Maple News reports that on May 30, 2026, Ontario will revoke all nine Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) nomination streams as part of a sweeping package of regulation changes. The overhaul will take effect on that date and remove the legal basis for the existing pathways to provincial nomination.
This revocation applies to every current pathway to provincial nomination in Ontario and stands as the largest single change to the OINP since the program began.
Ontario Regulation 421/17 lists the nine streams to be revoked on May 30: the foreign worker category; the international student with a job offer category; the in-demand skills category; the master’s graduate category; the Ph.D. graduate category; the human capital priorities category; the French-speaking skilled worker category; the skilled trades category; and the entrepreneur category. After the date, candidates who would have qualified under these categories will no longer be eligible under the existing rules.
In addition to the revocation, two operational changes accompany the new regime. First, the OINP director will have authority to issue both general and targeted invitations to apply (ITAs) across all categories. Under targeted draws, candidates will be ranked only if they meet labor market or human-capital criteria defined by the director, and only the highest-ranking matches will receive ITAs.
Second, a formal regulation governing employer verification will be introduced. For any category that requires an Ontario job offer, applicants will be barred from applying unless their employer is registered with the OINP director.
Ontario’s government has not yet published details on what will replace the revoked nomination pathways or how candidates currently in Expression of Interest systems will be treated. As these developments unfold, Maple News will monitor updates and provide guidance on navigating the evolving framework. These changes signal a shift toward more targeted, merit-based draws and a stronger emphasis on employer verification in Ontario’s immigration system.