Ontario Workforce Priority Stream: Expression of Interest Scoring Criteria

By Andrew Carvajal, Canadian Immigration Lawyer

Further to our blog post from July 6 on the OINP Phase 1 Redesign and the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream, Ontario has now released the details of its new Expression of Interest (EOI) scoring system. The scoring criteria were published on the official OINP website on July 20, 2026. Candidates will be scored out of a maximum of 130 points across eleven categories. Below are the complete scoring tables.

Scoring Overview — Maximum 130 Points

Scoring Category	Maximum Points
Work Region	15
NOC TEER Category	9
NOC Broad Occupational Category	10
Hourly Wage ¹	15
Ontario Work Experience	18
Canadian Earnings History	8
Legal Status in Canada	10
Level of Education	10
Canadian Educational Credentials	10
Official Language Proficiency	15
Official Language Bilingualism	10
TOTAL (maximum)	130

¹ Hourly Wage is not applicable to self-employed physicians. All other scoring factors apply to all categories.

1.  Work Region (up to 15 points)

Region	Points	Census Divisions
Northern Ontario	15	Muskoka, Haliburton, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora
Eastern Ontario	10	Frontenac, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Central Ontario (outside GTA)	10	Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe, Waterloo and Wellington
Southwestern Ontario	10	Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford and Perth
Inside GTA (except Toronto)	5	Durham, Halton, Peel and York
Toronto	0	City of Toronto

2.  NOC TEER Category (up to 9 points)

NOC TEER	Points	Definition
0	9	Management positions
1	9	Jobs typically requiring a university degree
2	6	Supervisory roles, or jobs requiring a college diploma or apprenticeship of at least 2 years
3	6	Jobs requiring a college diploma or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or at least 6 months of on-the-job training
4	0	Jobs typically requiring a high school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training
5	0	Jobs typically requiring only short-term work demonstration

3.  NOC Broad Occupational Category (up to 10 points)

Category	Points	Broad Occupational Category
3	10	Health
7	8	Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
2	6	Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
0, 1, 4, 8, 9	4	Legislative and senior management; Business, finance and administration; Education, law and social, community and government services; Natural resources, agriculture and related production; Manufacturing and utilities
5, 6	2	Art, culture, recreation and sport; Sales and service

4.  Hourly Wage (up to 15 points)

Hourly Wage	Points
$40 per hour or more	15
$35 to $39.99 per hour	12
$30 to $34.99 per hour	10
$25 to $29.99 per hour	8
$20 to $24.99 per hour	5
Less than $20 per hour	0

Not applicable to self-employed physicians.

5.  Ontario Work Experience (up to 18 points)

A.  Candidates working 6 or more months in job offer position

Work Experience in Job Offer Position	Points
More than 24 months	18
13 to 24 months	15
6 to 12 months	12
Less than 6 months	0

B.  All other job offer candidates (less than 6 months in job offer position)

Work Experience in Ontario	Points
More than 24 months	12
13 to 24 months	9
6 to 12 months	6
Less than 6 months	0

C.  Self-employed physicians (cumulative medical practice in Ontario)

Cumulative Medical Practice in Ontario	Points
24 months or more	18
13 to 24 months	15
6 to 12 months	12
Less than 6 months	0

6.  Canadian Earnings History (up to 8 points)

Highest Annual Income in Past 5 Years (CRA Notice of Assessment)	Points
$70,000 or more	8
$50,000 to $69,999	6
$30,000 to $49,999	4
Less than $30,000	0

7.  Legal Status in Canada (up to 10 points)

Temporary Resident Status	Points
Valid work permit	10
Valid study permit	5
Neither (no valid work or study permit)	0

In-Canada applicants without a valid work or study permit must still have legal status in order to qualify for the OWPS.

8.  Level of Education (up to 10 points)

Highest Level of Education (Canadian Credential or ECA)	Points
Doctorate	10
Degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or optometry	10
Master's degree	8
University certificate or diploma above bachelor level	6
Bachelor's degree or equivalent	6
Ontario College Graduate Certificate	5
University certificate or diploma below bachelor level	5
College, CEGEP, or other non-university certificate or diploma	5
Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma	5
Less than college or trade certificate	0

A Canadian credential or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization is required for credentials obtained outside Canada.

9.  Canadian Educational Credentials (up to 10 points)

Number of Canadian Post-Secondary Credentials	Points
Two or more Canadian post-secondary credentials	10
One Canadian post-secondary credential	5
No Canadian post-secondary credential	0

Each credential must be from an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution and must require at least one year of full-time study to complete.

10.  Official Language Proficiency (up to 15 points)

Minimum CLB Score Across All 4 Abilities (Highest Official Language)	Points
CLB 9 or higher	15
CLB 8	12
CLB 7	8
CLB 6	4
CLB 5 or lower	0

Points are based on the lowest CLB score across all 4 language abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking) in the higher-scoring official language test. The test must have been completed within 2 years prior to application.

11.  Official Language Bilingualism (up to 10 points)

Official Language Bilingualism	Points
Both English and French (minimum CLB 6 in all 4 abilities for each)	10
One official language only	5

To receive 10 points, both English and French tests must demonstrate a minimum CLB 6 across all 4 language abilities.