speaking, not on the average. If both an English and a French test were taken, the points come from the test with the higher CLB, the two are not added together. Official wording:
Official wording
You must take an approved English or French language test, and you will receive points based on your lowest CLB level across the 4 language areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
If you have taken both an English and French test, you will receive points based on the test with the higher CLB level. We do not accept Academic or One Skill Retake tests.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| CLB 9 or above | 15 |
| CLB 8 | 12 |
| CLB 7 | 8 |
| CLB 6 | 4 |
| CLB 5 or below | 0 |
10. Number of official languages, up to 10 points. To get the points for two languages, all four abilities on both tests have to reach CLB 6 or above.
| Band | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 official languages | 10 |
| 1 official language | 5 |
Region (1 factor)
This factor is taken from Ontario.ca · OWPS page, Scoring factors section.
11. Region of the work location, up to 15 points. For applicants with a job offer this is determined by the work location the employer enters in the job offer; for self-employed physicians it is determined by the Ontario practice address registered with the OHIP billing number. The second region factor in the former streams, the region of study, has been removed in OWPS.
| Region | Points |
|---|---|
| Northern Ontario | 15 |
| Eastern Ontario | 10 |
| Central Ontario (outside the Greater Toronto Area) | 10 |
| Southwestern Ontario | 10 |
| Greater Toronto Area (excluding the City of Toronto) | 5 |
| City of Toronto | 0 |
Regions are defined by Census Division, and the official definitions are as follows:
- Northern Ontario: Muskoka, Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River, Kenora
- Eastern Ontario: Frontenac, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
- Central Ontario (excluding the Greater Toronto Area): Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Waterloo, Wellington
- Southwestern Ontario: Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford, Perth
- Greater Toronto Area (excluding the City of Toronto): the four regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel and York
- City of Toronto: City of Toronto
What is the maximum OWPS score?
The ontario.ca OWPS page states no maximum total anywhere. Adding up the highest value of each of the 11 factors above gives 130 points for an applicant with a job offer, and 115 points for a self-employed physician, because the hourly wage factor does not apply.
These two numbers are calculated, not published by Ontario. Whether Ontario applies a cap inside the EOI system, or rules governing how the factors interact, cannot be verified at this point and can only be confirmed once the system opens.
Which region is a work location in Windsor, and how many points does it get?
Windsor is in the Essex Census Division, which falls under Southwestern Ontario, so the region of the work location factor is 10 points. For other cities, check the Census Division lists under factor 11 above.
Note that the employer revenue threshold uses a different geographic breakdown, in which Essex is listed on its own in the $500,000 band.
I work in Toronto. Does the region factor really give me nothing?
Yes. The City of Toronto is a 0 point band in the official table. Durham, Halton, Peel and York, the four regional municipalities inside the Greater Toronto Area, are 5 points, and the City of Toronto is listed separately in the lowest band.
Can I use IELTS Academic for the language test?
No. Ontario accepts only IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core, and, for French, TEF Canada and TCF Canada. The official wording states We do not accept Academic or One Skill Retake tests, meaning Academic tests and single skill retakes are not accepted.
What has Ontario not yet said about OWPS?
These five points cannot be sourced on ontario.ca, or the official wording itself leaves a gap.
1. The maximum total score. Ontario has not published one, see the section "What is the maximum OWPS score?" above.
2. The invitation score cut-off. A cut-off score is not a threshold Ontario sets in advance. It is the result each draw produces, so there is no fixed answer to how many points are needed. OWPS was created on June 26, 2026 and its draw record starts from zero; whether a draw has been held and at what score, the OINP invitations to apply page is the authority. Most OINP cut-offs circulating online belong to the eight streams that closed on the same date, and those streams used a different factor set and different point values, so comparing across them proves nothing.
3. How the language factors are scored for Ontario graduates who are exempt from the language test. The eligibility criteria say that for these applicants A language test is not required, but scoring factor 9 says You must take an approved English or French language test, and the document checklist page also requires results from within the past 2 years from anyone claiming language points. None of the three says how many points an applicant with no test results receives on the two language factors.
4. Whether the number of languages factor has a zero band. The official table lists only 2 languages for 10 points and 1 language for 5 points, so the lowest band is 1. Ontario does not say how this factor is handled when there are no language results at all.
5. Which factors other than hourly wage do not apply to self-employed physicians. Ontario states in writing only that hourly wage does not apply. The document checklist page sets out alternate evidence for self-employed physicians on occupational category, work experience and region, which shows that those three do apply to them; for income record, legal status, education and language, Ontario still has nothing in writing.
Official sources cited in this guide
- Ontario.ca · Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (eligibility criteria, scoring table, list of institutions): https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-workforce-priority-stream (checked 2026-08-03)
- Ontario.ca · 2026 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program updates (overhaul announcement and treatment of files in progress): https://www.ontario.ca/page/2026-ontario-immigrant-nominee-program-updates (checked 2026-08-03)
- Ontario.ca · OINP invitations to apply (record of past draws): https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-immigrant-nominee-program-oinp-invitations-apply (checked 2026-08-03)
- Ontario e-Laws · O. Reg. 422/17 (regulation text under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015): https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/170422 (checked 2026-08-03)
- Statistics Canada · National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 (source of the NOC broad category names): https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=1322554 (checked 2026-08-03)
All point values and criteria on this page are taken directly from the body text of the official pages listed above. The numbers marked as calculated (the totals of 130 and 115) are the sums of the highest value of each factor and have not been published by Ontario.
Published 2026-08-03 · Updated 2026-08-04
The content of this page reflects the official pages as checked on August 3, 2026.
Based in Windsor, Ontario. Services in English and Chinese.