The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) in Canada has increased the scores of candidates with annual incomes of at least 80,000 Canadian dollars, making them more likely to be selected and obtain provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residency.
On October 7, 2026, the Ontario government announced that candidates with the highest incomes can now receive a bonus of 10 points under the Ontario Workforce Priority Selection (OWPS) new screening criteria.
According to a notice published by the Ontario Immigration Office on its official website, individuals who have had an annual income of 80,000 Canadian dollars or more for at least one year in the past five years will be awarded 10 points in their category assessment.
The notice stated that the new standards were implemented on October 5, 2026, and have been automatically applied to the profiles of affected individuals. Existing applicants do not need to make any changes or log into the Ontario Nomination Program electronic application portal to receive updated scores.
Before this rule change, the maximum points achievable were 8, requiring applicants to have an income of 70,000 Canadian dollars or more.
Now, the points awarded based on annual income of applicants are as follows: 80,000 Canadian dollars and above – 10 points, between 70,000 and just below 80,000 Canadian dollars – 8 points, between 50,000 and just below 70,000 Canadian dollars – 6 points, between 30,000 and just below 50,000 Canadian dollars – 4 points, below 30,000 Canadian dollars – 0 points.
Candidates with higher scores are more likely to be selected under the Ontario Nomination Program and receive an invitation to apply for provincial nomination. Once nominated by the provincial government, they can then apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residency.
Currently, the Ontario Workforce Priority Selection (OWPS) is the sole pathway for foreign nationals to obtain a provincial nomination for Ontario immigration. On May 30 of this year, Ontario abolished all previous immigration nomination categories.
On June 26, Ontario officially announced the OWPS program. On August 4, the provincial government opened applications for OWPS to eligible Ontario employers, workers, and self-employed doctors.
In December 2025, the Ontario government announced the start of immigration reforms. The OWPS program is the first phase of Ontario’s provincial immigration nomination program reform.
The second phase will include the introduction of three additional program categories: [to be continued]