Ontario Launches Three New Permanent Residence Pathways Under Its 2026 Immigration Overhaul

June 27, 2026

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On June 26, 2026, Ontario launched new permanent residence pathways. This is part of a provincial immigration overhaul announced in December 2025.

What Changed: Ontario's December 2025 Immigration Overhaul

The province retired all previous pathways on May 30, 2026. Applicants must wait for the OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) system to reopen. It will open "later in the summer."

The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream: Three New Pathways

The overhaul's first phase introduces the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream. This stream includes the TEER 0–3 pathway, the TEER 4–5 pathway, and the Self-Employed Physicians pathway.

TEER 0–3 Pathway: Requirements

This pathway requires a full-time, permanent job offer with an eligible Ontario employer in TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3. Full-time means at least 30 hours per week.

Applicants need CLB 6 or CLB 5 in English or French in all four language abilities, or they must be a recent Ontario graduate. Candidates must hold a license for a regulated profession or meet education and work experience minimums.

Education requires a post-secondary degree or diploma from a program of at least one year of full-time study. Candidates must also meet one of the following work experience requirements:

At least two years of cumulative full-time experience in a related occupation within the past five years.
Six months of consecutive full-time work in the same job with the same Ontario employer.
Three months of work experience for recent Ontario graduates.

TEER 4–5 Pathway: Requirements

This pathway requires a full-time, permanent job offer in a TEER 4 or 5 occupation. The job must pay at least the occupation's median wage.

Applicants need at least nine months of cumulative work experience within the past two years. This experience must be in the same job with the same employer.

Candidates also need a secondary school diploma. They must have CLB 4 in English or French in all four abilities.

Self-Employed Physicians Pathway: Requirements

Candidates must be licensed and in good standing as a physician in Ontario. They need a valid certificate of registration.

They must also be eligible to bill through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Eligible Employer Criteria

Employers must maintain a place of business in Ontario and have operated for at least three years. Gross annual revenue requirements vary by location.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA): $1,000,000 in the most recently completed fiscal year.
Major CMA: $500,000 in the most recently completed fiscal year.
Outside GTA and major CMAs: $250,000 in each of the past two most recently completed fiscal years.

Employers in the GTA must have five full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Employers outside the GTA must have three.

Phase Two: Three More Streams Coming

Ontario will launch three additional streams in phase two, though no launch date is announced yet.

Priority Healthcare Stream: For licensed healthcare professionals. Importantly, this stream will not require a job offer.
Entrepreneur Stream: For business owner-operators.
Exceptional Talent Stream: For people with exceptional achievement in science, technology, arts, literature, culture, and academia.

What Applicants Should Do Now

Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through these pathways can begin gathering their professional and educational records. The EOI system is expected to reopen later in the summer, and applicants should prepare their documents now.