OINP issues over 1,800 invitations for international workers and students

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held four draw rounds on 08 April 2026, issuing a total of 1,828 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates in the healthcare, Francophone, physician and regional streams.

The draws targeted candidates through the Employer Job Offer streams: Foreign Worker (FW), International Student (IS) and In-Demand Skills (IDS). To be invited, candidates must declare that they are currently residing in Canada with a valid work or study permit.

This is the province’s sixth draw round of 2026, following rounds held on 02 February, 18 February, 18 March, 25 March and 01 April.

Draw details

OINP issued ITAs across four separate draw rounds. The healthcare and early childhood education stream accounted for the majority of invitations:

Draw round	Stream	Total invitations	Minimum FW score	Minimum IS score	Minimum IDS score
Healthcare and early childhood education	FW, IS	1,635	20	46	—
Francophone candidates	FW, IS, IDS	146	35	63	25
REDI pilot (Lanark, Leeds and Grenville)	FW, IS, IDS	32	46	57	33
Physician	FW	15	43	—	—

Eligible profiles must have been created and confirmed (supported by a job offer from an eligible employer) before 06 April 2026 (11.59pm).

Healthcare and early childhood education stream

The largest draw in this round issued 1,635 ITAs to candidates with job offers in nursing, healthcare support and early childhood education roles.

The minimum score for the Foreign Worker stream dropped to 20, down from 36 in the 02 February healthcare draw. The minimum score for the International Student stream also decreased from 56 to 46. These lower thresholds indicate that OINP is broadening its search scope to fill critical labour gaps in these sectors.

The 08 April draw also slightly narrowed eligible occupations compared to 02 February, removing physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals (NOC 31303) from the list.

The Foreign Worker stream (scores of 20 and above) covers the following NOC codes: 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors; 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses; 31302 – Nurse practitioners; 32101 – Licensed practical nurses; 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates; 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants.

Francophone stream

OINP issued 146 ITAs to Francophone candidates across all three Employer Job Offer streams. The draw covered multiple occupations spanning business, technology, healthcare, education, trades and manufacturing.

The Foreign Worker stream targeted 46 occupations with a minimum score of 35, while the International Student stream targeted 29 occupations at a score of 63. The In-Demand Skills stream invited candidates at a score of 25 with job offers in 11 occupations, including home support workers, freight handlers, construction labourers and food processing workers.

The full list of eligible codes NOC by stream includes diverse occupations ranging from senior management, financial analysis, information technology, healthcare, education to trades and manufacturing.

REDI pilot stream

The OINP has issued 32 ITAs under the Regional Economic Development Immigration (REDI) pilot, targeting candidates with job offers in the counties of Lanark or Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario. The pilot is designed to help smaller communities outside major urban centres attract and retain new arrivals.

The Human Capital Priorities stream (scores of 46 and above) includes: 10029 – Other business services managers; 11101 – Financial and investment analysts; 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates; 72422 – Electrical mechanics; 72423 – Motor vehicle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics.

The International Student stream (scores of 57 and above) and the Skilled Trades stream (scores of 33 and above) include occupations ranging from nursing, early childhood education, and social work to food processing machine operators.

Physician stream

The OINP issued 15 ITAs to physicians under the Human Capital Priorities stream, with a minimum score of 43. Eligible candidates must hold a job offer as clinical and laboratory medicine physicians (NOC 31100), surgeons (NOC 31101), or general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102).

Next steps

The selected candidate’s employer must review the employer guide and submit a full application for position approval within 14 calendar days of receiving the invitation.

Invited candidates must then submit their OINP application within 17 calendar days of receiving the ITA.

After receiving a provincial nomination from Ontario, successful nominees can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence (PR).

Upcoming changes to the OINP

These draws occur as Ontario prepares for a comprehensive overhaul of its immigration streams. Legislative changes to the Ontario Immigration Act are expected to take effect on 30 May 2026, repealing all existing candidate categories eligible for nomination certificates – including the Human Capital Priorities, International Student, and Skilled Trades categories used in these draws. The OINP has not confirmed when replacement streams will launch or whether existing candidates will be transitioned.