Maple News reports that the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued a total of 1,186 invitations through multiple Employer Job Offer streams on December 7. This marks a significant move by Ontario to attract more foreign talent and support regional labor market needs across the province.
The invitations were distributed to candidates registered in Ontario’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system across three primary streams: Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills. Some candidates were also invited through targeted draws under the Regional Immigration Pilot, which is aimed at addressing labor shortages in smaller communities outside major urban centers.
Under the Foreign Worker stream, a general draw invited 470 candidates with a minimum score of 37 points. An additional 33 candidates under the same stream were selected through a targeted draw focused on the Regional Immigration Pilot.
The International Student stream saw the largest number of invitations, with 583 candidates invited through a general draw requiring a minimum score of 62. Another 37 invitations went to candidates under the Regional Pilot.
In the In-Demand Skills stream, 53 candidates were invited in a targeted draw focused on specific occupations in the health, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors, with another 10 selected via the Regional Immigration Pilot. No minimum score was specified for these draws.
Targeted occupations under the In-Demand Skills stream include multiple essential roles such as nurse aides, farm workers, greenhouse workers, home support workers, as well as a wide range of manufacturing positions outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These occupations fall under National Occupational Classification (NOC) levels that span health care support, industrial labor, and metals and plastics manufacturing.
Ontario’s immigration efforts are part of the broader Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) framework, in which the federal government grants an annual quota of provincial nominations. In 2021, Ontario received 8,350 nominations, with an extra 250 reserved for temporary foreign workers in intermediate-skilled (Skill Level C) roles. As of November 10, Ontario had already issued 8,600 nominations.
The province has expressed interest in expanding its immigration capacity. Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, has confirmed that the province is actively requesting the federal government to double its nomination allocation for the upcoming year.
This latest draw underscores Ontario’s continued commitment to addressing labor market gaps and strengthening the province’s workforce by welcoming skilled talent across key industries.