Ontario Resumes Draws After Four-Month Pause, Targeting Regional Talent

After a lengthy four-month wait for immigration applicants, the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (OINP) has finally broken its silence and restarted invitation rounds.

On June 6, local time, the OINP conducted a small-scale, targeted draw aimed at candidates with a job offer in the Greater Sudbury census division. A total of 72 invitations were issued in this draw, spanning three Employer Job Offer streams. The breakdown and minimum score requirements are as follows:

To be eligible for this invitation round, candidates were required to hold a valid job offer from an employer in the Greater Sudbury area, be residing in Canada, and possess a bachelor's degree or higher. Furthermore, their profiles must have been created on or before June 3, 2025. All invited candidates must submit their full provincial nominee application by June 20, 2025.

This targeted draw was the second round of invitations since the OINP resumed its activities. It followed a much larger draw on June 3, where 3,719 invitations were issued to candidates in the Employer Job Offer streams, officially signaling a full return of invitation activities.

Looking back at the first half of 2025, the OINP's invitation activity was exceptionally sparse. Besides the two draws in June, only one very small draw was held on January 15, which invited just four foreign nationals under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. While the resumption of draws brings new hope to many anxious applicants, it is worth noting that the OINP recently confirmed its 2025 provincial nomination allocation has been reduced to 10,750 slots, which may imply future draws will be more competitive and targeted.

Application Process to See Major Overhaul: 'Employer-Led' System Launching in July

In addition to resuming draws, Ontario announced a fundamental change that will significantly impact the future application process. Starting July 2 of this year, the OINP will launch a brand-new Expression of Interest (EOI) system for all its Employer Job Offer streams.

The core of this reform is the shift from the current "applicant-led" process to an "employer-led" one. Under the new system, the application process will be initiated by the employer. Employers must first submit the details of the position they intend to fill via a new "Employer Portal." Only after the employer has completed this step will the corresponding applicant be eligible to register and submit their EOI.

This change not only signifies a fundamental shift in the application workflow but also marks the OINP's transition from a paper-based system to a fully digital platform for these streams.

For candidates who have already submitted an EOI before the new system goes live, the OINP has clarified that they will need to coordinate with their employers to re-initiate the process through the new portal after it launches on July 2.

This system reform will affect the following three key Employer Job Offer streams:

• Foreign Worker Stream
• International Student Stream
• In-Demand Skills Stream

This reform aims to enhance employer involvement and accountability in the nomination process, ensuring the authenticity of job offers while also increasing the transparency and efficiency of the overall application procedure. For future applicants, early and effective communication and collaboration with their employers will become the critical first step toward a successful provincial nomination.