Ontario issues more than 1,800 invitations to foreign workers and students in latest immigration draw
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held four draws on April 8, 2026, issuing a total of 1,828 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates across healthcare, Francophone, physician, and regional streams.
The draws targeted candidates under the province’s Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker (FW), International Student (IS), and In-Demand Skills (IDS) streams. To have been invited, candidates must have declared that they currently reside in Canada with a valid work or study permit.
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This is the province’s sixth set of invitation rounds in 2026, following draws held on February 2, February 18, March 18, March 25, and April 1.
Draw details
The OINP issued ITAs across four separate draws. The healthcare and early childhood education draw accounted for the vast majority of invitations:
Draw Streams Total invitations Foreign Worker min. score International Student min. score In-Demand Skills min. score
Healthcare and early childhood education FW, IS 1,635 20 46 —
Francophone candidates FW, IS, IDS 146 35 63 25
REDI pilot (Lanark, Leeds and Grenville) FW, IS, IDS 32 46 57 33
Physicians FW 15 43 — —
Eligible profiles must have been created and attested to (supported by a job offer from an eligible employer) by April 6, 2026 (11:59 p.m.).
Healthcare and early childhood education draw
The largest draw of the round issued 1,635 ITAs to candidates with job offers in nursing, healthcare support, and early childhood education roles.
The minimum score for the Foreign Worker stream dropped to 20 — down from 36 in the February 2 healthcare draw.
The International Student minimum also fell, from 56 to 46. The lower thresholds suggest the OINP is casting a wider net to fill critical staffing gaps in these sectors.
The April 8 draw also narrowed its eligible occupations slightly compared to February 2, removing physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals (National Occupation Classification (NOC) 31303) from the list.
Francophone draw
The OINP issued 146 ITAs to Francophone candidates across all three Employer Job Offer streams. The draw covered a wide range of occupations spanning business, technology, healthcare, education, trades, and manufacturing.
The Foreign Worker stream targeted 46 occupations with a minimum score of 35, while the International Student stream targeted 29 occupations at a score of 63.
The In-Demand Skills stream invited candidates at a score of 25 with job offers in 11 occupations, including home support workers, shippers and receivers, construction labourers, and food processing workers.
REDI pilot draw
The OINP issued 32 ITAs under its Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot, which targets candidates with job offers in Lanark or Leeds and Grenville counties in Eastern Ontario. The pilot is designed to help smaller communities outside major urban centres attract and retain newcomers.
Physicians draw
The OINP issued 15 ITAs to physicians under the Foreign Worker stream, with a minimum score of 43. Eligible candidates must have a job offer as a specialist in clinical and laboratory medicine (NOC 31100), specialist in surgery (NOC 31101), or a general practitioner and family physician (NOC 31102).
For more details on physician eligibility, including changes to self-employed physician requirements, see the OINP’s January 5 program update.
Next steps
Employers of selected candidates must review the employer guide and submit a complete application for approval of an employment position within 14 calendar days from the date of invitation.
Invited candidates must then submit their OINP application within 17 calendar days of receiving the ITA.
After receiving a provincial nomination from Ontario, successful nominees can then apply to the federal government for permanent residence (PR).
Changes coming to the OINP
These draws come as Ontario prepares for a complete overhaul of its immigration streams. Legal changes to the Ontario Immigration Act are set to take effect on May 30, 2026, revoking all existing categories of applicants eligible for a certificate of nomination — including the Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills categories used in these draws.
The OINP has not yet confirmed when replacement streams will launch or whether existing candidates will be transitioned.
