Ontario provincial nominee applicants may now see their applications returned or suspended under a wider range of circumstances.Ontario has amended Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) regulations to broaden the factors that could lead to the suspension or return of applications before a nomination is issued.
The update adds 13 new factors and revokes one of the six previously introduced, bringing the total to 18 factors.
This update, effective October 31 onwards, builds on those previously introduced on July 2nd.
These new criteria take into account broader considerations, including applicants’ work status, language proficiency, education, and wage history, as well as the province’s ability to provide adequate housing and health services.
Historically, it has not been common practice for PNPs to return or suspend applications.
Factors that could lead to the suspension or return of OINP applications.
The following criteria have been added, effective October 31:
Policy factors:
- Any policy priorities provided by the Government of Canada to the Ontario government in respect of the OINP.
- Any policy priorities provided by the Minister to the director with regard to the suspension or return of applications.
Labour market factors:
- Ontario-wide or regional unemployment rates.
- Current or anticipated labour market needs in Ontario or a region in Ontario.
Infrastructure and social services factors:
- The cost or availability of housing in Ontario or specific regions.
- Ontario’s capacity to fund and provide access to health and other social services.
Applicant factors:
- Whether the applicant is currently authorized to work in Canada.
- Whether the applicant is working in Ontario at the time of application.
- Whether the applicant has a job offer approved by the director under the Act.
- Applicant’s English or French language proficiency.
- Applicant’s employment and wage history.
- Applicant’s highest level of education.
- Applicant’s Canadian work experience or Canadian education.
Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), provinces can nominate foreign nationals for permanent residency. After receiving a nomination, the provincial nominee can apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
Returning applications for nomination is not standard practice.
Up until recently, it has generally been the case that once a PNP received a foreign national’s application for nomination, the PNP would simply process the application. If the officer were to determine that the applicant met the stream requirements, then the officer would issue a nomination.
Earlier this year, Ontario first introduced the ability of the PNP to suspend or return applications under certain situations.
The most recent amendments add to five of the criteria that were introduced on July 2nd:
- The number of nomination spots allocated to Ontario by the Government of Canada for the calendar year,
- The number of applications received by the director that are still awaiting a decision.
- The number of approvals issued in the calendar year compared to the director’s target for that year.
- Whether the federal government is currently accepting permanent residence applications from individuals holding an OINP nomination certificate.
- Any systemic compliance or enforcement concerns.
The original criteria included a sixth factor on immediate labour market needs, which has been replaced by the new factor that includes both current and anticipated labour market needs.
How OINP has changed in 2025
The OINP has undergone a series of changes throughout 2025, partly due to the federal government’s decision to cut Ontario’s annual nomination allocation in half at the start of the year.
In response, Ontario (like other provinces facing reduced allocations) adopted more selective processes to target candidates who closely match current labour market needs.
The OINP paused all provincial draws until June 3.
In June, it also overhauled intake for the Employer Job Offer streams by introducing a new employer portal. Under this process, employers must initiate the case by submitting position details to the OINP before a candidate can register an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Applicants who previously submitted an EOI in these streams must now work with their employer to resubmit through the portal.
Other provinces have also made major changes to deal with an excess of applications in the face of a reduced allocation
In April, the BC PNP announced that it would waitlist applications under its International Post-Graduate stream; on October 2nd, the BC PNP subsequently announced it would process some waitlisted applications, as it had received additional nominations.
