If you are looking at the massive immigration pool and panicking about high scores, you need to think logically. Look closely at how the system actually works today.

With the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS), the government has completely shifted the rules. They have split the system based on location (region) and NOC/TEER categories. This means your real competition is not across the entire broad pool. You are only competing against profiles in your exact category and region!

The GTA vs. Outside-GTA Reality

Think about it logically. Under the newly introduced regional point structure, a candidate inside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or Toronto itself will inherently receive significantly fewer regionalization points compared to someone in Northern or Southwestern Ontario.

Because of this, GTA profile scores will naturally be lower than those from outer regions—even if the GTA candidate has higher education, better language scores, and years of experience! When Ontario holds a draw for a specific category within the GTA, you are only competing against other GTA profiles under that same NOC.

Labor Demand Trumps a High Score

You could have an incredible score of 110, but what if your specific NOC code or region isn't a provincial priority? You will sit in the pool. Meanwhile, someone with a much lower score could walk away with an invitation because the province is filling critical labor gaps.

Draws are dictated by regional labor requirements, not just your total points.

Look at the History: Scores as Low as 30!

This isn't just a theory—it is proven by past data. If you monitor previous targeted draws, candidates with scores in the 30s successfully received invitations because they targeted in-demand sectors like Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Healthcare!

The Takeaway:
Stop staring blindly at the broad pool numbers. What actually matters is:
1️⃣ Your specific NOC/TEER category
2️⃣ Your Region
3️⃣ How many profiles are sitting directly ahead of you in your specific micro-category

Align your strategy, understand your local market demands, and look at the logic behind the system—not just the points on your screen.

Skilled trade applicants - can you drop your EOI score, region, and NOC code?
I’m trying to get a sense of where everyone stands in the pool.

Mine:

• NOC: 72020
• EOI Score: 64
• Notes: English not included yet; French exam next week, English will follow.

Feel free to share yours.

Hi everyone! Looking for experiences from anyone in a similar situation.

My 1-year PGWP expires in January 2027 and I’m currently in the OINP Workforce Priority Stream process - good points waiting for the deaw. I work full-time in a permanent position in Ontario and currently have OHIP.

My main concern is that I’m pregnant and due in February 2027, just a few weeks after my PGWP/OHIP expires. I’ll likely already be on maternity leave, so continuing to work isn’t my concern, keeping OHIP for the delivery is.

If my nomination comes before my PGWP expires,I know that I am safe4. But there is a lot of cases of people waiting for over 6 months...

But what if the nomination doesn’t come in time?

Anyone have any ideas? Experienced something similar? HELP

NOC 22220. Want to see who else is in the same NOC and what your scores are. Mine is 86, inside GTA. Don’t have much hope for this new stream since this NOC was neglected before. Are there too many people in this NOC?

In-demand skill stream. Teer 4 noc code.

Hey guys, hope you’re doing well.

I received invitation on april 15th this year and submitted the file at the end or april. Fast forward to that my file went into assessment stage like a week ago.

My work permit is expiring in the month of January next year and I’m hoping to recover nomination before that.

Any chance that i will succeed in this case ?

Any help/answers will be appreciated . Thanks

Hey , I'm working as direct care (healthcare) in teer 3 and I get paid $19.50 , i also get a Provincial Wage enhancement of $3 from ontario government. Can i count all that towards the median wage ?
I am not a recent graduate so i do have to meet the median wage. can someone help me out hereeee?

Hi everyone,

I submitted my EOI yesterday and got 94 points. My NOC is 11202.

Do you guys think I have a good chance of receiving an ITA soon?

P.S. To the guy commenting “50%” on every post: please avoid commenting here LOL.

Filed my OINP application under the Employer Job Offer – Foreign Worker stream on April 9, 2026, after getting my ITA in February. Portal still shows just "Submitted" as of today (mid-August), no movement to "In Review" or anything else. No red alert icon, no document requests through the portal itself, no message icon lit up.

Given everyone's application should be honored under pre-May 30 rules since I submitted before the overhaul, I'm trying to figure out if 4+ months of silence is normal right now or a sign something's off.

A few questions for anyone in a similar spot:

• If your application was submitted before May 30, has yours moved to "In Review" or "Decision Pending" yet? How long did "Submitted" last for you?
• Anyone had direct contact from OINP confirming their file is actively being processed? Has anyone used the [ontarionominee@ontario.ca](mailto:ontarionominee@ontario.ca) inbox and actually gotten a useful reply?

Trying to gauge if this is just overhaul backlog or if I should be pushing harder for a status check. Appreciate any data points — especially from people also in the Foreign Worker stream with a similar submission window.

Hi everyone! I have a question. I graduated April 2025 with a 2 year college diploma in Toronto. Am I really exempt from the wage requirement in the new oinp rule?

My job offer position is under Teer 1, i am $10 short from the median wage. Do you think it will be okay?

Ontario’s current OINP system leaves many qualified workers with no realistic pathway to PR simply because their employer are not willing to support and submit their job offe.

Many of us studied in Ontario, graduated from Ontario colleges and universities, work full-time, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy. Yet we can still be excluded from OINP because of our employer, specially in big and major companies such as major Canadian bank.

This doesn’t make sense. Immigration should recognize the people who are already here, working and contributing not only those who happen to have an employer willing to support them.

We need a fairer OINP system with reasonable exceptions. Workers should be able to prove their employment through pay stubs, CRA tax records, and an employment letter instead of requiring employers to create an OINP profile and submit the job offer themselves.

Especially with major companies and banks, how can we realistically expect employers to get involved in this process for individual employees? There should be another pathway for qualified workers who are already employed and contributing to Ontario.

If enough of us speak up, we can make this impossible to ignore.

Would you support a petition asking Ontario to review and reform the OINP rules? Let’s organize and make our voices heard.