Ontario is the economic hub and is one of Canada’s top destinations for Immigrants around the world. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program is the pathway drafted by the Immigration to invite International skilled individuals to meet the demands of the Ontario labour market. In 2025, ONIP introduced major changes to the streams of students, workers and entrepreneurs. The changes include the updated eligibility requirements and the newly launched employment portal dedicated to the same.
Employer job offer category
For this category, the individuals with permanent job offers from a valid Ontario employer are eligible. The streams are categorised based on the specific targeted groups:
Foreign Worker Stream: This stream invites International skilled workers who have a valid job offer from an employer in Ontario. They must have at least two years of relevant work experience or hold a license.
International Student Stream: The International students stream allows recent graduates from selected Canadian universities holding a valid job offer from an employer in Ontario.
In-Demand Skills Stream: This stream allows eligible workers with valid job offers in high-demand specific occupations like agriculture, construction and other sectors.
The streams under this category require a job offer from the Ontario Employer to submit the Expression of Interest (EOI). The applicant must also meet the other requirements, like education, work experience and language proficiency according to the stream needs.
Human Capital Category
The Human Capital Category includes various streams, where individuals must demonstrate their potential to contribute to Ontario’s economy.
Ontario Express Entry Streams:
These streams select the candidates from the Express Entry pool. The categories from which the candidates are selected are Human Capital Priorities Stream, French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream and Skilled Trades Stream. The Candidates must have an active Express Entry Profile and should receive the Notification of Interest (NOI) from the Ontario Government to apply for the stream.
Master’s Graduate and PhD Graduate Streams:
International students who have graduated from select Ontario universities can apply for these streams. The applicant does not have to provide the job offer, whereas they have to meet the requirements such as education, accommodation and financial stability.
From 2025, these streams will be operated individually with the employer’s participation. The candidates must keep track of the OINP draw and await their invitations.
Entrepreneur Stream
Entrepreneur Stream welcomes incoming entrepreneurs to establish their business in Ontario. The major requirements for the stream are that the applicant must have a proper business plan and prior experience in managing a business. They must also meet the minimum investment thresholds. The entrepreneur must submit the Expression of Interest. If they have been selected, they have to attend the interview before getting the work permit. After acquiring a valid work permit, the entrepreneur can start the business in Ontario. The Entrepreneur can apply for Permanent Residency if they have successfully operated the business within the specific period.
In 2025, this stream is considered competitive due to the demanding participants with limited invitations being issued based on provincial needs.
Stricter rules and reduced quotas in 2025
In 2025, Ontario have reduced annual nomination quotas for OINP streams. The year 2024 has 16,000 invites, which are dropped to 10,750 invites in 2025. Due to the reduced allocations, the only fewer invitations of Apply are being issued along with prolonged processing time in all the streams. To ensure a positive result, candidates must prepare and organise all the documentation and strictly stick to the updates and timeline.
Ontario have expanded its regulatory authority to prevent fake and fraudulent practices. Through these rules, the visa officers can return the incomplete applications, organise an in-person interview and can even bar representatives.
New Employer Portal:
The launch of the new OINP employer portal, which is effective from 2 July 2025, is a major operational change. Through these streams, firstly, the employers only have to do the Job offer registration, which was previously applied by the candidates. The employer must register through the official OINP employer portal and then receive the confirmation ID, and then the applicant can do the EOI submission. Though this change adds a layer of responsibility to the employer, it reduces fraud and ensures the job offers meet Ontario’s standard by bridging a coordination with the provincial officers.
