OINP Undergoes Key Policy Shift: Ontario Can Now Return Applications, Prioritizing "High-Quality" Candidates
The immigration landscape of Canada's economic powerhouse, Ontario, is undergoing a profound transformation. As of July 1, 2025, new regulations implemented by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development have granted the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) unprecedented control, signaling fiercer competition and stricter screening for future applicants.
A Detailed Look at the Core Policy Changes
The reform's key components are concentrated in the following five areas:
- Authority to Return Applications with a Full Refund: This is the most impactful change in the new policy. The OINP now has the power to proactively return certain applications before a final nomination decision is made. Applicants (or their representatives) whose files are returned will receive an official notification and a full refund of their application fee. An official statement indicated that returns would be based on three main considerations:
- Limitations on the provincial nomination allocation;
- The application's alignment with Ontario’s most urgent labour market needs;
- Program integrity risk factors.This move means Ontario will focus its resources on processing "high-quality applications" that directly address current labour shortages.
- Introduction of Mandatory In-person Interviews: To enhance verification, the OINP will now require some "employers and foreign national applicants" to attend in-person interviews. This step is designed to verify the authenticity of the application. Officials have also stated that necessary accommodations will be made for those who require them.
- Lowered Education Requirements for Early Childhood Educators: To attract in-demand professionals, the new policy specifically relaxes requirements for Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) under the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) and French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) streams. If an applicant is a registered member of the College of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (and thus considered job-ready), they will be exempt from the usual requirement of a Canadian bachelor's, master's, or PhD degree (or a foreign equivalent).
- Launch of a New Employer Portal: The OINP has officially launched its new electronic Employer Portal, completing the final step in transitioning its Employer Job Offer streams to an employer-led application process. Crucially, with the launch of the new portal, all previously submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have been withdrawn. To be considered, a foreign national must now work with their employer to submit a new EOI through the portal.
- Flexible Adjustment of Immigration Streams: The new legislation gives the OINP greater flexibility to dynamically establish or remove nomination streams in response to the province's evolving job market needs, ensuring that immigration policy can more nimbly serve economic development.
The Deeper Reasons Behind the Reforms
The most direct driver behind Ontario's decisive reforms is the drastic cut to provincial nomination allocations by the Canadian federal government. Like many other provinces, Ontario's allocation for this year has been nearly halved. This federal measure is aimed at tackling the nation's growing housing supply and affordability crisis.
Ontario was the last province to announce its new annual allocation, having previously paused all immigration selection activities until June 3. This was widely interpreted as the provincial government preparing its strategy to cope with the reduced numbers.
The immediate impact of the halved allocations—not just in Ontario but across Canada—is that Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) have become exceptionally selective. Provinces are no longer just looking at points but are increasingly prioritizing immigrants who are the best fit for their specific labour market and demographic needs. British Columbia's PNP, for example, has placed an indefinite pause on almost all of its provincial immigration pathways, concentrating its limited allocation on entrepreneurs and approximately 100 skilled workers who can deliver "high-economic impact" to the province.
For prospective immigrants to Canada, Ontario's reforms send a clear signal: the era of simply meeting minimum application requirements is over. In the future, an applicant's professional background and work experience, and how closely they align with Ontario's priority sectors, will be the decisive factors in securing a nomination.
Canada holds second monthly CEC draw, CRS score drops to lowest level since July
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted another Express Entry draw on November 26, 2025, inviting 1,000 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence. This round set a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 531—the lowest CEC cut-off since July—and ended a five-draw streak where the CRS threshold was locked at 533 or 534. To date, IRCC has issued a total of 88,476 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Express Entry system in 2025.
11/28/2025
Canada Announces 2026 Study Permit Target: Total Allocation Reduced to 408,000, Down 7% from 2025
On November 25, the Government of Canada officially released its 2026 study permit allocation and distribution plan for international students. According to newly published data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the total number of study permits to be issued in 2026 will be capped at 408,000. This continues the federal government’s trend of tightening temporary resident levels, representing a 7% decrease from the 2025 cap of 437,000 and a 16% decrease compared to 485,000 in 2024. The new plan outlines detailed allocation rules by student category, confirms exemptions from Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) for master’s and PhD students, and distributes PAL-required application volumes and anticipated approvals across provinces based on population share.
11/27/2025
Manitoba invites more in-Canada and overseas skilled workers to apply for provincial nomination
On November 21, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) issued 35 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) to skilled workers both inside and outside Canada. This round of selections continued to prioritize candidates identified through Strategic Recruitment Initiatives (SRIs), including Employer Services, Francophone Community, Regional Communities, and the Temporary Public Policy. The program also reminded applicants to ensure all key information—such as language test numbers and invitation numbers—is correctly entered to avoid affecting their eligibility.
11/26/2025
Prince Edward Island Holds Largest Provincial Nominee Draw of the Year, Focusing on In-Province Workers and International Graduates
The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) recently conducted its largest immigration draw of the year, issuing invitations to apply for provincial nomination to nearly 200 candidates through the "Labour & Express Entry" category. This draw primarily targeted candidates already working in the province, while giving priority consideration to applicants with French language proficiency and international graduates from specific institutions. This move reflects the province's strategic intent to attract skilled talent capable of directly contributing to the local economy.
11/25/2025
British Columbia Expands Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations, Marking Largest Draw of 2025
On November 18, British Columbia held its largest entrepreneur immigration draw of the year, issuing invitations through both the Base and Regional streams of its Entrepreneur Immigration Program. Minimum scores and invitation numbers varied by stream, reflecting the province’s continued 2025 strategy of prioritizing candidates with high economic impact.
11/24/2025
Alberta Issues 1,125 Provincial Nominee Invitations in Mid-November, Maintaining High-Frequency Draws Across Key Streams
In mid-November 2025, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) issued a total of 1,125 provincial nominee invitations across two rounds, targeting candidates in the Healthcare Priority sector under Express Entry as well as the Alberta Opportunity Stream. The November 14 draw invited 80 healthcare candidates with a minimum score of 52, while the November 10 draw issued 1,045 invitations under the Opportunity Stream—a notably large round this year. With Alberta receiving over 1,500 additional nominations in September, bringing its 2025 total to 6,403, the province continues to strengthen efforts to retain local workers and attract healthcare professionals.
11/22/2025
Canada’s Conservatives Push for Major Amendments to Border and Immigration Bill C-12
On November 20, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, announced that the Conservative Party will introduce a wide-ranging package of amendments to the federal government’s border security and immigration legislation, Bill C-12. She argued that Canada’s immigration system is under intense pressure and must undergo structural reform as soon as possible. The proposed amendments will focus on modernizing asylum procedures, strengthening border enforcement and security screening, adjusting criminality and removal thresholds, and increasing transparency across federal immigration bodies. The initiative comes amid rising asylum numbers, sustained growth in temporary residents, mounting pressure on housing and social services, and heightened scrutiny of immigration-related security reports—highlighting how immigration has become a heated issue in Canada and globally.
11/21/2025
Alberta Announces Sweeping Changes to AAIP Rural Renewal Stream: Community Quotas and New Work Permit Rules to Take Effect in 2026
The Government of Alberta has officially announced significant updates to the Rural Renewal Stream (RRS) under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), marking one of the most substantial overhauls since the program's inception. Scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, these changes are a response to a surge in community endorsements that have far exceeded the province’s federal nomination allocations. To realign the program with provincial economic priorities and manage labor market pressures, Alberta will implement four core changes: establishing annual endorsement allocation limits for designated communities, setting a one-year validity period for candidate endorsement letters, introducing a TEER-based occupation assessment model, and enforcing a mandatory requirement for all in-Canada applicants to hold a valid work permit at both the time of application and assessment.
11/20/2025
Ontario Suspends Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream and Returns All Applications
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has suspended its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream effective November 14, 2025, following a major program review that identified systemic misrepresentation and potential fraud. As part of the suspension, all in-progress applications will be returned with full refunds. The province states that the program’s current structure must be redesigned to ensure limited nomination spots benefit genuine candidates addressing Ontario’s skilled trades shortages. Affected applicants may submit a new Expression of Interest under another OINP stream if eligible.
11/19/2025
Newfoundland and Labrador issues 330 ITAs in latest draw, marking the largest round since July
On November 12, 2025, Newfoundland and Labrador issued a total of 330 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), marking the largest draw since July. With 220 invitations going to NLPNP candidates, the province continues to rely heavily on its provincial nomination channels. As the province reaches its 13th draw of the year and prepares for expanded federal PNP admission targets in 2026, nomination allocations may increase further.
11/18/2025
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