If you looked at the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program a year ago and gave up, look again. In May 2026 Ontario closed all nine of its streams, and in June it opened one new stream in their place. Almost every guide you will find online describes a program that no longer exists.
What replaced the nine streams
The new Workforce Priority stream has three tracks and runs on an expression of interest system. You register a profile, the province scores it, and the highest scoring candidates receive an invitation to apply for a nomination. A provincial nomination then adds decisive weight to a federal permanent residence application.
What the province is scoring
Occupation, wage, language ability and work history do most of the work in the score. In practical terms, the province is asking one question: does this person fill a role Ontario actually needs, at a wage that proves the role is real? Everything in your profile should answer that question with evidence rather than adjectives.
Why the employer side matters
In most tracks the employer is part of the file, which means an application can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the applicant. A job description that does not match the occupation code, a wage below the regional median, a business that cannot show it is genuinely operating: any of these sinks a strong candidate. When I take an OINP file I prepare the employer’s documents with the same care as the applicant’s.
If you were counting on an old stream
Applications submitted under the old streams before they closed continue under their original rules. If you were preparing but had not submitted, that preparation is not wasted, though it does need to be rebuilt around the new scoring. Come with what you have and we will see what still counts.
Ontario or Express Entry?
This is the question worth asking before you spend money on either. For some profiles the federal route is faster and the provincial route is a distraction; for others a nomination is the only realistic path to permanent residence. The honest answer depends on your occupation, your language scores and where you already live and work. That comparison takes about twenty minutes in a consultation.