OINP Post-Nomination Information Request Letter: What It Means and How to Answer Step-by-Step (2026 Guide)

Have you just received a letter from the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program titled “Nominee — Post-Nomination Information Request Letter”? You are not alone. Since mid-2026, OINP has dramatically increased its post-nomination verification activity — hundreds of nominees are now receiving these letters, and the response window is tight: seven (7) calendar days. Miss it, and OINP can start the process to cancel your nomination.

This guide walks you through — in plain English — what OINP is actually asking for, exactly how to answer each item, what to do if something has gone wrong (you lost your job, changed employers, still have not received your work permit), and how to send it in properly.

What Is a Post-Nomination Information Request Letter?

Once OINP nominates you under the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream (or its 2026 successor, the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream), the nomination comes with binding conditions that stay in force until IRCC gives you permanent residence. OINP’s Post-Nomination Verification Unit is the team that checks whether those conditions are being met.

Ontario’s official employer guide confirms: “The OINP intends to conduct post-nomination follow-ups with nominees and employers to confirm that conditions of approval continue to be met. Follow-ups are completed by the OINP’s Post-Nomination Verification Unit (oinp.verification@ontario.ca).” — Ontario.ca OINP Employer Guide.

Why Are So Many Nominees Getting These Letters in 2026?

Three things are happening at once:

• The 2026 OINP redesign. Ontario received a reduced 14,119-nomination allocation for 2026, and closed the old streams as of May 30, 2026 (see 2026 OINP Updates). With fewer nominations available, program integrity checks have intensified.
• Backlog audits. OINP is now systematically auditing nominees issued in 2024 and 2025 who are still waiting for PR — checking whether they actually started work, kept the same employer, and remained in Ontario.
• IRCC data-sharing. Under the Canada–Ontario Immigration Agreement, IRCC and Ontario now share application data in near real time. If IRCC’s records show your work permit was never issued or your job has changed, Ontario often finds out first.

Bottom line: if you got a nomination in the last 18 months and your PR is still pending, expect a verification letter.

What OINP Is Asking For — Item by Item

The letter contains five information requests. Here is exactly what each one means and how to answer.

1. Proof You Are Working in the Approved Position

OINP asks: “If you are working in the approved employment position, please confirm the date you started working, and provide copies of…”

How to answer

1. Write a short cover letter (one page) stating your start date at the employer in the approved position, confirming your title, NOC code, wage, hours per week, and work address match the nomination approval letter.
2. Attach your work permit (both sides — page with your name and the page with conditions).
3. Attach the first two pay stubs from when you started with the nominating employer. If you started years ago, this may be old pay stubs from that period — pull them from your employer’s payroll portal or ask HR.
4. Attach the last two pay stubs — these should be recent (within the last 30 days) and show the same employer, position, and wage as the nomination.
5. Attach your most recent T4 (year-end summary from your employer) and CRA Notice of Assessment (issued by CRA after you file taxes). If you filed 2025 taxes, include the 2025 T4 and NOA.

2. If You Are Not Working in the Approved Position — Explain Why

This is the highest-risk question in the entire letter. OINP is checking whether Condition 5 has been breached. Reasons that are usually salvageable if properly explained:

• You are still outside Canada waiting for the work permit to be issued
• You are inside Canada but on a different status (visitor, student) waiting for the T13 work permit to be approved
• You have a temporary approved leave (maternity, medical, bereavement)
• The employer had a temporary layoff and you are on Record of Employment

Reasons that require expert immigration advice before you respond:

• The employer terminated you
• You resigned
• You are now working for a different employer, even in the same NOC
• The employer’s business has closed

3. If You Have Not Obtained a Work Permit — Explain Why + IRCC Proof

How to answer

Log into your IRCC secure account and download:

1. The Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) email or letter
2. Your payment receipt (from IRCC’s online system, section “Application status → payment”)
3. Every status update since AOR — biometrics request, medical request, and so on

If your work permit was refused: attach the full IRCC refusal letter and the GCMS notes (request them under an Access to Information and Privacy — ATIP — application if you do not already have them). Explain in your cover letter what you are doing next: reapplication, restoration, or PR application from outside Canada.

4. Proof of Your Current Ontario Address

OINP asks for “documentation to confirm your current residential address in Ontario (for example: a copy of a lease agreement, phone bill, etc.).”

How to answer

Provide two documents to be safe:

• Primary: current lease agreement showing your name and Ontario address, OR a mortgage/property tax statement if you own
• Secondary: a recent utility bill, phone bill, bank statement, or Ontario Driver’s Licence/Photo Card showing the same address (within the last 60 days)

If you have moved recently, provide the old lease + a new lease and a written explanation. If you are living with family and your name is not on any bill, ask them to write a short letter confirming you live at the address, and attach a bank statement or CRA correspondence mailed to that address in your name.

5. Confirm If You Have Applied to IRCC for Permanent Residence

How to answer

• If you have applied: attach your IRCC AOR letter for the PR application and any correspondence received since (biometrics, medical, background check, additional documents request).
• If your PR is approved: attach your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) or PR card. Once IRCC approves PR, the OINP conditions expire, and this letter is really just a paperwork close-out.
• If you have not applied yet: state honestly when you intend to apply. Remember Condition 3 — you had six (6) months from the date of the nomination approval letter to apply for a work permit; the deadline to apply for PR under Express Entry is different (60 days from receiving your ITA once you accept the nomination in your EE profile). Under the paper-based process, PR must be submitted before the nomination certificate expires.

The 7-Day Deadline: What Happens If You Miss It

The letter is clear: “Should the program not receive the requested information/documentation within seven (7) calendar days, the director appointed under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 intends to issue you a Notice of Intent to Cancel Approval of Nomination.”

Step-by-Step: How to Send Your Response

The letter is strict about how to submit. Follow this exactly.

Suggested Response Package Checklist

Common Mistakes That Trigger Cancellation

• Not responding within 7 days. Silence is fatal.
• Sending scattered emails without a cover letter. The officer will not sort your inbox into an application file.
• Submitting incomplete pay stubs (missing the two “first pay period” stubs, for example).
• Wage or title mismatch between pay stubs and the nomination approval letter — even a small change without a written explanation.
• Failing to disclose a change of employer. Ontario cross-checks with CRA and IRCC. Do not hide it — explain it under Item 2.
• Uncertified translations or documents pasted into email bodies instead of attached as PDFs.
• Not redacting SIN. Some officers reject the whole submission and require you to resend, wasting days.

If OINP Issues a Notice of Intent to Cancel — Your Rights

Under O. Reg. 421/17, section 8, before OINP can cancel your nomination the director must:

1. Give you written notice of the intent to cancel
2. Explain the reasons for the intended cancellation
3. Give you 30 calendar days to respond in writing
4. Consider your response before making a final decision

If the director then cancels the approval, you can request an internal review within 30 calendar days of the cancellation notice — see OINP application process — internal reviews. The internal review is done by a different official who did not make the original decision.

What If You Have Already Applied for PR Under Express Entry?

Once your PR application is submitted to IRCC and IRCC has issued AOR, most of the nomination-period risk drops sharply — but not entirely. OINP can still cancel a nomination after PR AOR if a fundamental fact turns out to have been misrepresented, and Ontario notifies IRCC. Continue meeting the nomination conditions until your PR is finalized.

When to Get Help

Handle it yourself if:

• You are still with the same employer, in the same position, at the same wage
• You have your work permit, current pay stubs, and Ontario address documents
• You have applied for PR and simply need to attach the IRCC paperwork

Get an RCIC involved immediately if:

• Your employer withdrew the offer, laid you off, or terminated you
• You changed employers, even in the same NOC
• Your wage or hours have dropped
• You missed the 6-month work permit deadline
• You are outside Ontario (studying in another province, for example)
• Your work permit was refused by IRCC
• Your PR application was refused

Official Sources

• Ontario Immigration Act, 2015, S.O. 2015, c. 8 — Ontario.ca
• O. Reg. 421/17 — Approvals under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (cancellation procedure at s.8)
• O. Reg. 422/17 — General regulation under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015
• Ontario OINP — Employer Job Offer Streams Employer Guide (Post-Nomination Follow-ups)
• Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (post-nomination follow-up section)
• OINP Application Process (internal review procedure)
• 2026 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Updates
• Canada–Ontario Immigration Agreement — Annex A (data-sharing and verification)
• ATIO — Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration law is complex and each case is different. For advice on your specific situation, book a consultation with a licensed RCIC or lawyer.