Canada immigration news: Ontario has not held a nominee draw in 193 Days, the longest silence in the program’s recent history, and the brand new Workforce Priority stream that replaced all eight old streams has yet to invite a single person.
Ontario last held a nominee draw on April 30, 2026, issuing 1,063 Employer Job Offer invitations for GTA job offers. That was 193 Days ago as of November 9. Ontario scrapped its eight former streams on June 25 and opened registration for a single Workforce Priority stream on August 4, but no invitation round has run under it.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 12, 2026
Sources: Immigration2Canada, Wild Mountain Immigration | Last updated: November 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- No OINP draw since April 30, 2026, which is 193 Days as of the November 9 check.
- The last draw issued 1,063 invitations: 786 Foreign Worker at a score of 57 and up, and 277 International Student at a score of 81 and up, all for GTA offers.
- Ontario removed all eight former streams on June 25, 2026, and replaced them with a single Workforce Priority stream. Registration opened August 4.
- The 2026 allocation is 14,119 nominations, up from 10,750 in 2025. February to April draws issued 13,642 invitations across 32 rounds on 10 draw days.
- Workforce Priority needs an Ontario job offer, except for self employed physicians. Fees are $1,500 outside the GTA and $2,000 inside, and applications are due within 17 calendar days of an invitation.
- An October 14 REDI round targets northern and eastern communities and runs to the end of 2027. North Bay lists up to 150 nomination spaces for Nipissing in 2027.
What 193 Days without a draw means for Ontario hopefuls
193 Days of silence is not a pause. It is a rebuild happening in public, with thousands of candidates watching an empty calendar. Ontario ran a furious pace in the first months of 2026, issuing 13,642 invitations across 32 rounds on just 10 draw days between February and April, then went quiet on April 30 and has not held a single round since.
The contrast is the story. The province holds a 2026 allocation of 14,119 nominations, up from 10,750 in 2025, so the room to invite people is there. What is missing is the mechanism, and the new stream that was supposed to provide it has now gone three months without inviting anyone.
Related: Manitoba PNP Draw 2026 — 1,304 Skilled Workers Invited In The Province’s Biggest Recent Round
Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto. Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What changed on June 25
Ontario did not just pause its draws. On June 25 it removed all eight former streams and replaced them with one: the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Registration opened August 4, and candidates now register under a 132 point grid, with registration staying in the pool for 12 months.
The rules are strict. A candidate needs an Ontario job offer, except for self employed physicians, and pays $1,500 outside the GTA or $2,000 inside. Once invited, the full application is due within 17 calendar days. An October 5 change added 10 extra points for candidates who earned $80,000 or more in a single year within the last five years.
There is one sign of life. An October 14 REDI initiative round targets Greater Sudbury, Kenora, Nipissing, Rainy River, Renfrew and Thunder Bay, running to the end of 2027, and North Bay lists up to 150 nomination spaces for Nipissing in 2027. But no advance notice is given for rounds, so candidates cannot plan around a date that may not come.
The numbers behind the silence
Look at the arc of the year and the silence gets stranger. February to April produced 13,642 invitations, nearly the entire 14,119 allocation, across 32 rounds on 10 draw days. Then 193 Days of nothing. The 193 Days since April 30 are the story in one number. The last draw on April 30 issued 1,063 Employer Job Offer invitations, 786 to Foreign Worker candidates at a score of 57 and up and 277 to International Student candidates at a score of 81 and up, all tied to GTA job offers.
Ontario is Canada’s largest nominee program, and it has now spent more than half a year without a draw while its new stream sits untested. For the workers and graduates who built their plans around it, the wait is the news.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Ontario’s last nominee draw?
April 30, 2026, 193 Days ago, when the province issued 1,063 Employer Job Offer invitations for GTA job offers.
What is the Workforce Priority stream?
It is the single stream that replaced all eight former OINP streams on June 25, 2026. Registration opened August 4, and no invitation round has run under it yet.
How long does registration stay in the pool?
Registration stays in the pool for 12 months.
Centre Block and Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Ottawa. Photo: Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maplestime will provide updates from this Ontario immigration story as announcements are made.
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Is Ontario rebuilding its nominee program properly, or has it left thousands of hopefuls in limbo while it figures itself out? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every newcomer in Ontario still waiting for a draw.
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