Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has slammed the brakes on one of its most popular immigration channels—the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream. In a notice published late on 14 November 2025, the program director said a compliance review uncovered “systemic misrepresentation and/or fraud” in applications, making it impossible to confirm that candidates meet eligibility rules. Effective immediately, no new Skilled Trades Stream applications will be accepted. All pending files will be returned, and fees refunded.
The Skilled Trades Stream has been a critical pathway for experienced tradespeople already living in Ontario on work permits to obtain permanent residence without a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Last year the stream issued more than 6,300 provincial nominations—about 35 per cent of Ontario’s annual allocation. The sudden suspension therefore removes a key avenue for construction, manufacturing, and automotive employers struggling with record job-vacancy rates.
![Ontario Suspends OINP Skilled Trades Stream After Fraud Review]()
Provincial officials say the review found coordinated document fraud, including forged pay-stubs and falsified trade certificates. The province is working with IRCC and the College of Trades to enhance verification technology and develop new anti-fraud protocols before the stream re-opens, likely sometime in 2026. In the meantime, eligible workers can still pursue Ontario’s Employer Job-Offer: Foreign Worker Stream or federal Express Entry programs, but those routes generally require higher language scores and more paperwork.
For employers, the biggest practical challenge will be bridging looming labour gaps. Stakeholders are urging companies to identify workers who were planning to use the Skilled Trades Stream and explore alternative pathways quickly. Immigration lawyers expect a temporary surge in applications to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Atlantic provincial nominee programs that remain open to trades profiles.
The episode underscores a broader shift toward program integrity. IRCC has already stripped job-offer points out of the Express Entry CRS and tightened international-student rules this year. Ontario’s hard stop shows that provinces are equally willing to act decisively when fraud threatens confidence in their immigration systems.
The Skilled Trades Stream has been a critical pathway for experienced tradespeople already living in Ontario on work permits to obtain permanent residence without a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Last year the stream issued more than 6,300 provincial nominations—about 35 per cent of Ontario’s annual allocation. The sudden suspension therefore removes a key avenue for construction, manufacturing, and automotive employers struggling with record job-vacancy rates.
Provincial officials say the review found coordinated document fraud, including forged pay-stubs and falsified trade certificates. The province is working with IRCC and the College of Trades to enhance verification technology and develop new anti-fraud protocols before the stream re-opens, likely sometime in 2026. In the meantime, eligible workers can still pursue Ontario’s Employer Job-Offer: Foreign Worker Stream or federal Express Entry programs, but those routes generally require higher language scores and more paperwork.
For employers, the biggest practical challenge will be bridging looming labour gaps. Stakeholders are urging companies to identify workers who were planning to use the Skilled Trades Stream and explore alternative pathways quickly. Immigration lawyers expect a temporary surge in applications to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Atlantic provincial nominee programs that remain open to trades profiles.
The episode underscores a broader shift toward program integrity. IRCC has already stripped job-offer points out of the Express Entry CRS and tightened international-student rules this year. Ontario’s hard stop shows that provinces are equally willing to act decisively when fraud threatens confidence in their immigration systems.
