Ontario has closed three Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program streams effective immediately as the province prepares for a comprehensive program redesign. The Ontario government announced the closure of the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, and the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream on June 9, 2025.
The closures mark the first major restructuring of OINP's employer-driven pathways since the In-Demand Skills stream launched in 2021 to address labor shortages in construction, agriculture, and trucking sectors. All three streams previously allowed Ontario employers to nominate foreign workers for permanent residence, with the Foreign Worker and International Student streams requiring job offers in skilled occupations and the In-Demand Skills stream targeting specific NOC codes in high-need industries.
Applications submitted before the June 9 closure date will continue to be processed under existing guidelines. The province has not specified which occupations or employer categories will be affected by the redesign, but stated that changes aim to better align the program with Ontario's current labor market needs. Processing times for applications already in the system remain unchanged, with most employer-sponsored nominations taking four to six months from submission to provincial approval.
"Ontario is committed to ensuring our immigration programs meet the evolving needs of employers and workers across the province," the announcement states.