Important 2026 OINP Program Change
OINP TEER 4–5 Pathway: Requirements, Eligibility & Application Process
The province removed the former eight OINP streams and introduced the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, with pathways for:
- TEER 0–3 occupations;
- TEER 4–5 occupations; and
- self-employed physicians.
The new EOI system opened on August 4, 2026.
Candidates considering the TEER 4–5 pathway should therefore be particularly careful when reading articles published before the 2026 redesign.
Information referring to the former Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream may no longer describe the current program.
If you are working in Ontario in a TEER 4 or TEER 5 occupation, you may have a pathway to permanent residence through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
Ontario introduced significant changes to its provincial nominee program in 2026. The former OINP streams were removed and replaced by the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which includes a specific pathway for workers with job offers in TEER 4 and TEER 5 occupations.
This pathway is particularly important for workers whose occupations may not qualify under many federal economic immigration programs but who have established employment with an eligible Ontario employer.
However, having a TEER 4 or TEER 5 job does not automatically make you eligible.
The applicant, job offer, employer and employment position must all meet Ontario’s requirements. In addition, candidates must first register an Expression of Interest (EOI), receive an invitation to apply, and then submit a complete application within the applicable deadline.
Important: Ontario’s immigration programs can change. The information on this page reflects the rules available at the time of publication and should be verified against the current OINP requirements before taking steps based on this information.
What Is the OINP TEER 4–5 Pathway?
The Ontario Workforce Priority: TEER 4–5 category is an Ontario provincial nominee pathway for foreign nationals who have a qualifying full-time and permanent job offer in Ontario in a TEER 4 or TEER 5 occupation.
TEER stands for:
- Training
- Education
- Experience
- Responsibilities
The TEER classification forms part of Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.
Under the current Ontario Workforce Priority stream, job offers can fall into different TEER categories. The TEER 4–5 pathway specifically applies where the offered position is classified under TEER 4 or TEER 5.
The Ontario government has stated that the redesigned program is intended to help Ontario address labour-market needs, retain workers in hard-to-fill positions and provide pathways for workers across different NOC TEER categories.
Who May Qualify for the OINP TEER 4–5 Pathway?
Generally, the pathway may be relevant to a foreign national who:
- has a qualifying job offer in Ontario;
- has a job offer in a TEER 4 or TEER 5 NOC occupation;
- has the required work experience;
- meets the minimum language requirement;
- has at least a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent;
- meets any applicable licensing or authorization requirements;
- has an eligible employer;
- intends to live and work in Ontario;
- registers an Expression of Interest;
- receives an invitation to apply; and
- submits a complete application within the required deadline.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee an invitation or nomination.
The OINP uses an Expression of Interest system to rank candidates, and an applicant must receive an invitation before submitting an application for nomination.
What Counts as TEER 4 or TEER 5?
Canada’s NOC system classifies occupations according to TEER categories. In broad terms:
| TEER | General description |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 | Management occupations |
| TEER 1 | Occupations generally requiring a university degree |
| TEER 2 | Occupations generally requiring college education, apprenticeship training or supervisory experience |
| TEER 3 | Occupations generally requiring college education, apprenticeship training or significant on-the-job training |
| TEER 4 | Occupations generally requiring secondary school education or several weeks of on-the-job training |
| TEER 5 | Occupations generally requiring short work demonstration and no formal education |
The exact requirements depend on the individual NOC. The NOC classification should therefore always be verified against the actual duties of the position.
OINP TEER 4–5 Eligibility Requirements
1. You Need a Qualifying Ontario Job Offer
The TEER 4–5 pathway is an employer-supported pathway.
You cannot simply apply because you have experience in a TEER 4 or TEER 5 occupation.
Your employer must participate in the OINP process and submit the required information through the Ontario Employer Portal.
The offered position must be approved by Ontario and must fall under an eligible TEER 4 or TEER 5 NOC occupation.
This makes the job offer one of the most important parts of the application.
2. The Job Must Be Full-Time and Permanent
The position must be:
- full-time; and
- permanent or of an indeterminate duration.
Ontario defines full-time employment for this purpose as at least:
30 hours of paid work per week, and at least 1,560 hours of paid work over a 12-month period.
A temporary, seasonal or fixed-term position may therefore not satisfy the requirements.
The job must also be urgently necessary to the employer’s business and must not be affected by a labour dispute.
3. Your Job Must Be TEER 4 or TEER 5
The position must be classified under a NOC occupation that falls within:
TEER 4
or
TEER 5
Choosing the correct NOC is extremely important.
The NOC should be based on the actual duties and responsibilities of the position—not simply the job title.
For example, two employees with similar job titles may have different NOC classifications depending on their actual duties.
Before registering an EOI, it is therefore important to determine whether:
- the job duties correspond to the selected NOC;
- the employer’s job offer uses the appropriate NOC;
- the NOC is TEER 4 or TEER 5; and
- the applicant’s work experience can be properly matched to the required occupation and position.
An incorrect NOC can affect both the employer’s application and the applicant’s eligibility.
4. Work Experience Requirement
One of the most important requirements for the TEER 4–5 pathway is work experience. You must have:
At least 9 months of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience in the employment position your employer is seeking approval for.
The experience must have been obtained:
within the two years before the date you submit your OINP application.
Ontario defines the qualifying full-time experience for this pathway as requiring:
- at least 30 hours of paid work per week; and
- at least 1,170 hours of paid work in a 12-month period
- The experience must relate to the employment position for which the employer is seeking approval.
This is an important difference from some other immigration programs.
You should not assume that any previous work experience will automatically satisfy the requirement.
The details of the:
i) employer; ii) position; iii) location; iv) duties; v) hours; vi) dates of employment; and vii) NOC classification
may all be relevant when assessing whether the experience qualifies.
5. Language Requirement
For a TEER 4 or TEER 5 job offer, the minimum language requirement is:
CLB 4
You must demonstrate at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in all four language abilities.
The four abilities are:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
The language test must be from an approved testing organization.
For English, Ontario currently accepts:
- IELTS General Training;
- CELPIP-General; and
- PTE Core.
For French, accepted tests include:
- TEF Canada; and
- TCF Canada.
The language test must generally be valid within the required period before the OINP application.
Do not assume that an IELTS Academic result will satisfy the requirement. Ontario specifically identifies IELTS General Training as the accepted IELTS test for this program.
6. Education Requirement
Applicants under the TEER 4–5 pathway must have:
A Canadian secondary school diploma or an equivalent credential from another country.
If your education was completed outside Canada, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) may be required to demonstrate Canadian equivalency.
Ontario identifies designated organizations that may provide an ECA for immigration purposes.
This means that a foreign secondary-school credential should not simply be assumed to be equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma without considering the applicable documentation requirements.
7. Licensing or Authorization
Some occupations in Ontario are regulated.
If the job requires a licence, registration, certificate or other authorization under Ontario or Canadian law, you must hold the required authorization where applicable.
Examples may include occupations where a person cannot legally perform the work without registration with a regulatory body or another form of authorization.
Having a job offer does not remove the requirement to comply with occupational licensing rules.
Before relying on a particular NOC, check whether the occupation is regulated and whether you are legally authorized to perform the work in Ontario.
8. You Must Intend to Live and Work in Ontario
The OINP is an Ontario immigration program.
Applicants must demonstrate an intention to reside in Ontario.
This is particularly important where the applicant has significant connections to another province or territory.
Your circumstances should be consistent with your stated intention to establish your life and employment in Ontario.
9. You Need an Invitation to Apply
A common misconception is that satisfying the minimum eligibility requirements means you can immediately submit an OINP application.
That is not how this pathway works.
The process begins with an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Ontario ranks EOIs using its scoring system.
If you are selected, Ontario issues an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Only after receiving the invitation can you proceed with the nomination application.
You must also be able to prove the information and qualifications that you declared in your EOI.
This makes accuracy at the EOI stage extremely important.
An applicant should not claim a qualification simply because they believe they may be able to document it later.
How the OINP TEER 4–5 Process Works
The process can be summarized as follows:
Step 1 — Employer initiates the process
The employer must participate through the OINP Employer Portal and submit the required job-offer information.
Step 2 — Applicant receives the Job Offer ID
Once the employer submits the job offer, the applicant receives a job offer ID.
Step 3 — Applicant registers an EOI
The applicant uses the job offer information to register an Expression of Interest.
Ontario currently requires the EOI to be registered within 30 calendar days of the employer submitting the job offer.
Step 4 — Ontario selects candidates
Ontario reviews and ranks EOIs according to its selection system.
Not every eligible candidate will necessarily receive an invitation.
Step 5 — Invitation to Apply
If selected, the applicant receives an Invitation to Apply.
Step 6 — Employer submits the employment-position application
Following an invitation, the employer must submit the application for approval of the employment position within the applicable deadline.
Ontario currently provides a 14-calendar-day deadline for the employer after an invitation.
Step 7 — Applicant submits the OINP application
The applicant must submit the nomination application and supporting documents within the applicable deadline.
Step 8 — Ontario assesses the application
Ontario reviews:
- applicant eligibility;
- work experience;
- language;
- education;
- NOC;
- job offer;
- employer eligibility;
- supporting documentation;
- EOI claims; and
- other applicable requirements.
Step 9 — Provincial nomination
If approved, Ontario issues a provincial nomination.
Step 10 — Apply for permanent residence
After nomination, the applicant proceeds with the federal permanent residence process through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A provincial nomination does not itself grant permanent residence.
IRCC makes the final decision on the permanent residence application.
Employer Requirements
The employer is a critical part of this pathway.
An applicant may satisfy the personal eligibility requirements but still be unable to qualify if the employer or position does not meet OINP requirements.
The employer generally must:
- have been actively operating for at least three years;
- have a business premises in Ontario;
- meet applicable revenue requirements;
- employ the required number of Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the relevant location;
- have no outstanding orders under Ontario employment standards or occupational health and safety legislation;
- meet the applicable job-offer requirements; and
- participate in the OINP Employer Portal process.
The employer must also demonstrate that the position is urgently necessary to the business.
Employer Revenue Requirements
The required employer revenue depends in part on where the applicant will work or report to work.
For example, the current rules provide different revenue thresholds depending on whether the position is located in:
- the Greater Toronto Area;
- certain designated Ontario regions; or
- other Ontario locations.
Ontario has also introduced more flexible revenue thresholds for employers located in qualifying rural communities.
This can be particularly relevant for applicants working outside major urban centres.
Because employer revenue requirements can affect whether a job offer is viable, both the applicant and employer should review the current OINP requirements before beginning the process.
Employer Employee Requirements
The employer must also meet a minimum employee requirement.
Generally, the employer must have a specified number of full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the relevant work location.
The number depends on where the applicant will work.
For positions in the GTA, the current requirement is generally higher than for positions outside the GTA.
Therefore, an applicant should not assume that a small business is automatically eligible to support an OINP application.
The employer’s: i) location; ii) staffing; iii) revenue; iv) business history; and v) operating structure
should be reviewed before relying on the job offer.
Wage Requirement
The offered wage must meet the applicable OINP wage requirement.
Under the current regulations, the position generally must meet the applicable median wage level for the occupation and region as shown by the Government of Canada’s Job Bank at the time of application.
This is an important issue because the applicable wage can depend on:
- the NOC occupation; and
- the region where the position is located.
Do not rely on an old wage figure found in an online article.
The applicable Job Bank wage should be checked based on the current rules and the location of the employment position.
What Counts as TEER 4 or TEER 5?
Canada’s NOC system classifies occupations according to TEER categories.
In broad terms:
| TEER | General description |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 | Management occupations |
| TEER 1 | Occupations generally requiring a university degree |
| TEER 2 | Occupations generally requiring college education, apprenticeship training or supervisory experience |
| TEER 3 | Occupations generally requiring college education, apprenticeship training or significant on-the-job training |
| TEER 4 | Occupations generally requiring secondary school education or several weeks of on-the-job training |
| TEER 5 | Occupations generally requiring short work demonstration and no formal education |
The exact requirements depend on the individual NOC.
The NOC classification should therefore always be verified against the actual duties of the position.
Does a TEER 4–5 Job Guarantee Permanent Residence?
No.
A qualifying job offer does not guarantee:
- an invitation;
- an OINP nomination; or
- permanent residence.
There are several stages in the process.
A candidate must first qualify, register an EOI and be selected.
After receiving an invitation, the applicant and employer must satisfy the full application requirements.
After provincial nomination, the federal government must still assess the permanent residence application.
IRCC makes the final decision on permanent residence.
EOI Scoring and Selection
Eligibility and competitiveness are not the same thing.
A candidate may satisfy the minimum TEER 4–5 requirements but still not receive an invitation.
Ontario’s EOI system assigns points based on various factors.
For job-offer candidates, factors can include elements such as:
- NOC and occupational category;
- regional location of employment;
- language ability;
- Canadian work experience;
- education;
- earnings;
- job offer characteristics; and
- other program-specific factors.
One important feature of the current system is regionalization.
Ontario awards more EOI points to job offers in certain regions outside Toronto and the GTA.
Current regional scoring provides higher points for locations in: i) Northern Ontario; ii) Eastern Ontario; iii) Central Ontario outside the GTA; iv) Southwestern Ontario;
with lower or no regional points for positions in the GTA and Toronto.
This means that where the job is located can matter significantly when assessing the competitiveness of an EOI.
OINP TEER 4–5 Document Checklist
Depending on the circumstances of the applicant and employer, documents may include:
Applicant documents
Passport and identity documents
Current immigration status documents, if applicable
Employment documents
Employment reference letters
Pay statements
Tax documents, where applicable
Language test results
Educational credentials
Educational Credential Assessment, if required
Professional licence or authorization, if applicable
Resume or curriculum vitae
Proof of Ontario residence or employment, where applicable
Documents supporting EOI claims
Other documents requested by OINP
Employer documents
Employer Portal information
Business registration documents
Proof of active business operations
Ontario business premises information
Revenue documentation
Payroll or employee information
Proof of Canadian citizen/PR employees
Job offer details
Wage information
Recruitment information, where applicable
Employment-position documentation
Other documents requested by OINP
The exact document requirements can vary depending on the circumstances.
OINP TEER 4–5 Pathway: Quick Eligibility Check
You may want to explore this pathway if you can answer yes to most or all of the following questions:
- Do you have a job offer in Ontario?
- Is the position full-time?
- Is the position permanent?
- Is the position classified under TEER 4 or TEER 5?
- Do your actual job duties match the NOC?
- Do you have at least 9 months of qualifying cumulative paid full-time experience in the required employment position within the previous two years?
- Do you have at least CLB 4 in English or French?
- Do you have a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent?
- Do you hold any required licence or authorization?
- Is your employer eligible to participate in the OINP?
- Does the employer meet the applicable revenue requirement?
- Does the employer have the required number of Canadian citizen or permanent resident employees?
- Does the position meet the applicable wage requirement?
- Are you prepared to live and work in Ontario?
- Can you accurately support the information you provide in your EOI?
- Are you prepared to wait for an invitation before submitting the nomination application?
If the answer to any of these questions is no or uncertain, your eligibility should be reviewed before you proceed.
Need Help Determining Whether You Qualify?
If you are working in Ontario in a TEER 4 or TEER 5 occupation and want to understand whether the OINP may be a realistic pathway to permanent residence, a personalized assessment can help identify:
- whether your job is correctly classified;
- whether your work experience qualifies;
- whether your employer appears eligible;
- whether your language and education meet the requirements;
- how your location may affect your EOI;
- potential concerns with your job offer; and
- whether another immigration pathway may be more appropriate
Official Source
For the most current eligibility criteria, applicants should consult the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s official requirements and Ontario Regulation 422/17.
The current Ontario Workforce Priority stream confirms that the TEER 4–5 pathway requires a qualifying job offer, an invitation to apply, qualifying work experience, language ability, education and other eligibility requirements.
Last reviewed: August 2026
This article is provided for general information and educational purposes. Immigration rules, program requirements, invitation thresholds and processing procedures can change. Eligibility is determined based on the law and program requirements applicable to the individual case at the relevant time. This page does not constitute legal advice or a guarantee of nomination or permanent residence.
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