This update is part of the Provincial nominee draws hub, with the Permanent residence guide. Ontario has not held an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program draw in over five months. This marks the longest gap since the Expression of Interest system began in 2021. The pause follows a major overhaul of the provincial immigration program. The new system replaced eight previous streams and has yet to issue its first invitations.

The last OINP draw occurred on April 30, 2026, just before the province initiated its significant redesign. Ontario subsequently closed its eight former OINP streams. It introduced the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream as part of the first phase of this redesign. The new EOI portal opened on August 4. Two months later, Ontario has not yet held its initial draw under this updated system.

Eligible candidates can enter the new EOI pool. However, they cannot submit an application for an Ontario nomination until the province holds a draw and invites them to apply. Existing Expressions of Interest that had not resulted in an invitation were withdrawn. The current gap in OINP draws has reached 158 days as of October 5. In 2025, Ontario experienced a pause of over four months between EOI draws.

The overhaul eliminated the three Employer Job Offer streams, the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams, and Ontario’s three Express Entry streams. The new Ontario Workforce Priority stream covers workers across all TEER categories with eligible Ontario job offers, along with eligible self employed physicians. Ontario continues to process applications submitted before the OINP overhaul, and some candidates are still receiving nominations.

Phase 2 of Ontario’s two phase OINP redesign is still awaited. This phase is expected to introduce additional OINP pathways. Proposed streams for Phase 2 include a Priority Healthcare Stream, an Exceptional Talent Stream, and an Entrepreneur Stream. Ontario has not confirmed when Phase 2 will launch or if final eligibility requirements will differ from original proposals.

The Moving2Canada team expects Ontario to restart draw activity in October. However, there is no confirmed date for the next OINP draw, as Ontario does not announce its draws in advance. The first few Workforce Priority draws are expected to provide a clearer idea of who Ontario plans to prioritize and what candidates will need to be competitive. Candidates invited in the final quarter of 2026 would likely receive their nominations in 2027.