Entrepreneur Stream

Important update: The OINP Entrepreneur Stream is closed. It stopped accepting new applications on November 4, 2024, and was formally revoked on May 30, 2026 as part of Ontario's program redesign. There is currently no way to submit a new Expression of Interest or application under this stream. This page explains what happened, what it means for existing files, what Ontario has said about a redesigned entrepreneur pathway, and which routes remain open for business owners today.

Entrepreneur Stream At a Glance

The Entrepreneur Stream was part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), established under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015. It was designed for entrepreneurs from outside Canada who wanted to start a new business or purchase an existing one in Ontario, and it allowed an entrepreneur and one eligible business partner to be nominated for permanent residence after establishing that business.

Current status:

• Closed to new applications. No new Expressions of Interest can be registered and no invitations are being issued.
• Revoked by regulation. The stream was removed from the OINP framework on May 30, 2026.
• Replacement not yet launched. Ontario has signalled a redesigned entrepreneur pathway as part of Phase 2 of its OINP rebuild, but no eligibility criteria and no launch date have been published.
• Nomination authority unchanged. Where a nomination is issued, final approval of permanent residence still rests with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Important Note:

This page is provided as a reference summary. If there is any discrepancy between this content and the regulations under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015, the legislation takes precedence. Because Ontario is actively redesigning the program, always confirm current status before making plans.

OINP Entrepreneur Stream Closure Timeline

December 2023: intake paused. Ontario suspended new registrations to the Entrepreneur Stream while it reviewed the program.

November 4, 2024: stream closed. This was the last date Ontario accepted applications under the Entrepreneur Stream. Files already submitted continued to be processed under the rules in effect when they were filed.

March 16, 2026: regulatory changes announced. Ontario announced amendments preparing for a full redesign of the OINP.

May 30, 2026: stream revoked. Amendments to the regulations under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 took effect, removing the Entrepreneur Stream and the Regional Immigration Pilot from the program.

June 26, 2026: Phase 1 of the redesign. Ontario removed its eight remaining streams and introduced the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream. The previous Expression of Interest system was closed, and registrations that had not resulted in an invitation were withdrawn.

August 4, 2026: new EOI portal opened. The Expression of Interest portal opened for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which covers job offers across all NOC TEER categories and self employed physicians. It is an employment based stream and does not replace the Entrepreneur Stream.

What the Closure Means If You Already Applied

If you submitted a full application before November 4, 2024: your file continues to be assessed against the eligibility requirements that were in effect on the day you applied. The closure of the stream does not retroactively change the criteria applied to your application.

If you signed a Performance Agreement and are establishing your business: your obligations flow from that agreement. You are still expected to meet the investment, job creation, residency and active management commitments recorded in it, and to submit your final report as scheduled.

If you had a registered Expression of Interest that never received an invitation: no invitation will be issued. Registrations under the former streams were withdrawn as Ontario updated its platforms, and affected registrants were notified directly.

If you were preparing to apply: there is no application to prepare for at this time. Planning based on the previous criteria, or on the assumption that the same thresholds will return, is premature.

The Redesigned Entrepreneur Stream

Ontario has described its rebuild of the OINP as a two phase process. Phase 1 delivered the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Phase 2 has been signalled as including a Priority Healthcare stream, an Exceptional Talent stream, and a redesigned Entrepreneur stream.

What is publicly known about the redesigned entrepreneur pathway is limited:

• It is expected to focus on active business operation rather than passive investment.
• Business succession, meaning the purchase of an existing Ontario business, has been identified as a priority.
• Lower investment thresholds for rural and northern communities have been discussed.
• Alignment with Ontario's priority sectors has been raised in consultations.

None of this is in force. No regulation has been made, no eligibility criteria have been published, and no launch date has been confirmed. Any figure circulating online for the redesigned stream is speculation.

Former Entrepreneur Stream Requirements

The criteria below describe the stream as it operated before closure. They are retained here for reference and for applicants whose files are still in process. They are not the criteria of any currently open program.

Business Experience

• Duration: at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.
• As a Business Owner: active participation in managing the business, with ownership of at least one-third of it.
• As a Senior Manager: senior decision-making responsibility and management of day-to-day operations.

Net Worth

• Greater Toronto Area (GTA): at least $800,000 CAD.
• Outside the GTA: at least $400,000 CAD.
• Net worth had to be lawfully obtained and verifiable, and excluded a spouse's assets.

Personal Investment and Equity

• GTA: minimum $600,000 CAD.
• Outside the GTA: minimum $200,000 CAD.
• Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector: minimum $200,000 CAD regardless of location.
• Control of at least one-third of business equity was required.
• Passive investments such as mutual funds did not count toward the minimum.

Job Creation

• Inside the GTA: at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Outside the GTA, or in the ICT sector in any location: at least one permanent full-time job.
• Jobs had to be paid at the median wage level, held for at least 10 continuous months before the final report, and in existence at the time of the final report and nomination.

Language and Residency

• Listening, reading, writing and speaking English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4. Accepted English tests were IELTS General Training and CELPIP General. Accepted French tests were TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
• Physical presence in Ontario for 75% of the time while establishing the business.
• Arrival in Ontario on a temporary work permit within 12 months of Stage 1 approval, with notice to the program within seven days.
• Implementation of the business plan within 20 months of arriving in Ontario.

Purchasing an Existing Business

• At least one business-related visit to Ontario within 12 months of registering the Expression of Interest.
• The business had to have operated continuously for the last 60 months under the same ownership.
• Full ownership transfer, with no shares retained by previous owners.
• At least 10% of personal investment directed to improving or expanding the business.
• Retention of all existing permanent full-time jobs.
• The business could not have been previously owned or operated by a current or former OINP business stream nominee, or by anyone nominated under the Entrepreneur Stream or the Opportunities Ontario Investor Component.

Ineligible Business Types

Automated car washes, holding companies, laundromats, pawnbrokers, payday loan businesses, scrap metal recycling, tire recycling, businesses dealing in pornography or sexually explicit content or services, and businesses previously owned or operated by an OINP Entrepreneur Stream or former Opportunities Ontario investor nominee. Inside the GTA, existing Ontario franchises, gas stations and bed and breakfasts were also excluded. New foreign franchises expanding into Ontario were permitted.

Alternatives for Entrepreneurs While Ontario Rebuilds

The closure of the Ontario Entrepreneur Stream does not close off business immigration to Canada. Depending on your profile, capital and flexibility on location, the routes below are worth assessing.

Entrepreneur streams in other provinces. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and the territories operate their own business immigration pathways, with a range of net worth and investment thresholds. Nomination through another province does not prevent you from settling elsewhere in Canada once you hold permanent residence, although you are expected to establish the business in the nominating province in good faith.

The C11 owner operator work permit. This is a federal, LMIA exempt work permit for foreign nationals whose business will bring significant benefit to Canada. It is not itself a permanent residence pathway, but it can allow you to enter Canada, operate your business and build Canadian experience while other options develop.

Express Entry on your own profile. Many entrepreneurs and senior managers have the education, language ability and skilled work history to enter the Express Entry pool without any provincial nomination. Category based draws targeting specific occupations and French language ability run independently of provincial programs.

Ontario Workforce Priority stream. If your circumstances allow you to take a full-time permanent job offer in Ontario rather than run your own business, this is currently the only active OINP pathway.

Waiting for Phase 2. If Ontario remains your objective and your capital and business plan are flexible, positioning your file so that it is ready when a redesigned entrepreneur stream launches is a legitimate strategy, provided your status in Canada or elsewhere is stable in the meantime.

How SEP Immigration Can Help

Business immigration files are document heavy and depend on structuring decisions made early. Whether you have an existing OINP Entrepreneur file in process, a Performance Agreement to satisfy, or a business plan that now needs a different destination, an assessment of your options against currently open programs is the practical next step.

You can find Ontario's official program notices and the current status of every OINP stream on the Government of Ontario's OINP program updates page.