Ontario is Canada's most popular province for immigration — and its PNP is about to undergo the biggest overhaul in the program's history. On May 30, 2026, nine existing OINP categories will be formally revoked and replaced with three new streams.
If you're planning to apply through the current system, the clock is ticking. Here's everything you need to know.
Update — May 30, 2026: Day 0 — the revocation takes effect today. Under O. Reg. 47/26, all nine OINP selection categories — Foreign Worker, International Student with Job Offer, In-Demand Skills, Master's Graduate, PhD Graduate, Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker, Skilled Trades, and Entrepreneur — lose their legal basis at end of business today. After today, no new applications can be filed under any of these streams. Files already submitted and complete on or before today will continue to be processed under existing rules; pending Expressions of Interest with no submitted application are in limbo until Ontario publishes the replacement stream criteria. As of this morning, Ontario has not released the eligibility rules, points grid, application portal updates, or transition rules for existing EOI profiles. The province has confirmed only that the replacement streams will be employer-driven and aligned with real-time labour market priorities — every operational detail beyond that is still unknown. The OINP draw page shows no draw issued during the week of May 25–30, meaning the province closed out the current allocation without a final invitation round. If you submitted a complete application before today's cutoff, you are inside the current rules and your file remains live; if you didn't, you wait for the new streams to launch. We will update this guide as soon as Ontario publishes the replacement criteria.
Update — May 29, 2026: 1 day left — this is the realistic last call. Friday May 30, 2026 is the final date all nine OINP streams have legal authority to accept and process applications. If your file isn't already submitted and complete by close of business tomorrow, it has no live pathway until Ontario publishes the replacement stream eligibility — and as of today Ontario has still not released those criteria, the points grid, the application portal changes, or transition rules for existing Expression of Interest profiles. There has been no new OINP draw issued this week, which all but confirms the province is closing out the current allocation rather than running a final invitation round. If you already hold a Notification of Interest with a post-May 30 deadline, the practical advice from immigration counsel today is the same: submit what you have rather than risk losing the slot waiting for a missing reference letter or translation. The portal stays open through tomorrow, but anything filed without complete exhibits is effectively unfiled — and Ontario has been explicit that incomplete submissions will not be carried over into the new streams.
Update — May 27, 2026: 3 days left. All nine existing OINP streams lose their legal basis at the end of business on Friday, May 30, 2026 under O. Reg. 47/26. Applications that are submitted and complete before that cutoff are processed under current rules; applications submitted after the cutoff have no legal pathway until Ontario publishes the replacement stream criteria. Ontario has not confirmed whether existing Expression of Interest (EOI) profiles will migrate to the new streams, require re-registration, or be withdrawn entirely. If you hold a current Notification of Interest with a deadline that falls after May 30, today is the day to submit — Thursday May 28 is the realistic last-call for assembling a complete file, and Friday is too late to chase a missing reference letter or notarised translation. The provincial portal will continue to accept submissions through Friday, but anything filed without the right exhibits attached is the same as not filed at all. As of this morning, Ontario has not added a single new draw to the OINP draw page this week, suggesting the province is closing out the current allocation cleanly rather than holding one more invitation round before revocation.
The May 30, 2026 overhaul
Ontario has confirmed that all existing OINP selection streams will lose their legal basis on May 30, 2026. Three brand-new streams are replacing them:
1. Priority Healthcare — Dedicated stream for healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, allied health workers). This replaces the healthcare-focused draws under Human Capital Priorities and Employer Job Offer.
2. Exceptional Talent — Targets high-achieving individuals in tech, research, arts, and business. Think of this as Ontario's answer to the US EB-1A extraordinary ability category.
3. Revamped Entrepreneur Stream — Redesigned to be more accessible, with lower investment thresholds and faster processing.
Details on the new streams are still emerging. We'll update this guide as Ontario publishes the full requirements.
Update — May 2026: The Employer Portal becomes mandatory
Alongside the stream consolidation, Ontario is changing how employer-backed nominations work. The OINP Employer Portal — first launched on July 2, 2025 — becomes the single mandatory entry point for every employer-based application from May 30, 2026 onward.
What this means in practice:
- Employers must register first. Before any candidate can submit an application tied to a job offer, the employer must register with the OINP Director through the portal and submit the job offer details. No registration, no candidate application — full stop.
- The three Employer Job Offer streams merge into one. Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills streams collapse into a single unified Employer Job Offer stream. The eligibility criteria are still being finalised.
- Sequencing matters. The employer has 14 calendar days from invitation to complete their portion of the application. The candidate then has 17 calendar days from the date OINP issues an invitation to submit and pay.
If your job offer relies on a specific employer, talk to them now. Employers who haven't registered before May 30 will leave their candidates unable to apply on day one of the new system.