Ontario has wasted no time activating its 2026 quota under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). In invitation rounds held on 2 February but published on 5 February, the province sent 1,825 ITAs across all three Employer Job Offer streams: 777 to foreign workers, 1,041 to international students, and seven to candidates in the in-demand skills stream. (immigcanada.com)
Unlike general draws, the OINP used an occupation-specific approach. Physicians, healthcare professionals, early-childhood educators and participants in the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) initiative dominated the foreign-worker invitations. Minimum Expression-of-Interest (EOI) scores ranged from 33 for physicians to 44 for REDI candidates, signalling a continued emphasis on addressing sectoral and regional shortages.
For employers, the take-away is urgency: once an employee receives an ITA, the company has only 14 calendar days to submit the employer application, and the candidate has 17 days to lodge the nomination file. Failure to meet these tight timelines risks losing the invitation. Corporate HR teams are therefore advised to pre-collect proof-of-wages, business-operation evidence and compliance fees before the next round is announced.
![Ontario issues 1,825 Employer-Job-Offer invitations in first OINP rounds of 2026]()
To help employers and applicants stay ahead of these tight deadlines, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support with Canadian work permits and entry visas, from document collection to submission tracking. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines paperwork, provides real-time status updates, and ensures that both HR teams and foreign nationals have the correct files ready when an OINP invitation arrives.
The draw is also a bell-wether for federal policy. Ontario is Canada’s largest recipient of newcomers, and its occupation-focused strategy mirrors Ottawa’s new category-based Express Entry draws. Observers expect further alignment later in the year, particularly in health care and skilled trades, which could reduce overall CRS thresholds for Ontario-bound talent.
With 2026 provincial allocations still unannounced, this early deployment of 1,825 slots suggests Ontario intends to front-load its admissions to give employers certainty in the crucial post-holiday hiring cycle. Companies planning intra-company transfers or new green-field investments should factor in faster provincial timelines when building their mobility calendars for Q1 and Q2.
Unlike general draws, the OINP used an occupation-specific approach. Physicians, healthcare professionals, early-childhood educators and participants in the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) initiative dominated the foreign-worker invitations. Minimum Expression-of-Interest (EOI) scores ranged from 33 for physicians to 44 for REDI candidates, signalling a continued emphasis on addressing sectoral and regional shortages.
For employers, the take-away is urgency: once an employee receives an ITA, the company has only 14 calendar days to submit the employer application, and the candidate has 17 days to lodge the nomination file. Failure to meet these tight timelines risks losing the invitation. Corporate HR teams are therefore advised to pre-collect proof-of-wages, business-operation evidence and compliance fees before the next round is announced.
To help employers and applicants stay ahead of these tight deadlines, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support with Canadian work permits and entry visas, from document collection to submission tracking. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines paperwork, provides real-time status updates, and ensures that both HR teams and foreign nationals have the correct files ready when an OINP invitation arrives.
The draw is also a bell-wether for federal policy. Ontario is Canada’s largest recipient of newcomers, and its occupation-focused strategy mirrors Ottawa’s new category-based Express Entry draws. Observers expect further alignment later in the year, particularly in health care and skilled trades, which could reduce overall CRS thresholds for Ontario-bound talent.
With 2026 provincial allocations still unannounced, this early deployment of 1,825 slots suggests Ontario intends to front-load its admissions to give employers certainty in the crucial post-holiday hiring cycle. Companies planning intra-company transfers or new green-field investments should factor in faster provincial timelines when building their mobility calendars for Q1 and Q2.
