Ontario Issues 1,800+ ITAs Across Key Job Streams in April 2026
Ontario Issues 1,800+ ITAs Across Key Job Streams in April 2026
Ontario has continued its active immigration selection in 2026 by issuing 1,828 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a fresh round of draws conducted on April 8. The invitations were released through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, targeting candidates already working or studying in Canada and supported by valid job offers.
This latest development highlights the province’s ongoing effort to address workforce shortages while preparing for a major transition in its immigration system.
Four Separate Draws Conducted in One Round
Instead of a single draw, Ontario carried out four targeted invitation rounds on the same day. Each draw focused on a different group of candidates under the Employer Job Offer category, including:
- Foreign Worker stream
- International Student stream
- In-Demand Skills stream
Applicants must have active profiles backed by eligible employers and have been living in Canada at the time of selection.
Draw Details: Stream-Wise Invitation Breakdown
The OINP issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) across four separate draws. The healthcare and early childhood education category dominated this round, receiving the 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 | — | — |
Healthcare and Early Childhood Education Draw
The largest share of invitations in this round was issued under the healthcare and early childhood education category, with a total of 1,635 ITAs granted to candidates holding job offers in nursing, healthcare support, and early childhood education occupations.
The minimum score requirement for the Foreign Worker stream saw a notable decline, dropping to 20 compared to 36 in the February 2 healthcare-focused draw. Similarly, the cut-off for the International Student stream decreased from 56 to 46. These reduced score thresholds indicate that Ontario is broadening its selection criteria to address urgent labour shortages in these essential sectors.
Compared to the February 2 draw, the April 8 round also refined its list of eligible occupations by excluding certain roles such as physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals (National Occupation Classification (NOC) 31303).
Foreign Worker Stream (Score of 20 and Above)
- NOC 31300 – Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
International Student Stream (Score of 46 and Above)
- NOC 31300 – Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
Francophone Draw
In a separate targeted round, Ontario invited 146 Francophone candidates across all three Employer Job Offer streams. This draw covered a diverse range of occupations across industries such as business, IT, healthcare, education, skilled trades, and manufacturing.
Under this round, the Foreign Worker stream included 46 occupations with a minimum score of 35, while the International Student stream selected candidates from 29 occupations with a higher cut-off of 63.
Meanwhile, the In-Demand Skills stream issued invitations at a minimum score of 25, focusing on 11 occupations, including roles like home support workers, construction labourers, and food processing workers.
Foreign Worker Stream (Score of 35 and Above)
- NOC 00015 – Senior managers — construction, transportation, production and utilities
- NOC 10019 – Other administrative services managers
- NOC 10029 – Other business services managers
- NOC 11101 – Financial and investment analysts
- NOC 11103 – Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers
- NOC 11201 – Professional occupations in business management consulting
- NOC 11202 – Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
- NOC 12013 – Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations
- NOC 12100 – Executive assistants
- NOC 12102 – Procurement and purchasing agents and officers
- NOC 12200 – Accounting technicians and bookkeepers
- NOC 12201 – Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
- NOC 13100 – Administrative officers
- NOC 13101 – Property administrators
- NOC 13110 – Administrative assistants
- NOC 13201 – Production and transportation logistics coordinators
- NOC 21221 – Business system specialists
- NOC 21222 – Information systems specialists
- NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
- NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
- NOC 21321 – Industrial and manufacturing engineers
- NOC 22210 – Architectural technologists and technicians
- NOC 22212 – Drafting technologists and technicians
- NOC 22221 – User support technicians
- NOC 22300 – Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- NOC 22311 – Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
- NOC 32111 – Dental hygienists and dental therapists
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- NOC 40021 – School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
- NOC 41201 – Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
- NOC 41221 – Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
- NOC 41302 – Ecclesiastical occupations
- NOC 41404 – Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
- NOC 42200 – Paralegal and related occupations
- NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
- NOC 52120 – Graphic designers and illustrators
- NOC 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
- NOC 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
- NOC 72311 – Cabinetmakers
- NOC 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- NOC 72410 – Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
- NOC 72411 – Auto body collision, refinishing and glass technicians and damage repair estimators
- NOC 72421 – Appliance servicers and repairers
- NOC 92012 – Supervisors, food and beverage processing
- NOC 93100 – Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
International Student Stream (Score of 63 and Above)
- NOC 00013 – Senior managers — health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
- NOC 11101 – Financial and investment analysts
- NOC 11102 – Financial advisors
- NOC 11201 – Professional occupations in business management consulting
- NOC 11202 – Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
- NOC 12013 – Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations
- NOC 12200 – Accounting technicians and bookkeepers
- NOC 12201 – Insurance adjusters and claims examiners
- NOC 13100 – Administrative officers
- NOC 13110 – Administrative assistants
- NOC 13201 – Production and transportation logistics coordinators
- NOC 21211 – Data scientists
- NOC 21221 – Business system specialists
- NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
- NOC 21233 – Web designers
- NOC 21300 – Civil engineers
- NOC 21321 – Industrial and manufacturing engineers
- NOC 22214 – Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology
- NOC 22221 – User support technicians
- NOC 22303 – Construction estimators
- NOC 33109 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services
- NOC 41321 – Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)
- NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
- NOC 51114 – Translators, terminologists and interpreters
- NOC 52113 – Audio and video recording technicians
- NOC 70010 – Construction managers
- NOC 70020 – Managers in transportation
- NOC 73301 – Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
In-Demand Skills Stream (Score of 25 and Above)
- NOC 14400 – Shippers and receivers
- NOC 44101 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
- NOC 74205 – Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
- NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
- NOC 75119 – Other trades helpers and labourers
- NOC 85103 – Nursery and greenhouse labourers
- NOC 94132 – Industrial sewing machine operators
- NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- NOC 94143 – Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
- NOC 95101 – Labourers in metal fabrication
- NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
REDI Pilot Draw
Ontario also conducted a smaller draw under the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot, issuing 32 ITAs to candidates with job offers in Lanark and Leeds and Grenville regions. This initiative is designed to support smaller communities in attracting skilled immigrants and strengthening local economies.
Foreign Worker Stream (Score of 46 and Above)
- NOC 10029 – Other business services managers
- NOC 11101 – Financial and investment analysts
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- NOC 72422 – Electrical mechanics
- NOC 72423 – Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics
International Student Stream (Score of 57 and Above)
- NOC 22114 – Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
In-Demand Skills Stream (Score of 33 and Above)
- NOC 44101 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
- NOC 94100 – Machine operators, mineral and metal processing
- NOC 94111 – Plastics processing machine operators
- NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
Physicians Draw
A separate targeted draw invited 15 physicians under the Foreign Worker stream, with a minimum score requirement of 43. Eligible applicants needed a job offer in one of the following roles:
- NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
Further details regarding physician eligibility, including updates to requirements for self-employed doctors, were outlined in the program update released on January 5.
Next Steps After Receiving an ITA
Employers supporting selected candidates are required to review the official employer guidelines and submit a complete application for position approval within 14 calendar days from the date of invitation. Following this, candidates must submit their OINP application within 17 calendar days after receiving their ITA.
Once nominated by Ontario, applicants can proceed to apply for permanent residence with the federal government. At present, Ontario has not provided clarity on when new streams will be introduced or how existing applicants will be accommodated under the revised system.
Major Changes to Take Effect Soon
These draws come just weeks before Ontario introduces significant changes to its immigration framework. Updates to the Ontario Immigration Act will come into force at the end of May 2026.
The upcoming changes will remove the current stream structure, including the categories used in this round of invitations. While new pathways are expected to replace them, the province has not yet shared full details about how the updated system will work.
A Transition Phase for Ontario Immigration
With frequent draws and an upcoming system overhaul, Ontario is currently in a transition phase. The province continues to invite candidates under existing streams while preparing to roll out a new immigration model.
For applicants, this means staying informed and acting quickly is more important than ever, as opportunities remain open, but may soon change under the new system.
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