Canada's province of Ontario is implementing a landmark transformation in its immigration procedures. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has officially confirmed a major overhaul to its Employer Job Offer streams, a move aimed at enhancing processing efficiency and program integrity.

The Core Change: From an Applicant-Led to an Employer-Led Model

According to the official announcement, the core of this reform is to upend the previous application workflow. In the past, foreign nationals—whether under the Foreign Worker, International Student, or In-Demand Skills streams—could create and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the OINP system after receiving a job offer. They would then ask their employer to submit a supporting "Application for Approval of an Employment Position (Employer Form)."

However, this process will be completely reversed starting with the new regulations on July 2. Ontario will launch a brand-new "OINP Employer Portal." Going forward, employers must initiate the application process by first registering an account on this portal and submitting detailed information about the job offer directly to the OINP. Only after the employer has completed this step will their sponsored candidate be eligible to register and submit their own EOI in the system.

Affected Immigration Streams

This policy adjustment will directly impact the following three Employer Job Offer streams:

• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
• Employer Job Offer: International Student stream
• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream

Direct Impact on Current Applicants and Key Timeline

The OINP has made it clear that to facilitate the system upgrade, all EOIs submitted before this reform will be nullified. The provincial government has released a detailed transition timeline for all affected individuals to follow closely:

• June 20 to July 2: The OINP system will stop accepting any new EOI applications under the three Employer Job Offer streams.
• June 21 and June 22: All existing EOI profiles under the Employer Job Offer streams will automatically expire and be removed from the system. This means that candidates already in the pool must prepare for resubmission.
• June 27 to June 29: To perform system maintenance and upgrades, the entire OINP online system (including all other program streams) will be temporarily unavailable.
• July 2: The new "OINP Employer Portal" will officially open for registration. At this time, employers can begin registering and submitting position information, and candidates whose EOIs previously expired can work with their employers to re-register and submit a new EOI.

The OINP advises that new EOIs registered after July 2 will be eligible for future program draws and will be valid for 12 months.

Future Outlook and Other Potential Changes

This process overhaul is just one part of Ontario's broader effort to optimize its immigration system. The provincial government has revealed plans for further measures aimed at strengthening program integrity and security, including:

1. Inspector Authority: Granting OINP inspectors the authority to require in-person interviews with applicants.
2. Combating Recruitment Fraud: Requiring job posting platforms to create dedicated sections for reporting and addressing fraudulent publicly advertised job postings.
3. Reviewing Privacy Protections: Assessing how employers access job candidates' electronic information, reviewing current practices, potential privacy limitations, and any additional privacy obligations that may be required.