**Ontario publishes the OWPS scoring grid - 130 points**

 

On July 20, 2026, Ontario posted the EOI scoring criteria and applicant document checklist for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS).

 

■ Three pathways

 

① TEER 0–3 (higher-skilled) ② TEER 4–5 (lower-skilled) ③ Self-employed physicians eligible to bill OHIP

Pathways ① and ② require a permanent, full-time job offer from an eligible Ontario employer.

 

■ How the 130 points break down

 

Work region 15 · NOC TEER 9 · Hourly wage 15 · Occupational category 10 · Ontario work experience 18 · Canadian income tax history 8 · Education 10 · Canadian credentials 10 · Language 15 · Bilingualism 10 · Temporary resident status 10

 

Key allocations

・Region: Northern Ontario 15 / Eastern, Central outside the GTA, and Southwestern 10 each / GTA outside Toronto 5 / **Toronto 0**

・TEER: 0 and 1 = 9 / 2 and 3 = 6 / 4 and 5 = 0

・Wage: $40+ 15 / $35–39.99 12 / $30–34.99 10 / $25–29.99 8 / $20–24.99 5

・Category: Health 10 / Trades, transport, equipment 8 / Natural and applied sciences 6 / Management, business, education, resources, manufacturing 4 / Art and sales-service 2

・Experience: 18/15/12 for six or more months **in the same position as the job offer**; 12/9/6 for other Ontario experience

・Income tax: $70,000+ 8 / $50,000+ 6 / $30,000+ 4, based on the CRA Notice of Assessment

・Language: CLB 9+ 15 / 8 → 12 / 7 → 8 / 6 → 4, from a test taken within two years

・Status: work permit 10 / study permit 5

 

※ Self-employed physicians are not scored on wage; their experience points come from cumulative medical practice in Ontario, up to 18 points at 24 months or more.

 

■ Process and deadlines — employer-driven

 

1. The employer registers the position in the OINP Employer Portal and receives a Job Offer ID

2. The worker registers an EOI within **30 days**; the EOI remains valid for 12 months

3. Ontario issues invitations to the highest-scoring candidates

4. The employer files for approval of the employment position within **14 days**. If that deadline passes, the application is withdrawn and a new job offer must be created for future consideration

5. The applicant submits the nomination application within **17 days**

6. Federal PR application within **six months** of nomination

 

■ What matters in practice

 

1) Express Entry is now an option.**

TEER 0–3 job-offer holders and self-employed physicians can use the nomination through Express Entry for **+600 CRS**. The difference in processing time and certainty compared with a direct federal application is substantial.

 

2) Much of the score is fixed by how the job offer is structured.**

NOC and wage carry over from the employer's portal entry and cannot be edited by the applicant. Changing them requires withdrawing the job offer, registering a new one, and creating a new EOI. TEER (9) plus occupational category (10) plus wage (15) is 34 points settled at that moment; adding work region (15) brings it to 49.

 

3) The regional spread is wide.**

The same person doing the same job scores 0 in Toronto and 15 in Northern Ontario. Ottawa, Waterloo, Windsor, and Hamilton each pick up 10 points relative to Toronto.

 

4) The TEER 4–5 pathway starts from a lower base.**

Zero for TEER, two for the sales-service category, and typically five to eight for wage. At the maximum spread that is roughly a 25-point gap, so region, same-position experience, and language have to carry the profile.

 

5) Points for studying in Ontario are gone.**

Canadian post-secondary credentials still score up to 10 points as a separate factor. What was removed was the premium attached to studying in Ontario specifically.

 

6) Income tax scoring has been expanded.**

What used to be a single threshold is now tiered from $30,000 up to $70,000 and above, which favours candidates with a record of working and paying tax in Canada.

 

7) Employer requirements deserve a check.**

At least three years of operation in Ontario, a business location in the province, minimum revenue and staffing thresholds, and compliance with Ontario employment legislation.

 

■ Timing

 

The EOI system is closed and expected to reopen later this summer, with invitation rounds to follow. Demand is likely to be concentrated at reopening.

 

Worth having ready now: language test results within two years, an ECA, your CRA Notice of Assessment, confirmation of work permit validity, and the employer's Employer Portal registration.

 

■ Background**

 

Ontario retired its previous streams on May 30, 2026 and announced OWPS eligibility criteria on June 26. Priority Healthcare, Entrepreneur, and Exceptional Talent streams have been announced without launch dates. Applications already submitted under the retired streams continue to be assessed under the criteria in place when they were received.

 

Eligibility and likely scores depend on individual circumstances and warrant a case-by-case review. We're glad to help.

 

Source: Ontario.ca — Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, published July 20, 2026