Provincial Nominee Program Canada

Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows participating provinces and territories to nominate foreign nationals who can contribute to their economic and labour market needs and who intend to settle in the nominating province or territory.

Each province operates its own immigration streams, eligibility criteria and nomination processes.

Express Entry PNP vs Non-Express Entry PNP

There are two broad pathways.

Express Entry Provincial Nomination

Candidates must meet the requirements of the applicable provincial stream as well as one of the federal Express Entry programs.

An Express Entry provincial nomination currently provides 600 additional CRS points.

Non-Express Entry Provincial Nomination

Applicants first obtain a provincial or territorial nomination and then apply for permanent residence through the applicable federal non-Express Entry process.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program — OINP

For applicants planning to settle in Ontario, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) provides immigration pathways for eligible workers, international graduates and other candidates who meet specific Ontario requirements.

Eligibility can depend on factors such as occupation, job offer, work experience, education, language ability, wage and location.

Because Ontario streams and selection priorities can change, eligibility should be evaluated against the rules in effect at the time of application.

OINP Ontario Workforce Priority Stream

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is an Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) pathway for eligible foreign workers who have a qualifying job offer in Ontario.

The stream was introduced as part of Ontario’s 2026 OINP redesign and provides pathways for workers in all NOC TEER categories — TEER 0 through TEER 5. Eligible self-employed physicians may also qualify without a conventional job offer.

Unlike a first-come, first-served immigration program, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream uses an Expression of Interest (EOI) system.

Candidates who meet the stream requirements can register an EOI and receive a score based on factors such as occupation, wage, Ontario work experience, Canadian earnings, immigration status, education, language ability and the location of the Ontario job.

Use the calculator below to estimate your potential Ontario Workforce Priority EOI score.

Who Can Qualify?

The requirements depend significantly on the TEER category of the job offer.

TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 Pathway

Applicants with a qualifying TEER 0–3 Ontario job offer generally need to meet one of several work-experience pathways.

These include:

• at least 6 months of consecutive paid full-time experience in the specific job-offer position with that employer within the previous 12 months
• for certain recent Ontario graduates, at least 3 months of consecutive paid full-time experience in the job-offer position within the previous 12 months
• at least 2 years of cumulative qualifying experience within the previous 5 years in the applicable NOC
• or, in certain regulated occupations, holding the required licence or authorization.

Certain occupations have additional or modified rules.

Language:

For most TEER 0–3 occupations, the minimum is: CLB/NCLC 6

For designated skilled-trades occupations, the minimum can be: CLB/NCLC 5

Certain recent graduates of eligible Ontario programs may satisfy the applicable language requirement through the Ontario education exemption rather than a language test.

Education:

For most TEER 0–3 positions, applicants generally need at least a qualifying post-secondary credential of one year or longer, or the foreign equivalent.

Foreign education generally requires an Educational Credential Assessment where applicable.

TEER 4 and TEER 5 Pathway

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream also permits qualifying employment in TEER 4 and TEER 5 occupations.

This is an important change from many Canadian economic immigration programs, which focus predominantly on higher-TEER occupations.

For TEER 4 or 5 job offers, an applicant generally needs:

Work Experience:

At least 9 months of cumulative paid full-time work experience in the actual job-offer position with the job-offer employer within the previous two years.

Language:

At least CLB/NCLC 4 in all four abilities.

Education:

At least a Canadian secondary-school diploma or foreign equivalent.

How the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream Works?

How Topic Immigration Can Help

We provide eligibility assessments, OINP and other PNP strategy, NOC review, job-offer requirement analysis, Express Entry coordination, EOI review and permanent residence representation.

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