Canada | Ontario revokes all nine OINP streams as of May 30

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that all nine Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) streams have been eliminated, effective May 30, 2026.

Key takeaways:

Revoking all nine OINP streams eliminates all current pathways to provincial nominations in Ontario, affecting the following categories:

• Foreign worker
• International student with a job offer
• In-demand skills
• Master’s graduate
• Ph.D. graduate
• Human capital priorities
• French-speaking skilled worker
• Skilled trades
• Entrepreneur

Two operational changes are also in effect as of May 30. The OINP director now has authority to issue general and targeted invitations to apply across all categories, and candidates in any category requiring a job offer can’t apply unless the employer is registered with the OINP director.

• Under targeted draws, candidates will only be ranked if they meet the labor market or human capital attributes set by the OINP director, and only the highest-ranking candidates who meet those targets will receive invitations.

Applications submitted before May 30 will be assessed under the rules in effect at the time of submission.

Additional information: Details have not yet been released on replacement streams, eligibility criteria and whether Expression of Interest profiles will transfer to new streams. Prospective applicants should monitor the OINP website for announcements on replacement streams and eligibility criteria before attempting to register new profiles.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2026 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.