Ontario Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream (Closed)
The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream was a former pathway under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) for skilled workers with qualifying permanent job offers from Ontario employers. It was designed for applicants in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupations and required both the worker and employer to meet specific program conditions. As part of Ontario’s 2026 OINP redesign, the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream was permanently closed on June 25, 2026, when regulatory changes removing the former stream structure came into force. It is no longer available for new Expressions of Interest, invitations or applications. Ontario has since introduced the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, which provides current job-offer pathways across all NOC TEER categories.
Former Foreign Worker Stream Requirements
Before it closed, the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream was intended for skilled workers inside or outside Canada who had a qualifying full-time and permanent job offer from an Ontario employer.
Applicants generally needed:
- a job offer in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation
- at least 2 years of cumulative, paid work experience in the same occupation within the previous 5 years, unless a mandatory licence or authorization applied
- the required Ontario licence or authorization for a regulated occupation, where applicable
- legal status in Canada when applying from inside Canada
- an intention to live and work in Ontario
The job offer had to be full-time and permanent, meet the applicable wage requirements, and come from an eligible Ontario employer that met the stream’s business, revenue, employee, and other applicable requirements.
Employers generally needed to have an established Ontario business, qualifying business premises, sufficient annual revenue and the required number of Canadian citizen or permanent resident employees. Recruitment requirements could also apply depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
The stream used an Expression of Interest system. After the employer submitted the job offer through the OINP Employer Portal, the applicant could register an EOI and apply for nomination only after receiving an invitation from Ontario.
The Foreign Worker Stream was not aligned with Express Entry. After provincial nomination, successful applicants proceeded through the applicable non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program permanent residence process.
Foreign Worker Stream Closure and Current Options
Ontario closed the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream as part of the 2026 OINP redesign, which removed the former stream structure and began transitioning the program to a new four-stream system. No further invitations are being issued under the former stream. EOIs and job offers that had not resulted in an invitation to apply were withdrawn as part of the transition to the redesigned OINP.
Applications submitted under the former stream continue to be assessed according to the eligibility requirements that were in effect when the application was submitted.
Workers who previously considered the Foreign Worker Stream should now review the current OINP pathways. The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream provides job-offer pathways for eligible workers across TEER 0–5 occupations, with a different eligibility structure from the former Foreign Worker Stream and requirements that vary by TEER category. Depending on their circumstances, workers may also need to review other current OINP or federal immigration pathways for which they may qualify.
Although both programs involve Ontario employers, applicants should assess eligibility under the current Ontario Workforce Priority Stream rules rather than relying on the former Foreign Worker Stream requirements.
