Ontario has always been one of the top destinations for newcomers to Canada, but the way the province selects and nominates you has changed a lot over time. Looking back at the history of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) shows how a small program grew into an economic powerhouse. Back in 1999, the national PNP only accepted 500 immigrants. Today, it welcomes over 88,000 nominees a year, making it the largest economic immigration pathway in the country.
Ontario started its own PNP a bit later, in 2007, and since then the program has grown from a small selection stream into a much more sophisticated, points-based immigration system. A big part of this modernization is the Expression of Interest (EOI) system, which completely changed how you find your way to permanent residence in Canada’s most populous province.
To understand where things stand today, it helps to compare Ontario’s current system to the old OINP system. Many popular streams in the past, like the Foreign Worker and Masters Graduate streams, worked on a strict first-come, first-served basis. Under the old system, application portals opened for set intake periods and closed within minutes of filling up. This setup was widely criticized as basically a technological lottery. It unfairly favoured applicants who had access to super-fast internet, better computer equipment, or enough money to hire someone to sit and refresh the portal for them.
The Expression of Interest (EOI) system put an end to that race. You can register an EOI today, after your employer makes a job offer in the Employer Portal, completely free of charge. Submitting an EOI doesn’t mean you’re formally applying for permanent residency, it’s a no-risk way to show your interest and get placed into a selection pool. Once you’re in the pool, the OINP ranks you based on human capital and labour market factors, and only invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply during regular draws.
One System, Two Routes: Linking TEER 0-3 and TEER 4-5
Another important part of Ontario’s reformed selection model is how it treats job skills under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER categories. The second digit of a 5-digit NOC code shows the TEER level of your occupation, ranging from highly skilled professions to semi-skilled and elemental labour.
Ontario has streamlined its ranking criteria under the new Workforce Priority Stream. The same EOI scoring system applies to both the TEER 0-3 pathway (higher-skilled) and the TEER 4-5 pathway (intermediate/semi-skilled), instead of keeping candidates in completely separate groups. This means you’re assessed and ranked using the same set of selection factors no matter which end of the skill spectrum you fall into. Higher TEER categories (0 or 1) naturally earn more points (9 points) than intermediate levels (TEER 4 or 5, which get 0 points for the NOC TEER category factor), but because the system is integrated, semi-skilled workers still stay visible in the same pool. This also lets the province address ongoing shortages of low- and medium-skilled labour — for example, in agriculture, construction, or transport — while still keeping high standards of human capital overall.
You get a break!
The traditional OINP streams generally had strict wage requirements. For instance, the Foreign Worker Stream has historically required that your job offer meet or exceed the median wage for your specific occupation in Ontario. But Ontario’s updated system has added some much-needed flexibility, so a strict median wage requirement isn’t an automatic dealbreaker for you:
- Recent Ontario Graduates:
The former International Student Stream has now been merged into the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. As of May 30, 2026, Ontario has discontinued all eight of its former OINP streams. Recent Ontario graduates are now eligible under the TEER 0-3 or TEER 4-5 job-offer streams of that single stream, with one concession retained: the work-experience requirement is lowered to just 3 months in the job-offer position, as opposed to the usual minimum of 6 months for other applicants. However, this is reality in that new graduates are often limited in their time in a role before they are ready to apply.
- EOI Wage Scoring:
The new EOI scoring system awards points on a generous sliding scale instead of a simple pass/fail median wage cutoff. You’ll earn the maximum of 15 points for a wage of $40 or more per hour, while wages under $20 an hour earn 0 points but are still a valid option within the stream.
The OINP is moving away from a one-size-fits-all wage requirement, giving you a real chance to compete and succeed even if you’re starting out at a lower wage.
A Work in Progress
The OINP is a flexible program that’s meant to respond to the immediate needs of Ontario’s economy. This “work in progress” approach shows up in the recent updates to the EOI scoring framework, which now put more weight on long-term stability and regional integration:
- Employer-Specific Loyalty:
Previously, you’d earn the maximum points for work experience after just 6 months with your job-offer employer. The new system rewards you for staying with the same employer longer, with extra points available for up to two full years of experience.
- Realistic Earnings History:
The earning threshold for maximum points in the earning history category used to be a modest $40,000. The province has raised this cap to $70,000 (based on a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment) to better recognize top economic contributors.
- Re-Prioritizing Occupations:
Points for NOC types are regularly reassessed to reflect the current, real-time priorities of Ontario’s labour market.
- Moving Beyond the GTA:
Regionalization is still a major priority. The EOI system awards you up to 15 points for a job in Northern Ontario and 10 points for a job in Eastern, Southwestern, or Central Ontario outside the GTA, encouraging you to settle outside Toronto, which gets zero points.
Once you’re invited after making it through the EOI pool, the OINP offers you two separate routes to permanent residence:
- Enhanced Pathway (Express Entry aligned):
This is a sub-category under the Workforce Priority Stream for candidates with a job offer in TEER 0-3, or self-employed physicians, who can link their nomination directly to the federal Express Entry system. If you accept the enhanced provincial nomination, you get a 600-point boost under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). This practically guarantees you an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the next federal draw, cutting your processing time significantly.
- The Base Pathway (Non-Express Entry):
This pathway remains fully available if you don’t meet the federal Express Entry criteria. You won’t be left out, since you can still apply for permanent residency through the traditional, non-Express Entry federal process.
The OINP has built a strong, accessible, and fair pathway for you to build a successful life in Ontario by connecting federal selection with local employer needs. It’s still a work in progress, but one that keeps opening doors for thousands of skilled people around the world, you included.
With so many streams, scoring factors, and moving pieces, figuring out which pathway fits your situation best isn’t always straightforward. This is where your lawyer can help you, walking you through your options, making sure your application is as strong as possible, and helping you avoid costly mistakes along the way. If you haven’t already, consider consulting an immigration lawyer before you begin your EOI journey.
https://utppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3138/CPP.39.Supplement1.S141
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2026002/article/00005-eng.htm
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2024003/article/00003-eng.pdf
https://www.ontario.ca/page/oinp-application-process
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-workforce-priority-stream
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/node/5042
https://www.ontarioimmigration.gov.on.ca/oinp_index/resources/app/home/index.html#!/faq
