Canada Immigration: Nigerians Eligible as New Permanent Residence Pathway Opens in August 2026
- Ontario's new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream opened to eligible foreign nationals on Tuesday, August 4, 2026
- The stream offers three pathways covering higher-skilled workers, lower-skilled workers, and self-employed physicians
- Candidates ranked under a points-based system must respond to any invitation within 17 calendar days
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Canada - Ontario in Canada has officially activated its new route to permanent residence, with the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS) opening to eligible foreign nationals on August 4, 2026, through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
The OINP said foreign nationals can now be considered for provincial nomination by registering an Expression of Interest (EOI) in Ontario's e-Filing Portal.
Source: Getty Images
As reported by CanaVisa, the OINP announced the development on its program updates page.
That EOI must be linked to a qualifying job offer entered by an eligible Ontario employer through the OINP's Employer Portal.
3 pathways under Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
The OWPS covers three distinct pathways: one for higher-skilled workers, one for lower-skilled workers, and one for self-employed physicians who are registered to practise in Ontario and eligible to bill under the province's public health insurance programme, OHIP. Physicians must begin the process by submitting a webform before they can create and register an EOI.
Although Ontario launched the OWPS on June 26, 2026, no foreign nationals could be considered for nomination before the online portal opened on August 4.
The OINP will periodically draw from the pool of candidates with active EOIs and invite selected applicants to submit full applications.
A points-based scoring system, published by the province on July 20, 2026, determines how candidates are ranked. An EOI stays valid for up to 12 months; candidates who do not receive an invitation within that period must submit a new EOI to remain in consideration.
Once invited, candidates have 17 calendar days to submit a complete application.
For job offer candidates, their employer must separately apply for approval of the employment position within 14 calendar days of the invitation being issued, as a condition of the candidate's own application.
Nominees under the job offer category will receive a provincial support letter upon nomination, which they can use to apply to the federal government for a work permit.
Higher-skilled candidates and self-employed physicians may also qualify for faster permanent residence processing through Express Entry, via the Enhanced Provincial Nominee Program.
Canada immigration: Ontario's wider immigration overhaul
The OWPS is the first stream to launch under the first phase of a broader overhaul of the OINP, which Ontario initially proposed in December 2025.
The province had wound down all its previous immigration pathways on May 30, 2026, without any replacements in place at that time.
A second phase is planned and will introduce three additional streams: a priority healthcare worker stream, an entrepreneur stream, and an exceptional talent stream targeting foreign nationals with significant achievements in academia, innovation, science and technology, and the arts.
Ontario has not yet published full eligibility details or a launch date for the second phase.
Foreign nationals who applied under the now-defunct streams before May 30, 2026, will have their applications assessed against the criteria that were in effect when they submitted.
Canada: 8 companies eligible to sponsor foreign workers
Recall that Canada identified eight high-growth companies for skilled foreign professionals through a special work permit pathway.
Nigerians can access diverse job opportunities in AI, healthcare, and legal technology sectors Innovation.
Stream's extended timeline simplifies the hiring process for eligible international workers.
Canada: 4 reasons foreigners could lose permanent residence
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Canadian government clarified the exact conditions under which a foreign national can lose their permanent resident status in 2026.
An expired PR card alone is not enough to strip a foreign national of their permanent residency, the government noted.
Canada outlined four specific triggers that can end a person's permanent resident status, ranging from voluntary renunciation to becoming a citizen.
Source: Legit.ng
