Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) — A Northern Ontario Guide

What is the OINP?

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is Ontario's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It lets the province nominate skilled workers, graduates, and in-demand-skills workers for federal permanent residency. After Ontario nominates you, you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the actual PR card.

OINP runs nine streams across two intake systems:

• Expression of Interest (EOI) streams — you submit a profile to Ontario's portal; the province issues invitations periodically.
• Express Entry-aligned streams — you must already have a federal Express Entry profile; Ontario sends a Notification of Interest if you match. An OINP nomination adds 600 CRS points to your Express Entry score, which effectively guarantees a federal invitation in the next draw.

Why OINP matters for Northern Ontario

Northern Ontario is short on workers. Four of the five Ontario municipalities with the highest population decline rates are in the North (2021 Census), and the region needs an estimated 50,000 newcomers by 2041 just to maintain current population levels. The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce's 2024 Ontario Chamber of Commerce resolution proposes setting aside 3,000 OINP spots specifically for Northern Ontario and 6,000 for rural Southern Ontario — that's advocacy, not yet policy.

Today, OINP doesn't have a Northern-only stream, but Northern jobs qualify for the same streams as Toronto jobs, and application fees are lower for jobs outside the Greater Toronto Area — a built-in incentive for newcomers landing in Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, or North Bay.

The nine OINP streams

Pick the stream that matches your situation. Each has its own eligibility rules and intake schedule — confirm details on ontario.ca before applying.

1. Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker

For foreign workers with a permanent, full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3). You don't need an Express Entry profile. Common in Northern Ontario for trades supervisors, nurses, engineers, and IT roles.

2. Employer Job Offer: International Student

For graduates of a Canadian college or university with a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer. Useful for Lakehead, Confederation, Laurentian, and Cambrian grads who land a Northern role after graduation.

3. Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills

For TEER 4 or 5 jobs in shortage occupations — examples have included long-haul truck drivers, personal support workers (PSWs), food and beverage processing, residential construction, agriculture, and certain hospitality roles. The eligible NOC list changes — check the In-Demand Skills page before applying.

4. Masters Graduate

For graduates of an Ontario master's program. No job offer required, but you do need to show settlement funds, language ability (typically CLB 7), and intent to live and work in Ontario.

5. PhD Graduate

For graduates of an Ontario PhD program. Like the master's stream, no job offer is required. Settlement funds and Ontario residency intent apply.

6. Human Capital Priorities (Express Entry)

For high-CRS Express Entry candidates with Ontario ties (work experience, study, or job offer). Ontario issues Notifications of Interest in periodic targeted draws — sometimes paused, sometimes reactivated. Verify current status on ontario.ca.

7. Skilled Trades (Express Entry)

For foreign workers already in Ontario with experience in eligible trades (electrician, plumber, carpenter, welder, industrial mechanic, and many more). Requires an Express Entry profile and Ontario work experience.

8. French-Speaking Skilled Worker (Express Entry)

For bilingual francophones with strong French and English, an Express Entry profile, and qualifying skilled work experience. A natural fit for newcomers heading to francophone communities in Sudbury, Timmins, or Hearst.

9. Employer Job Offer: International Student (Masters & PhD pathways)

Some Masters/PhD pathways combine with employer job offers when the graduate has a confirmed role. Stream selection depends on whether you lead with the diploma or the job offer — Ontario's Stream Selector Tool will route you correctly.

How to apply — the general flow

1. Pick your stream using Ontario's Stream Selector Tool. Don't guess — wrong stream means rejection.
2. Build your Express Entry profile (only if your stream requires it) at canada.ca.
3. Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) through the OINP e-filing portal. EOIs are scored; higher scores get invited first.
4. If invited, you have a tight window (typically 14 days) to submit a complete application with all supporting documents. Miss it and you forfeit the invitation.
5. Pay the OINP application fee — $2,000 for jobs inside the GTA, $1,500 for jobs outside the GTA (this includes most of Northern Ontario). Masters/PhD streams: $1,500. Confirm the current fee on ontario.ca.
6. If nominated, you have 30 days to accept your nomination certificate.
7. Apply to IRCC for permanent residency. The federal fee is roughly $1,525 per adult ($950 processing + $575 right-of-PR fee) plus $260 per dependent child. PR processing typically takes 5 to 12 months after a complete federal application.

General eligibility (varies by stream)

• Job offer at TEER 0–5 depending on stream, from an employer registered with OINP.
• Language: typically CLB 5 (in-demand skills) up to CLB 7+ (master's and Express Entry-aligned streams).
• Education: post-secondary diploma, degree, or trade certification. Some streams require an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) — see credential recognition.
• Work experience: usually 1–2 years in a NOC matching your job offer, in the past 5 years.
• Settlement funds for the Masters and PhD streams (no job offer required, so the province wants proof you can support yourself).
• Genuine intent to live and work in Ontario — declared on your application.

What this looks like in practice — Northern Ontario

OINP fees — inside vs outside the GTA

Stream	Inside GTA	Outside GTA
Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker	$2,000	$1,500
Employer Job Offer: International Student	$2,000	$1,500
Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills	$2,000	$1,500
Masters Graduate	$1,500 (location-neutral)
PhD Graduate	$1,500 (location-neutral)
Express Entry-aligned streams	$2,000	$1,500

Outside-GTA means anywhere in Ontario other than the City of Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, and York regions — so all of Northern Ontario qualifies. Confirm fees on ontario.ca; they change occasionally.

OINP vs the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)

Both lead to permanent residency, but they're different programs:

• OINP — provincial program, nominates anywhere in Ontario, run by the province.
• RCIP — federal program, requires a job in a designated community plus a community recommendation. Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie are designated communities. See our RCIP guide.

You can be eligible for both. Many newcomers apply through whichever stream invites them first.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Applying to the wrong stream — the Stream Selector Tool exists for a reason.
• Job offer from a non-registered employer — the employer must be registered with OINP before you can apply.
• Missing the post-invitation submission window — typically 14 days; have your documents ready before you submit your EOI.
• Confusing OINP with Express Entry — they're separate, but they work together. An OINP nomination adds 600 CRS points to your Express Entry score.
• Underestimating total cost — budget for the OINP fee, federal IRCC fees, biometrics ($85 per person), medical exams, language tests, ECA, plus spouse and dependent fees.
• Using unlicensed "consultants" — only an immigration lawyer or a College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC)-licensed consultant (formerly ICCRC) can legally represent you for a fee.

Last reviewed: April 2026. OINP streams open, close, and pause regularly — confirm current intake status, fees, and eligibility on the official Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program page before applying.