Ontario Restarts Immigration Draws, Issues 3,700+ Invitations After Four-Month Pause
After a four-month hiatus, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) resumed its provincial immigration draws on June 3, issuing a total of 3,719 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency under the Employer Job Offer streams.
This sudden wave of ITAs follows the recent announcement of Ontario’s reduced nomination allocation for 2025—down 50% to just 10,750 slots due to federal immigration cuts.
Despite the limited capacity, Ontario conducted 10 targeted draws in one day across three key streams: Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills. Each draw focused on different candidate profiles aligned with regional labour market needs.
Foreign Worker Stream – 807 ITAs Issued
Three draws were held under this stream, targeting:
- Candidates in Northern Ontario – 391 ITAs, minimum score: 56
- REDI Pilot communities – 411 ITAs, minimum score: 32
- Career development professionals (NOC 41321) – 5 ITAs, minimum score: 45
Eligible candidates needed a job offer in a TEER 0–3 skilled occupation and had to be residing in Canada.
In-Demand Skills Stream – 372 ITAs Issued
This stream focused on lower-skilled yet essential roles, such as agriculture, construction, and caregiving:
- Northern Ontario – 89 ITAs, minimum score: 32
- REDI Pilot – 69 ITAs, minimum score: 23
- Health-related occupations – 214 ITAs, minimum score: 34 (e.g. caregivers under NOC 44101)
International Student Stream – 2,540 ITAs Issued
The largest draw volumes were seen under this stream, with four draws targeting:
- Health occupations – 1,350 ITAs, minimum score: 68
- Eastern Ontario – 334 ITAs, minimum score: 85
- Northern Ontario – 493 ITAs, minimum score: 54
- REDI Pilot communities – 363 ITAs, minimum score: 60
Health occupations included a wide range of NOC codes, from physicians and nurses to caregivers and physician assistants.
To qualify, candidates needed a job offer in a TEER 0–3 occupation and a credential from a Canadian institution. No work experience is required for this stream.
Context: Nomination Cuts Affect Processing Times
Ontario’s flurry of ITAs comes shortly after confirming a drastic cut to its PNP nomination limit, down from 21,500 in 2024 to just 10,750 for 2025—a direct result of federal reductions to immigration quotas under the new 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
With the program now operating under tight constraints, processing times are expected to increase, and competition for nomination will be more intense moving forward.
What Is the REDI Pilot?
The Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) Pilot is a special PR pathway for skilled workers with job offers in smaller or underserved Ontario communities like Thunder Bay, Sarnia-Lambton, Leeds and Grenville, and Lanark County.
REDI aims to address chronic labour shortages in these areas while supporting regional economic growth.
For a consultation about Immigration options, reach out to the CAD IMMIGRATION today!
