Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream – Applicant Checklist

Important update: The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream is closed. On June 26, 2026, Ontario retired all eight of its previous OINP streams — Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, In-Demand Skills, International Student, Master's Graduate, PhD Graduate, and the three Express Entry-linked streams — and replaced them with a single new pathway: the Ontario Workforce Priority (OWP) stream. The OINP Employer Portal and the applicant Expression of Interest (EOI) system have since reopened under the new rules, and this checklist reflects the requirements as they currently stand. If you submitted a complete application before June 26, 2026, it continues to be assessed under the rules in effect when you applied.

Overview

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream covers three separate pathways:

• Foreign workers with an Ontario job offer (across all NOC/TEER levels)
• Recent graduates of eligible Ontario institutions, who qualify with reduced work experience
• Self-employed physicians, who may qualify without a job offer through OHIP billing and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario registration

Once you have registered an EOI and received an Invitation to Apply, you must scan and upload every mandatory document with your online application. The exact set of documents depends on which pathway you qualify under.

Your application will include some or all of the following:

• Applicant Consent Form
• Identity documents
• Status in Canada documents
• Education documents
• Language test results
• Work history documents
• Licensing or authorization documents
• Pay slips
• Resumé
• Expression of Interest (EOI) scoring factor documents
• Optional supporting documents (if applicable)

Note: All listed documents are mandatory unless stated otherwise. Do not upload extra, non-required documents — this slows down processing. Additional documents may be requested while your application is being assessed. An application missing mandatory documentation will be returned as incomplete and the application fee refunded.

Application Timelines

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream runs on a coordinated employer/applicant timeline:

• EOI registration: the applicant must register an EOI within 30 calendar days of the employer submitting the job offer.
• Employer response to invitation: once an invitation is issued, the employer has 14 calendar days to submit the employment position approval.
• Applicant response to invitation: the applicant then has 17 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit the application and pay the fee — after the employer's submission is in. Gather your documents before you are invited, not after.
• Onward application to IRCC: after a provincial nomination is approved, the applicant must apply to IRCC for permanent residence within 6 months (Express Entry candidates have 30 days to accept the nomination and 60 days to submit their IRCC application afterward).

Uploading Your Documents

Before you begin, review these technical requirements:

• Scan and upload all supporting documents directly into your online application.
• Documents must be clear and legible — blurry or unreadable scans are not accepted.
• Accepted formats: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, .gif, .tiff.
• Maximum file size is 10 MB per document. Scan at a lower resolution if your file is too large.
• All pages of a single document should be combined into one file where the size limit allows.
• Every document must be in English or French. If it is not, upload a copy of the original along with a complete certified or notarized translation.

Applicant Consent Form

Complete, sign, and upload the Applicant Consent Form in the Required Documents section of your application.

Do this after:

1. You have received your Invitation to Apply.
2. You have reviewed your application in the e-filing portal for accuracy.

Important: If you have an immigration representative, they must not sign the Applicant Consent Form on your behalf. It must be signed by you.

Identity Documents

1. Photograph

Upload a recent photograph of yourself. It must:

• Be a scanned copy of a physical photo, or a digital photograph.
• Meet passport or visa photo specifications.

The following will not be accepted:

• A photograph of the personal details page of your passport.
• Any image that is unclear or of low quality.

2. Passport

Upload a scanned copy of the personal details page of your passport, together with all pages showing Canadian visas and entry stamps.

3. Family Members' Passports

For each dependent family member — your spouse or common-law partner, your children under the age of 22, and their children — upload a scanned copy of the personal details page of their passport.

Status Documents in Canada

If applicable, upload scanned copies of your current and previous immigration status documents issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). These may include:

• Work permits
• Study permits
• Temporary resident visas
• Any other Canadian immigration document

If you currently have maintained status

Upload one of the following:

• The letter from IRCC acknowledging receipt of your application to extend your status.
• Your IRCC fee receipt.
• The post office mailing receipt you received when you applied to extend your status (if applicable).

Education Documents

What you upload depends on where you studied and which pathway you qualify under.

Recent Ontario graduate

Upload a copy of:

• Your degree, diploma or graduate certificate from an eligible college or university in Ontario.
• Your official transcripts issued by that institution.

Canadian credential

If you studied in Canada at an eligible academic institution, upload:

• A copy of your degree.
• A copy of your official transcripts from the institution that granted it.

If you do not have your credential yet

Upload:

• An official letter on institution letterhead confirming that your program requirements have been completed, that there are no outstanding fees, and the date your credential will be granted.
• Your official transcripts from that institution.

Foreign credential

If you studied outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report confirming your education is equivalent to a Canadian credential. The report must be issued by an IRCC-designated organization and must be less than five years old at the time you submit your application.

You must also authorize the ECA organization to share your results with the OINP electronically. Authorizing them to share the results with IRCC is not sufficient, and paper copies mailed to the OINP are not accepted.

Language Test Results

Upload a copy of your English or French language test results. The test must have been taken within two years before you submit your application.

Minimum benchmarks depend on your pathway: applicants in higher-skilled (TEER 0–3) job offer positions generally need at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6 (CLB 5 for skilled trades), while applicants in TEER 4–5 positions need at least CLB 4 across all four abilities. Some recent graduates of eligible Ontario institutions may be exempt — confirm your specific requirement before testing.

English tests accepted:

• IELTS — General Training only (not Academic, not One Skill Retake)
• CELPIP — General test only
• PTE Core — not PTE Academic

French tests accepted:

• TEF Canada
• TCF Canada

If you take CELPIP, select "IRCC purposes" as the reason for the test and IRCC as the receiving institution so the OINP can verify your results. Scan the full results page and make sure no text is cut off.

Licensing or Authorization Documents

If your job offer — or the Ontario work experience you are claiming — is in an occupation that requires a mandatory licence or other authorization in Ontario, upload a copy of that licence or authorization.

Pay Slips

If you are already working for your employer in the same position as your job offer, upload copies of your two most recent pay slips.

Work History Documents

Work history documents do not apply to self-employed physicians applying without a job offer.

1. Employment/Work Experience Reference Letters

If your job offer is not in a licensed occupation, upload reference letters for all work experience included in your application. Each letter must:

• Be dated and printed on business letterhead.
• Show the business address, telephone and fax numbers, email and website.
• Include the name and signature of the responsible officer or supervisor.
• State your dates of employment and job title for each position held.
• Describe your duties and responsibilities in detail for each position.
• State your total annual salary plus benefits, hours worked per week, weeks of work per year, and any extended periods of leave.

You may also submit job descriptions, performance reviews or job advertisements as supporting evidence.

2. Work Contracts (Optional)

You may upload copies of work contracts for any work experience included in your application.

3. Proof of Compensation

You must upload proof of compensation for every period of work experience you claim. This can include:

• Pay slips, cheques or pay statements for the first and last month of each work period.
• Bank statements showing salary deposits for the first and last month of each work period.
• Income tax documents.
• Letters from employers confirming your annual salary or hourly wage — these must explain why other documentation is unavailable.

4. Canada Revenue Agency Statements

If you have worked in Canada, upload the tax statements relevant to the work experience you are claiming, where available:

• Official T4 Statements of Remuneration Paid from your Canadian employer(s).
• Notice of Assessment (NOA) statements from the CRA.

If you do not have these documents, include a written explanation with your application.

5. Self-Employment Documents

If you are relying on self-employment to meet the work experience requirement, upload, as applicable:

• Business registration or ownership confirmation documents.
• Income tax returns.
• T4A statements (if self-employed in Canada).
• Reference letters from clients or third parties describing the service provided and payment details.
• Invoices.
• Business advertisements such as web postings or brochures.

6. Other Work-Related Documentation (Optional)

Include any other relevant documents that support your claimed work experience.

Resumé

Upload a copy of your most current resumé. It should include:

• Your current and past work experience.
• Your education.
• Your duties and responsibilities for each position held.
• Your current residential address, email address and phone number.

Intention to Live and Work in Ontario

List your established ties to Ontario. These can include:

• Current or previous employment in Ontario.
• Job offers, applications or interviews in Ontario.
• Education in Ontario.
• Volunteer work in Ontario.
• Lease agreements for a residence in Ontario, or property ownership.
• Professional networks and affiliations.
• Family ties in Ontario.
• Social connections or personal relationships.
• Previous visits to Ontario.

If you have no ties to Ontario, you may provide a statement of intent confirming your wish to live there.

Redaction of financial documents: black out any credit card numbers in the documents you submit. Failure to redact will delay processing.

Expression of Interest Scoring Factor Documents

Scoring factors are not the same as stream criteria. You must meet every stream requirement and upload documents supporting each scoring factor you claimed in your EOI, including occupation and wage level, work experience (both with your job offer employer and elsewhere in Ontario), education, language proficiency, job location, and earnings history.

1. NOC/TEER Category, Broad Occupational Category and Wage

• Job offer applicants: your employer must submit a job offer letter describing your job duties and wage with their application.
• Self-employed physicians: your medical licence is sufficient evidence for the points claimed for your occupation.

2. Legal Status in Canada

Upload copies of current and previous status documents issued by IRCC or the CBSA, such as work permits and study permits. If you have maintained status, include the IRCC acknowledgement letter, the IRCC fee receipt, or the post office mailing receipt (if applicable).

3. Ontario Work Experience

• Job offer applicants: you or your employer must provide a work reference letter showing your dates of employment and duties. Points claimed for work in the job offer position must be for work with your job offer employer, in the same occupation and at the same location as your job offer.
• Self-employed physicians: points claimed for cumulative medical practice in Ontario must be supported by remittance advice reports showing payment of OHIP claims. Business registration documents or third-party reference letters may also be provided.

4. Canadian Earnings History

Points claimed for earnings history must be supported by a single Notice of Assessment issued by the CRA within the last five years. The redesigned stream expanded the earnings brackets used for scoring (roughly $30,000 up to $70,000+), so higher documented earnings can now translate into additional points.

T4 slips alone are not accepted, and earnings combined across multiple calendar years are not accepted.

5. Official Language Ability

Provide language test results obtained within the last two years from an approved testing service — IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core, TEF Canada or TCF Canada.

6. Regionalization: Location of Job Offer

• Job offer applicants: your employer must clearly state the location of employment in the job offer.
• Self-employed physicians: provide proof of your OHIP billing number registration showing a practice address.

Reporting Changes to Your Information

You must notify the OINP if anything in your application changes, including your contact information, your immigration status (for example, an expiring or changed work permit), or your family composition through marriage, a common-law relationship, the birth of a child, a change of custody, separation, divorce or death. Failing to report a change can affect the outcome of your application.

You can update your telephone number, email address and country of residence yourself in the OINP e-Filing Portal under "My Profile." All other changes, including correcting a data entry error, require the Change of Personal Information form to be submitted through the OINP webform.