OINP Workforce Priority Earnings Update

What Ontario Changed

On October 5, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) updated the "Canadian work experience: earnings history" scoring factor in the Expression of Interest system for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Ontario posted the update on its program updates page on October 7, 2026.

Under the updated factor, registrants who earned $80,000 or more in a single year within the past 5 years, as verified by a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment, now receive 10 points.

Ontario's Workforce Priority stream page (updated October 6, 2026) publishes the full scale for this factor, "Based on a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency in the last 5 years":

• $80k or more earnings in a year: 10 points (updated October 5, 2026)
• $70k to $79,999: 8 points
• $50k to $69,999: 6 points
• $30k to $49,999: 4 points
• Under $30k earnings in a year: 0 points

Ontario applied the change automatically to all existing EOIs. Registrants do not need to make changes or log in to the OINP e-Filing Portal. For the full eligibility rules for each pathway in the stream, see our Ontario Workforce Priority stream guide.

What Ontario Has Not Specified

The update is short, and several practical questions are not answered in it. Until Ontario publishes more detail, treat each of these as open:

• Which Notice of Assessment line, or which type of income (such as self-employment or investment income), counts. Ontario has not specified this.
• What "in a year" means. Ontario has not specified this.
• How the 5 years are counted. Ontario has not specified this.

Where Ontario is silent, the safe position is to say so rather than fill the gap with an assumption. That is how we are reading this update until Ontario says more.

Where the Stream Stands on October 9, 2026

The EOI portal for the Ontario Workforce Priority stream opened on August 4, 2026. As of October 9, 2026, Ontario's program updates page lists no invitation round under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Ontario has not yet held an invitation round under this stream.

For background on how Ontario restructured its program in 2026 and which former streams closed, see our Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program overview. If you are comparing Ontario with other provinces, our Provincial Nominee Program guide covers each province.

Next Steps

If you already have an EOI in the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, Ontario has said you do not need to do anything to have the updated factor applied. If you have not registered yet, confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements for your pathway first, then look at how your documents line up with this factor. The steps below apply to both groups.

1. 1

   Collect your Notices of Assessment

   Gather your CRA Notices of Assessment for the past 5 years. Ontario has said earnings must be verified by a Notice of Assessment.

2. 2

   Compare each year against Ontario's scale

   Check where each year falls on Ontario's published scale, starting with the $80k or more level. Ontario has not specified which Notice of Assessment line counts, so note any year close to a level boundary as uncertain.

3. 3

   Existing EOI: no action needed for the update

   Ontario applied the change automatically to all existing EOIs. You do not need to make changes or log in to the OINP e-Filing Portal for it to apply.

4. 4

   Not registered yet: confirm eligibility first

   Review the pathway requirements in our Ontario Workforce Priority guide before registering an EOI.

5. 5

   Get a review if your situation is unclear

   If your income is close to $80,000, came from self-employment or investments, or is spread across years, book a consultation before relying on these points.

If you want your Notices of Assessment and pathway eligibility checked together, book a consultation and bring all five years of documents.

Frequently Asked Questions