OINP Reveals Full Scoring Criteria for the New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program updated its official website on July 20, 2026 with the complete eligibility and scoring criteria for the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. This is the most detailed information released so far about this stream, and it changes how candidates should plan their Expression of Interest profile.

This update follows the major restructuring announced on June 25, 2026, when OINP closed its eight previous streams and replaced them with a single new stream. According to the official Ontario government website, this update covers points, exemptions, and rules that affect students, tradespeople, healthcare workers, and truck drivers differently.

Background: What Changed on June 25, 2026?

Before this update, OINP ran eight separate streams: Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills, International Student, Master’s Graduate, PhD Graduate, and the three Express Entry aligned streams. On June 25, 2026, all eight were closed and replaced with one new stream, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream.

Ontario.ca states this redesign is Phase 1 of a broader plan, built around four goals:

• Making the path to permanent residence simpler for people who already have arranged employment in Ontario
• Helping employers retain talent in roles that are historically hard to fill
• Raising program requirements, including language and education benchmarks, to protect program integrity
• Making business revenue thresholds more flexible for employers in rural and northern communities

Employer Re-Registration: What Employers Need to Know

Employers who already registered on the OINP Employer Portal under the old system do not need to register again. However, once the Employer Portal reopens, they will need to submit a new job offer along with a new Application for Approval of an Employment Position, so that candidates can register an Expression of Interest under the new stream.

Factor 1: TEER Category and Occupational Category

TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, and it comes directly from your National Occupational Classification code. This factor has two separate parts that both count toward your score.

TEER level points:

TEER Level	Points
TEER 0 or 1	9
TEER 2 or 3	6
TEER 4 or 5	0

Occupational category points (scored separately, stacks with TEER points):

Occupational Category	Points
Healthcare	10
Trades and transport	8
Management, business, education, law, social sciences, natural resources, manufacturing	4
Arts, culture, sales and service	2

Healthcare and trades occupations clearly receive the strongest priority under this stream.

Factor 2: Hourly Wage

Hourly Wage	Points
$40 or more	15
$35 to $39.99	12
Below $20	0

Factor 3: Ontario Work Experience

This factor is based on how long you have worked in your specific job offer position.

Experience in Job Offer Position	Points
More than 24 months	18
6 to 12 months	12
Less than 6 months	0

Factor 4: Legal Status and Income

Factor	Points
Valid work permit	10
Valid study permit	5
Annual earnings of $70,000 or more, per CRA records	8

Factor 5: Education, Including the Recent Ontario Graduate Rule

Credential	Points
Doctorate, or degree in medicine or dentistry	10
Master’s degree	8
Bachelor’s degree	6
Additional points for more than one Canadian education credential	10

A specific rule applies to recent Ontario graduates, and it has tightened compared to before. The graduation window has been shortened from 3 years to 2 years. To qualify under this rule:

• You must have completed a degree, diploma, Graduate Certificate, Master’s, or PhD from an eligible Ontario institution within the last 2 years
• You must have at least 3 consecutive months of paid, full-time work experience in your job offer position, gained within the 12 months before applying
• Full-time is defined as a minimum of 390 hours and 30 hours per week, in the same occupation, with the same employer, at the same location

Factor 6: Language Ability (IELTS and CLB)

Minimum eligibility and scoring points are two separate things under this stream, and it is important not to confuse them.

Minimum eligibility requirements:

• TEER 0-3 occupations generally need CLB 6 across all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some skilled trades accept CLB 5.
• TEER 4-5 occupations need CLB 4.

Scoring points:

CLB Level	Points
CLB 9 or above	15
CLB 7	8
CLB 5 or below	0
Additional points for knowing both English and French	10

Candidates with a high CLB score who are also proficient in French have a clear advantage under this factor.

Factor 7: Regionalization

Points here depend entirely on where your job offer is located, even when two job offers are otherwise identical.

Job Offer Location	Points
Northern Ontario	15
Eastern, Southwestern, or Central Ontario (outside GTA)	10
GTA, outside Toronto	5
Toronto	0

For candidates sitting near a borderline score, this 15-point gap between Toronto and Northern Ontario can be the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.

Two Exceptions Candidates Often Overlook

Exception 1: Less than 6 months in your job offer position. If you have worked less than 6 months in your specific job offer position, you are not automatically scored at zero. Your score can instead be based on your cumulative time working anywhere in Ontario, not just in that one position.

Exception 2: Self-employed physicians. Self-employed physicians are assessed separately, based on their cumulative Ontario medical practice, and can qualify without a job offer at all. To qualify this way, a physician must:

• Be a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• Hold a valid certificate of registration in the independent, academic, or provisional class
• Be eligible to bill through OHIP

A Special Exemption for Truck Drivers and Transport Operators

Truck drivers and transport operators under NOC 73300 or 73301 have their own exemption under this stream. Normally, work experience needs to be predominantly earned in Ontario. Drivers who frequently cross into other provinces can be exempt from this “predominantly in Ontario” rule if two conditions are met:

• Their employer holds a valid CVOR (Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration) certificate
  
• Their employer holds an “Excellent” or “Satisfactory” safety rating under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act

This exemption specifically benefits drivers who split their time between Ontario and other provinces rather than driving exclusively within Ontario.

TEER 0-3 Pathway vs TEER 4-5 Pathway

Both pathways require a full-time, permanent job offer in Ontario, but minimum requirements differ.

TEER 0-3 pathway requires one of the following:

• 6 consecutive months in the job offer position with the same employer within the last 12 months
• 3 consecutive months for recent Ontario graduates, under the rule described above
• 2 cumulative years in the same NOC occupation within the last 5 years

Licensed applicants are exempt from this work experience condition. Language requirements are CLB 6, or CLB 5 for certain trades, with a minimum post-secondary degree or diploma.

TEER 4-5 pathway requires 9 cumulative months of experience in the job offer position with the same employer within the last 2 years, CLB 4 language ability, and a minimum of a Canadian secondary school diploma or its equivalent.

Rural and Northern Communities Get More Flexibility

Across all pathways, employers located in rural communities benefit from lower gross annual revenue requirements. Under this program, a rural community is defined as one where the census division population is under 150,000.

This Scoring Is Not the Final Selection Criteria

Ontario.ca is explicit on this point. The scoring system above only determines your Expression of Interest score. It does not represent the complete stream criteria. If you are invited to apply, you will need to submit documentation proving every factor you claimed in your profile, so accuracy in your EOI matters.

When Does the EOI System Open?

According to the official Ontario government website, the Expression of Interest system for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is expected to open sometime this summer. No exact date has been confirmed yet, but candidates and employers are encouraged to become familiar with the new stream now.

What You Should Do Right Now?

• Retake your language test if your current CLB score is on the lower end
• Get your education credentials assessed if you have not already
• Gather documentation for your wage and work experience
• Recent graduates should confirm their 2-year graduation window and 3-month work experience requirement are both met
• Truck drivers should confirm their employer’s CVOR certificate and safety rating
• If your job offer is in Toronto, consider whether a position outside the city could improve your regionalization score
• Track updates directly on Ontario.ca so you are ready the moment EOI opens

Book Your Consultation!

This stream now scores candidates across seven different factors at once, plus separate rules for recent graduates, physicians, and truck drivers. Focusing on just one area, like language or education, can mean losing points everywhere else. If you want to know exactly where you stand under this new scoring system, or want help building your profile before EOI opens, book a consultation with Flowertown Immigration. Our licensed RCIC consultant will walk you through your specific situation clearly and honestly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream?

It is a single OINP stream introduced on June 25, 2026 that replaced eight previous streams, including Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills, International Student, Master’s Graduate, PhD Graduate, and the Express Entry aligned streams. It uses a points-based Expression of Interest system to select candidates with arranged employment in Ontario.

How many CLB points do I need for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream?

Minimum eligibility depends on your TEER category: CLB 6 for most TEER 0-3 occupations (CLB 5 for some skilled trades), and CLB 4 for TEER 4-5 occupations. For scoring purposes, CLB 9 or above earns 15 points, CLB 7 earns 8 points, and CLB 5 or below earns 0 points.

When will the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream EOI system open?

Ontario.ca states the Expression of Interest system is expected to open sometime this summer. An exact date has not yet been announced, so candidates should prepare their documents and scores now.

Can self-employed physicians and truck drivers apply differently than other candidates?

Yes. Self-employed physicians can qualify without a job offer if they are a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and eligible to bill through OHIP. Truck drivers under NOC 73300 or 73301 can be exempt from the rule requiring work to be predominantly in Ontario, provided their employer holds a valid CVOR certificate and an “Excellent” or “Satisfactory” safety rating.

Does the location of my job offer really affect my score?

Yes, significantly. A job offer in Northern Ontario earns 15 points, Eastern, Southwestern, or Central Ontario earns 10 points, GTA outside Toronto earns 5 points, and a job offer in Toronto earns 0 points under the regionalization factor, even if the job itself is identical.