OINP April 30 GTA Draws: 997 Invitations With the Lowest Foreign Worker Cutoff of 2026

If you've been waiting for an OINP draw that lets GTA-based candidates back in, April 30 was it. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program ran two Employer Job Offer draws on April 30, 2026, issuing 997 invitations to apply (ITAs) — and the Foreign Worker cutoff dropped to 57, the lowest GTA-specific score recorded all year.

What happened

OINP held two simultaneous draws on April 30, 2026, both targeting candidates with valid job offers in the Greater Toronto Area:

Eligibility requirements for both streams:

• A valid job offer with an employer in the GTA — defined as the Census Divisions of Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York
• Currently residing in Canada with a valid work or study permit
• An active OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) profile

Note: OINP did not publish a per-stream split between the two draws — only the combined 997 total. We've reflected that in the table.

Why these scores matter

The Foreign Worker cutoff of 57 is a notable drop. The April 23 regional draws — covering Eastern, Northern, Southwestern, and Central Ontario outside the GTA — set Foreign Worker cutoffs between 60 and 63. Today's GTA-specific draw cleared lower than any of them.

That's unusual because GTA draws have historically run higher than regional draws. Toronto employers are competing for candidates against the rest of the country, and EOI scores in the GTA pool tend to skew strong. A cutoff of 57 means Ontario reached deeper into the GTA pool than it has all year.

The most likely reason: Ontario is racing the clock. The province's nine existing OINP streams — including both Employer Job Offer streams used today — lose their legal basis on May 30, 2026, when the program redesign launches the new Priority Healthcare, Exceptional Talent, and redesigned Entrepreneur streams. Every nomination Ontario doesn't issue under the current rules is a nomination it can't easily replace.

The International Student cutoff of 81 sits in the normal band for that stream (84–87 across the April 23 regional draws). International student applicants tend to score consistently because they share similar profiles: recent Canadian credentials, current Canadian work permits, and relatively comparable language scores.

How April 30 fits the OINP picture

This brings April 2026 to over 8,000 OINP invitations — by far the busiest month in OINP's history. Here's the running count:

That puts Ontario well past 8,000 ITAs in a single month. The province's 2026 nomination allocation is 14,119, and they're now over halfway there with eight months left in the year — but only one month left under the current rules.

If you're sitting on a current EOI profile, the next 30 days are likely the last big window before the May 30 redesign. After May 30, the new streams will have fresh eligibility criteria, fresh point grids, and almost certainly tighter qualifying occupation lists. Healthcare workers will be advantaged. Many other profiles will not be.

What to do if you got invited

Move fast. OINP's deadlines do not flex.

• 17 calendar days from the invitation date to submit a complete application and payment to OINP
• 14 calendar days for your employer to submit their portion through the OINP Employer Portal

That gives you until roughly May 17, 2026 to file. Practical priorities:

• Confirm your job offer letter matches your EOI exactly — same NOC code, same job title, same wage, same GTA address. Mismatches are the most common reason GTA applications get refused.
• Get your employer onboarded to the OINP Employer Portal today — many smaller GTA employers have never used it, and registration plus attestation takes 7–10 business days.
• Refresh employer reference letters — Ontario wants title, duties, salary, hours, and start date in writing on company letterhead, signed.
• Pay the OINP processing fee at submission — non-refundable, due with your application.
• Confirm language test validity — IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, or TCF, valid within 2 years of the test date. If yours expires before your federal PR submission, plan a retake.
• Pull your tax documents — recent T4s and Notices of Assessment if you've been working in Ontario.

Once nominated, you have two paths to PR:

1. Apply for federal PR through Ontario's "base" stream — 11–18 month processing at IRCC.
2. Get your Express Entry Notification of Interest if you applied through an Express Entry-aligned stream — that's 600 CRS points added to your federal profile, which virtually guarantees an ITA at the next PNP-only Express Entry draw.

The PR fee increases that took effect April 30 at 9:00 AM ET apply to your federal application, not your OINP nomination payment. Budget for the new federal rates: $1,590 for a single Express Entry applicant, more for couples and families.

What to do if you weren't selected

If you scored 1–5 points below the cutoff (52–56 for Foreign Worker, 76–80 for International Student): You're close enough to chase. The fastest EOI score gains:

• Stronger language results. Each CLB-level jump in any single ability adds 4–6 OINP points. If you're at CLB 7, push to 8. Test prep is 4–8 weeks; book your slot this week. See our IELTS vs CELPIP comparison.
• More work experience months. Each additional year of relevant Canadian experience adds points. If you're a few months short of a full year, sometimes waiting is the right call.
• Audit your NOC code. Wrong NOC selection is one of the most common reasons for missed points and refused applications. The 2021 NOC system has tighter occupation definitions than the older 2016 list. Check our NOC codes guide.

If you don't have a GTA job offer: The Employer Job Offer streams require an attestation from a GTA employer. No job offer means you can't apply through these streams. Your alternatives:

• Other PNPs — BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have streams that don't always require a job offer (though most do).
• Federal Express Entry — if your CRS is competitive, the federal route bypasses the job-offer requirement entirely.
• Land a job offer first — see our guide to getting a Canadian job offer from abroad. GTA employers are actively hiring across both streams.

If you live in the GTA but don't have a permit yet: The Employer Job Offer streams require you to be in Canada with a valid work or study permit. Visitors, applicants under spousal sponsorship, and refugee claimants don't qualify here.

Where to go from here

Run the numbers and see where you stand: Ontario PNP Guide | PNP Guide (all provinces) | CRS Calculator | Latest Express Entry Draws | PR Application Document Checklist