Loading…
Loading…
Hire and retain foreign workers through a permanent Ontario job offer
Sponsor a foreign worker for Canadian permanent residence by offering a permanent, full-time job in Ontario. The OINP Workforce Priority stream's EOI portal reopened on August 4, 2026 and is open now - no draws have been issued yet under the new stream.
At a glance
3 yrs
Min. business history
$250K-$1M
Revenue, by region
3 or 5
FT employees, by region
Median
Required wage level
EOI portal is open now
Tell us about the role - we'll confirm eligibility and the job offer requirements.
Book employer consultation →The Ontario Workforce Priority stream lets an eligible Ontario employer sponsor a foreign worker for permanent residence by offering them a permanent, full-time job in Ontario. You create the job offer in the OINP Employer Portal, the worker registers an Expression of Interest (EOI), and if Ontario issues an invitation, both of you submit an application. A nomination lets the worker apply to IRCC for permanent residence.
Ontario's EOI portal reopened on August 4, 2026 under the redesigned Workforce Priority stream and is open now. No draws have been held yet under this new stream, so there is no invitation history to reference.
One thing employers consistently get wrong: an LMIA is not required for OINP. It only becomes relevant if you want to use a positive LMIA in place of advertising the position yourself - see Recruitment & the LMIA Question below.
Eligibility is anchored to gross annual revenue, and the threshold depends on where your business is located - a three-tier rule, not the two-tier rule you may see referenced elsewhere.
$1,000,000
Gross annual revenue
GTA: City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, and York
$500,000
Gross annual revenue
Ottawa, Waterloo, Hamilton, Simcoe, Middlesex, Niagara, Essex, Wellington, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Frontenac, Brant, Peterborough, Hastings, and Thunder Bay
$250,000
Gross annual revenue
Everywhere else in Ontario
Revenue is measured over the last two most recently completed fiscal years.
The job offer itself has to meet a specific set of conditions, and the wage has to clear a specific threshold - both are checked closely.
This is where most employer confusion comes from - and where an application can be refused outright if it's handled the wrong way.
Recruitment is required unless the employee is already authorized to work in Ontario, or you hold a positive LMIA for the same NOC code and position.
When required, you need:
At least two of these methods, posted for at least four weeks.
The OINP does not accept domestic recruitment carried out by an immigration representative. If the application shows that recruitment was done by a representative, it will be refused. The employer, or a recruiter you engage directly, must do the recruiting - not your RCIC.
To be clear: an LMIA is not required for OINP. Its only role here is as an alternative to proving recruitment - a positive LMIA for the same NOC code and position can stand in for advertising.
From registering your business to responding to an Invitation to Apply - here is the full employer-side walkthrough.
An authorized signing officer - someone with legal authority to bind the business - creates an Ontario.ca Login and registers the business. An employee seeking nomination cannot register the employer or act as signing officer, or the account can be deactivated.
Recommended before creating a job offer.
Choose TEER 0-3 or TEER 4-5, then enter the employee's name, email, and job title.
Enter the 5-digit NOC code, hourly wage, confirm the position is permanent and full-time, provide the work location, and confirm whether it is inside the GTA.
Submit the job offer. The employee receives a Job Offer ID valid for up to 30 days.
The employee must register their Expression of Interest within 30 calendar days of receiving the Job Offer ID, or the job offer expires and a new one is needed.
After an Invitation to Apply, the employer has 14 calendar days to submit its application and the employee has 17 calendar days.
After an Invitation to Apply (ITA), the employer has 14 calendar days to submit its application, and the employee has 17 calendar days.
If the employer misses the 14-day window, the employee's application is withdrawn, and the employer must create a new job offer to restart the process.
Document uploads: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .txt, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, .tiff - max 10 MB per document.
The application stage and post-nomination follow-ups both come with employer obligations.
Financial and business proof, and a signed job offer, are required at the application stage. For the full, current document checklist, see the official OINP employer guide.
For NOC 73300 (transport truck drivers) and NOC 73301 (bus drivers), a valid CVOR certificate with an Excellent or Satisfactory safety rating is required (CVOR Abstract, Level 1).
The OINP conducts post-nomination follow-ups and may cancel an approval or nomination if conditions are not met - including if the employment is terminated.
Fees are set by job location, not by wage or company size.
$0
EOI registration
$2,000
Application fee - job offer inside the GTA (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York)
$1,500
Application fee - job offer outside the GTA
The application fee is payable only after an Invitation to Apply.
Ontario has not published a processing-time figure for the Workforce Priority stream.
Tell us your revenue, employee count, and the role you want to offer - we'll confirm which requirements apply and what to prepare next.
These are the mistakes that cost employers the most time - or sink an otherwise strong application.
Some sources still describe two revenue thresholds from the previous OINP streams. The Ontario Workforce Priority stream uses three tiers, based on where the job is located: $1,000,000 in the GTA, $500,000 in a set of named census divisions, and $250,000 everywhere else.
The OINP does not accept domestic recruitment carried out by an immigration representative. If the application shows recruitment was done by a representative, it will be refused. The employer, or a recruiter engaged directly, must do the recruiting.
After an Invitation to Apply, the employer has 14 calendar days to submit. Missing this window withdraws the employee's application entirely, and a new job offer is needed to restart.
OINP requires a permanent job offer with no end date. Seasonal and fixed-term contract positions are not eligible.
An LMIA is not required for OINP. Its only role is as an optional alternative to advertising the position yourself.
Piece work, bonuses, commissions, vacation pay, and non-financial compensation are not counted toward the wage used to meet the required median wage level.
Still have questions? Our licensed RCICs answer within 24 hours.
Book Free ConsultationThe EOI portal is open now. Book a free employer consultation and we'll walk through eligibility, the job offer, and your deadlines.
OINP program details · All employer services · LMIA Services · Free OINP Calculator