OINP Then vs Now: Regulation 422/17 Side-by-Side (2026)

By Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308 · VG Immigration Services Inc.

Published Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Updated to reflect Ontario Regulation 422/17 as consolidated June 25, 2026

OINP Then vs Now: every change in Regulation 422/17 in one place

On June 26, 2026, the Government of Ontario brought into force amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 (Ontario Immigration Act, 2015) that rewrote the OINP from the ground up. Nine legacy streams collapsed into one Ontario Workforce Priority Stream with three categories. Settlement funds disappeared. Employer revenue acquired a third tier. The Entrepreneur Stream vanished. AMP response windows were halved. Every one of those changes is documented below, with the verbatim regulation reference, the historical text we just lost, and the new text that replaced it.

This is Part 1 of our six-part series on the OINP redesign. We wrote it to be the cleanest one-screen reference our clients and colleagues can keep open on a second monitor while drafting EOIs, briefing employers, and re-evaluating files that were in the queue when the music stopped. Where other outlets summarized the press release, we read the regulation. Where they cited June 26 as the grandfathering cutoff, we read s. 3(5) and report the correct date — May 30, 2026.

Key Highlights at a Glance

• 9 legacy streams → 3 new categories. The Ontario Workforce Priority Stream is now TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, and Self-Employed Physician.
• Employer revenue: a third tier. $1M GTA, $500K in 14 named Tier-2 census divisions, $250K everywhere else with two consecutive fiscal years of revenue.
• In-Demand Skills opens up. The closed 40-NOC list is gone — all TEER 4-5 NOCs are eligible at the regulation level.
• Same-employer rule applies to TEER 4-5 and to TEER 0-3 options (i) and (ii). TEER 4-5 needs 9 months of FT work in Ontario with the employer issuing the job offer, within the last 2 years (s. 6 ¶5). TEER 0-3 options (i) and (ii) also require experience ‘in the employment position to which the application relates’ — the same approved position with the same job-offer employer. Only TEER 0-3 option (iii) lets you count past experience with a different employer in the same NOC.
• Recent Ontario graduate carve-outs. 3-month experience, low wage, and language exemption — but only for Ontario credentials of 2+ years (or master’s/PhD/college graduate certificate).
• OCT, CPSO, CNO, OCP licence holders are exempt from both work experience and post-secondary education requirements (s. 5(1)¶7).
• AMP response window cut from 60 days to 30 days, with a new deemed-delivery rule for email (1 business day) and mail (5 business days).
• Grandfathering cutoff is May 30, 2026, not June 26. Several outlets reported this incorrectly.
• Phase 2 has no release date. Three new streams are coming — Priority Healthcare, Entrepreneur, Exceptional Talent — but Ontario has not committed to a timeline.

The Complete Before vs After Comparison

Every column is reconciled to a specific section of Regulation 422/17 — both the historical v26 text in force until June 25, 2026 and the current text consolidated June 25, 2026.

Topic	Before (Regulation 422/17 v26, in force until June 25, 2026)	After (Regulation 204/26 amendments, in force June 26, 2026)
Number of streams	9 streams: Foreign Worker, International Student, In-Demand Skills, Master’s Graduate, PhD Graduate, Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker, Skilled Trades, Entrepreneur	3 categories under one Ontario Workforce Priority Stream: TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, Self-Employed Physician
Employer revenue tiers	2 tiers: GTA $1,000,000 · Outside GTA $500,000 (most recent fiscal year)	3 tiers: GTA $1,000,000 · 14 named Tier-2 census divisions $500,000 · Everywhere else $250,000 (last 2 fiscal years for the $250K tier)
Tier-2 census divisions	Did not exist	Ottawa, Waterloo, Hamilton, Simcoe, Middlesex, Niagara, Essex, Wellington, Greater Sudbury, Frontenac, Brant, Peterborough, Hastings, Thunder Bay
Eligible NOC scope (In-Demand Skills replacement)	40+ specific NOCs only (construction labourers, food/beverage workers, agricultural workers, drivers, nurse aides — closed list)	All TEER 4-5 NOCs are eligible at the regulation level (s. 4(1)¶6.1)
Foreign Worker experience	2 years full-time in the last 5 in the same NOC	TEER 0-3: 4 options — (i) 6 mo in the job-offer position with the job-offer employer in Ontario in last 12 mo, (ii) 3 mo in the job-offer position with the job-offer employer in Ontario for a recent Ontario graduate, (iii) 2 yr in 5 in same NOC (any employer), (iv) holding an Ontario regulated licence (s. 5(1)¶7). Options (i) and (ii) require the SAME employer; only (iii) lets you use experience with a different employer.
In-Demand Skills experience	9 months in the last 3 years (any employer)	TEER 4-5: 9 months in last 2 years with the same employer issuing the job offer (s. 6 ¶5) — window tightened from 3 yrs to 2 yrs and same-employer rule is new
International Student stream	Standalone stream; no work experience needed; low wage permitted	Eliminated as a standalone stream. Folded into TEER 0-3 via the recent Ontario graduate 3-month carve-out and language exemption
Master’s / PhD Graduate streams	Standalone; no job offer required; settlement funds rule applied	Eliminated. Master’s and PhD graduates must now obtain a TEER 0-3 job offer and apply through the new stream
Express Entry-aligned streams (HCP, French, Trades)	3 EE-aligned streams active	All 3 eliminated. EE candidates without a job offer must wait for the Phase 2 Priority Healthcare / Exceptional Talent / Entrepreneur streams
Entrepreneur Stream	Active with $400K–$800K net worth thresholds and business performance criteria	Removed entirely on June 26, 2026. Phase 2 will introduce a new Entrepreneur Stream (release date not announced)
Language — TEER 0-3	Not consistently set at regulation level (varied by stream)	CLB 6 in all four abilities (s. 5(1)¶9). CLB 5 for s. 5(3) trades occupations. Recent Ontario graduates are exempt from the language requirement entirely
Language — TEER 4-5	CLB 4 under In-Demand Skills	CLB 4 baseline retained for TEER 4-5 category (s. 6); recent Ontario graduates remain exempt
Settlement funds	Required for 5 streams (Master’s, PhD, HCP, French, Trades) — half of LICO	Eliminated entirely. No category in Regulation 422/17 currently requires proof of settlement funds
Wage requirement	Median wage for Foreign Worker and In-Demand Skills; low wage permitted for International Student	Median wage is the rule (s. 4(1)¶9). Low wage permitted only for TEER 0-3 candidates who are recent Ontario graduates (s. 4(1)¶9 subpara ii)
AMP / nomination ban response window	60 days to respond (s. 21(3)(b) v26)	30 days — cut in half (s. 21(3)(b) current)
Service / delivery rule for AMP notices	Sender had to demonstrate receipt	Deemed delivered: email = next business day, mail = 5 business days (s. 21(4.1))
CVOR safety rating (truck and bus drivers)	Excellent, Satisfactory, or Satisfactory Unaudited accepted	Only Excellent or Satisfactory. Satisfactory Unaudited no longer accepted (s. 4(1)¶2.2)
Grandfathering cutoff for legacy streams	n/a	May 30, 2026 per s. 3(5) — the date for the legacy revocations, NOT June 26 when the new regulation took force. Several outlets reported June 26 incorrectly.

What Clients Are Asking Right Now

In the first 48 hours after the June 26 amendments came into force, eleven questions came up in nearly every consultation. Here are the verbatim regulation answers.

Client Question	Answer (with regulation citation)
1. Employer revenue?	$1M GTA / $500K in 14 Tier-2 census divisions / $250K everywhere else, based on where the candidate reports to work, not head office. The $250K tier requires two consecutive fiscal years (s. 4(1)¶3).
2. Wage required?	Median wage from Government of Canada Job Bank for that occupation and region. Low wage is permitted only for TEER 0-3 candidates who are recent Ontario graduates (s. 4(1)¶9). Employer must also match or exceed what the candidate is currently paid in that position (s. 4(1)¶8).
3. Outside-Ontario candidate eligible?	Yes — via the 2-year-in-5 NOC-match option (s. 5(1)¶5 iii). Options (i) and (ii) require Ontario-based experience. Candidate must still demonstrate intention to reside in Ontario (s. 3(2)). Applying from inside Canada requires temporary resident status (s. 3(3)).
4. Outside-Ontario graduate eligible?	Yes for the category, but not as a “recent Ontario graduate.” That term applies only to Ontario post-secondary credentials from eligible Ontario institutions earned in the last 3 years (s. 1 definition). Outside-Ontario graduates cannot use the 3-month carve-out, low-wage permission, or language exemption.
5. 1+1 Ontario post-secondary certificates?	A stacked 1-year + 1-year combination does NOT make a candidate a recent Ontario graduate. The definition requires (a) a 2-year degree or diploma, or (b) a master’s, PhD, or Ontario college graduate certificate (s. 1). A single 1-year credential does satisfy the TEER 0-3 education requirement (s. 5(1)¶6), but not the carve-out unlocks.
6. Experience with the same job-offer employer? (TEER 0-3)	Depends on which option. Required for options (i) 6 months and (ii) 3-month recent-grad — both refer to ‘the employment position to which the application relates’ (s. 5(1)¶5 i–ii), i.e. the specific approved position with the job-offer employer. Not required for option (iii) 2 years cumulative in last 5 years, where same NOC (any employer) is what counts (s. 5(1)¶5 iii).
7. Experience with the same job-offer employer? (TEER 4-5)	Required. 9 months of paid FT work in Ontario with the same employer issuing the job offer, accumulated within the 2 years before application (s. 6). This is the tightest single change in the new regulation.
8. Phase 2 release date and contents?	No release date announced. Phase 2 will introduce three streams: Priority Healthcare (no job offer required, for licensed or pre-licensure healthcare workers), Entrepreneur, and Exceptional Talent (science/technology, arts/literature/culture, academia). The EOI system relaunch is anticipated later in summer 2026 for Phase 1 only.
9. Will RECEs be included?	Currently invited under TEER 4-5 — NOC 42202 (Early childhood educators and assistants) appeared in the April 8, 2026 healthcare and early childhood education targeted draw. Whether Phase 2’s Priority Healthcare Stream will include RECE is not yet confirmed.
10. OCT licence holder exempt from experience?	Yes. s. 5(1)¶7 exempts a candidate holding the required Ontario licence from BOTH the work experience requirement (¶5) AND the post-secondary education requirement (¶6). Same exemption applies to CPSO, CNO, OCP, PEO, and other regulated professions. Language (CLB 6) is still required unless the candidate is also a recent Ontario graduate.
11. Are all TEER codes truly eligible?	At the regulation level, yes — all TEER 0-3 NOCs and all TEER 4-5 NOCs (with truck/bus drivers in TEER 0-3 under their own s. 5(2) rules). In practice, Ontario has run only targeted draws since 2024 — invitations have been restricted to published NOC lists. Being eligible on paper does not mean an invitation will arrive in any reasonable timeframe under the new EOI system.

The Targeted-Draw Reality Behind “All NOCs Eligible”

At the regulation level, every TEER 0-3 NOC and every TEER 4-5 NOC is eligible to apply under the new stream. In practice, Ontario has not held a general draw under the Foreign Worker stream in years — since 2024 every draw has been a targeted draw restricted to a published NOC list. The new stream is literally named “Workforce Priority.” We expect this pattern to continue when the EOI system relaunches later in summer 2026.

Here is the NOC pattern from the most recent draws under the legacy Foreign Worker stream, per the official OINP invitations page and confirmed in recent draw reporting:

Targeted draw type	NOC codes Ontario has actually invited (2025–2026)
Healthcare and early childhood education	NOC 31300 (NPs), 31301 (RNs and registered psychiatric nurses), 31302 (Nursing coordinators and supervisors), 32101 (LPNs), 33102 (Nurse aides and orderlies), 42202 (Early childhood educators)
Physicians	NOC 31100, 31101, 31102 — these now have a dedicated Self-Employed Physician category that does not require a job offer
Francophone candidates	~45 management and professional NOCs — finance, IT, engineering, healthcare, social services, education, construction, hospitality
REDI Pilot (Lanark, Leeds, Grenville)	NOC 10029, 11101, 33102, 72422, 72423
Geographic targeted draws	GTA, Eastern, Northern, Southwestern, Central Ontario — each draw has its own published NOC list, never an open call

The takeaway: being eligible on paper is not the same as being invited. If your NOC is not on the targeted-draw list, expect a long wait — or pivot to federal Express Entry or another province with broader draws.

The PSW Exemption: How NOC 33102 Workers Skip the ECA Requirement

Buried in the new regulation is one of the most powerful — and least understood — carve-outs in the entire Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program: paragraph 8 of section 5(1). It removes the standard post-secondary education and Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) requirement for Personal Support Worker (PSW) graduates with an Ontario college certificate, provided they have a director-approved job offer in NOC 33102 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates).

Why this matters: paragraph 6 is the bar most PSWs cannot clear

Paragraph 6 of s. 5(1) is the general education rule for the TEER 0-3 category. It requires either:

• a post-secondary degree or diploma from an eligible Canadian institution requiring at least one year of full-time study; or
• an equivalent foreign credential supported by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report less than five years old from a designated organization (WES, IQAS, ICAS, CES, MCC, ICES, etc.).

For many internationally-educated PSWs, the foreign credential pathway is brutal: ECA reports often map foreign nursing or care-worker training to a Canadian secondary-school level — not post-secondary. Without a Canadian post-secondary credential, the file gets stopped at paragraph 6 even when every other requirement is met.

Paragraph 8 solves this directly. If your job offer is in NOC 33102 and you completed an Ontario college PSW certificate of at least one year, paragraph 6 simply does not apply to you. No ECA. No foreign credential evaluation. No equivalency arguments.

The four conditions for the paragraph 8 exemption

Condition	What the regulation requires
1. The NOC	Job offer must be in NOC 33102 specifically — Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates. NOC 44101 (Home support workers) and NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses) do not qualify under paragraph 8.
2. Director approval of the position	The employer must have submitted an Approval of an Employment Position (AEP) under s. 4 of the regulation and received director approval. The PSW exemption cannot attach to a job offer that was never submitted for AEP.
3. Ontario college certificate	An Ontario college certificate issued by an eligible Canadian institution (publicly-assisted Canadian university or college listed on the Ministry’s website). Private career college PSW programs do not meet this test — even if Ministry-approved for the PSW Program Standard.
4. At least one year full-time	The program must require at least one year of full-time study. Under s. 1 of the regulation, full-time means at least 15 hours of instruction per week during the academic year. Accelerated formats and continuous-intake schedules are acceptable provided the program design itself requires one full year.

What paragraph 8 does NOT exempt

Paragraph 8 is narrowly drafted. It only switches off paragraph 6 (education / ECA). Every other requirement in s. 5(1) still applies in full:

• Paragraph 1 — Invitation to Apply. You still need an ITA from a TEER 0-3 targeted draw.
• Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 — EOI attestations, approved job offer, and any required licence. NOC 33102 itself is unregulated provincially, so no provincial licence is required to engage in the work — but if the employer requires PSW Registry enrolment, you must hold it.
• Paragraph 5 — Work experience. You still need 6 months continuous Ontario experience in the position (subparagraph i), or 3 months as a recent Ontario graduate (subparagraph ii), or 2 years cumulative in the last 5 (subparagraph iii) — see the LPN/RN bridge in the next section.
• Paragraph 9 — Language. CLB 6 in all four skills, unless you are also a recent Ontario graduate.
• Paragraph 10 — No equity in the employer. Standard rule applies.

The LPN/RN bridge to NOC 33102 — subparagraph 5.iii.D

Paragraph 8 pairs naturally with another little-known provision: subparagraph 5.iii.D of s. 5(1). This rule lets internationally-educated Licensed Practical Nurses (NOC 32101) and Registered Nurses (NOC 31301) count their nursing experience toward a NOC 33102 job offer.

Here is why this matters in practice. Many internationally-trained LPNs and RNs cannot get College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) registration quickly — the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) review, jurisprudence exam, and OSCE can take 12-36 months. While they wait, they often work in PSW or nurse-aide roles. Without 5.iii.D, that LPN or RN nursing experience back home would not count toward the 2-year work-experience option for a NOC 33102 job offer, because subparagraph 5.iii.A only recognises experience in the same NOC as the job offer.

Subparagraph 5.iii.D fixes that: your 2 years of LPN or RN work experience anywhere in the world counts toward a NOC 33102 job offer. Combine that with paragraph 8 and the result is striking — an internationally-educated LPN with two years of nursing experience and a one-year Ontario college PSW certificate can clear both the work-experience and the education tests of s. 5(1) without ECA, without CNO registration, and without 6 months of Ontario employer-specific work.

Documents your file must include

• Director-approved AEP confirmation for the NOC 33102 position
• Job offer letter dated and signed by the employer, confirming full-time, indeterminate duration, and wage at or above the Job Bank median for NOC 33102 in the employer’s region
• Original Ontario college certificate transcript and credential — the credential itself, not just enrolment confirmation
• Program syllabus or registrar letter confirming the program requires at least one year of full-time study (15+ hours/week instructional time)
• If using subparagraph 5.iii.D: full employment records (LPN or RN) covering the 2-year period, plus reference letters describing duties
• Language test results meeting CLB 6 in all four skills (waived if you are also a recent Ontario graduate)

Common mistakes that kill a paragraph 8 file

1. Wrong type of school. A private career college PSW certificate — even one Ministry-approved for the PSW Program Standard — is not an “Ontario college certificate from an eligible Canadian institution.” Only publicly-assisted colleges qualify.
2. Sub-1-year program. Some PSW certificates run 6-8 months. Those do not meet the “at least one year of full-time study” threshold no matter how many hours per week.
3. Job offer in NOC 44101 instead of NOC 33102. Home support workers (44101) and nurse aides (33102) are often confused. Paragraph 8 only applies to 33102.
4. Treating paragraph 8 as a full bypass. It only exempts paragraph 6. Work experience, language, and ITA requirements all still apply.
5. Skipping the AEP step. If the employer never filed an Approval of Employment Position, the job offer cannot anchor paragraph 8 — or any other s. 5(1) requirement.

What This Means for You

If you held an OINP profile or were mid-application before May 30, 2026

Section 3(5) of Regulation 422/17 grandfathers applicants who were issued an invitation under the legacy regulation before May 30, 2026. They continue to be assessed under the legacy rules. Anyone whose profile sat in the EOI pool without an invitation by May 30 — even by one day — is now subject to the new rules and must wait for the EOI system to relaunch.

If you are a recent Ontario graduate

You hold three valuable carve-outs simultaneously: the 3-month experience option, the low-wage permission, and the language exemption. Verify your credential meets the s. 1 definition — a 2-year degree/diploma, a master’s, a PhD, or an Ontario college graduate certificate. A 1-year certificate alone does not qualify, and stacking two 1-year certificates does not either.

If you are outside Ontario or outside Canada

You can still apply — but only through the 2-year-in-5 NOC-match option (s. 5(1)¶5 iii). The 6-month and 3-month carve-outs require Ontario-based experience. You must also demonstrate intention to reside in Ontario, which is more than just signing a form — Ontario looks at your declared address, the location of the job offer, and your settlement plan.

If you are a licensed professional (OCT, CPSO, CNO, OCP, PEO)

Section 5(1)¶7 is the most generous provision in the new regulation. Holding the required Ontario regulated licence for the job offer position exempts you from both work experience and post-secondary education requirements. Language (CLB 6) still applies unless you are also a recent Ontario graduate.

If you are an internationally-educated PSW, LPN, or RN

Two provisions can unlock OINP for you. Paragraph 8 of s. 5(1) waives the post-secondary education and ECA requirement when your job offer is in NOC 33102 and you hold a one-year-plus Ontario college PSW certificate from a publicly-assisted college. Subparagraph 5.iii.D lets you count two years of LPN or RN experience — including foreign experience — toward the work-experience test for a NOC 33102 job offer. If you are mid-NNAS or mid-CNO registration, this is often the fastest legal route to PR.

If you are an employer in the $250K revenue tier

Pay close attention to s. 4(1)¶3 iii — your $250K threshold must be met in each of the last two most recently completed fiscal years, not just one. The GTA and Tier-2 tiers only require one year of revenue proof. This is the tightest documentation requirement in the regulation and a common file-builder oversight.

How VG Immigration Can Help

VG Immigration Services Inc. has been representing OINP applicants and employer sponsors since the program’s earliest days. Our authorized representative is Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308 — a licensed Canadian immigration consultant in good standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

We have already updated our case-management system to handle the new TEER 0-3 / TEER 4-5 / Self-Employed Physician categories and the three new revenue tiers. We are tracking the EOI relaunch closely and will alert clients the moment the new system opens for profile submission.

In our recent coverage you will also find:

• Ontario Workforce Priority Stream Launches: All 8 OINP Streams Replaced (June 26, 2026) — our day-one announcement post
• Keep Your Express Entry Profile Updated: 2026 Document Validity and CRS Audit Checklist — for clients pursuing federal pathways while OINP transitions
• IRCC Language Requirements 2026: CELPIP, IELTS, PTE Core, TEF, TCF Complete Guide — language testing for the new CLB 6 / CLB 5 thresholds

Coming next in this series (publishing today and tomorrow):

• Part 2 (today): The three new employer revenue tiers explained — $1M, $500K, $250K — and how to choose the right work location for your file
• Part 3 (tomorrow): TEER 0-3 deep dive — the four work experience options, the CLB 5 occupation list, and the recent graduate carve-outs in detail
• Part 4 (tomorrow): TEER 4-5 deep dive — the 9-month same-employer rule, every now-eligible NOC, and the recent graduate angle
• Part 5 (tomorrow): Self-Employed Physician deep dive — CPSO licensing classes, OHIP eligibility, and why no job offer is required
• Part 6 (tomorrow): AMP, bans, and the 30-day response window — deemed delivery, penalty calculation, and how to protect your employer file

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VG Immigration Services Inc. · 2 County Court Boulevard, Suite 400, Brampton, Ontario L6W 3W8 · Authorized representative: Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308. This article is general information about Ontario Regulation 422/17 as consolidated June 25, 2026 and is not legal advice for any specific file. Confirm details with a licensed Canadian immigration consultant or lawyer before acting.