The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream is closed. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 422/17 that came into force on June 25, 2026 revoked the Entrepreneur category along with the other former categories, and the regulation as it now reads establishes only three categories of applicant: Ontario workforce priority TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, and self-employed physician. Ontario’s own OINP page states that the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream has launched and all other streams are now closed. A redesigned Entrepreneur Stream and a new Exceptional Talent Stream have been described as part of a second phase, but as of today Ontario has published no criteria and no date for either.
Key Takeaways
- The Entrepreneur category was section 13 of O. Reg. 422/17. It was revoked by O. Reg. 204/26 and no longer exists.
- Ontario’s expression of interest (EOI) system stopped accepting registrations under the former streams, and registrations that had not produced an invitation were withdrawn.
- If you were invited under a former stream and filed your application, it is still assessed against the rules that applied when you submitted.
- The surviving Ontario Workforce Priority stream is an employee stream, and an equity rule in the regulation blocks owners from nominating themselves through their own company.
- Phase 2 has been described as including a redesigned Entrepreneur Stream, an Exceptional Talent Stream and a Priority Healthcare Stream. None of them has published criteria or a start date.
What exactly closed, and when
Ontario ran its redesign in two regulatory steps. Amendments to O. Reg. 421/17 took effect on May 30, 2026 to prepare for the change. The substantive amendments to O. Reg. 422/17 came into force on June 25, 2026, and the ministry announced them as Phase 1 of a two-phase redesign that removed the existing streams and introduced the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.
The Entrepreneur category was section 13 of O. Reg. 422/17. In the consolidation that ran to June 24, 2026, sections 5 through 13 set out the foreign worker, international student, in-demand skills, master’s graduate, PhD graduate, human capital priorities, French-speaking skilled worker, skilled trades and entrepreneur categories. In the current consolidation, sections 8 to 13 are marked revoked, and the three surviving categories are set out in section 2.1. Ontario’s Entrepreneur Stream web page no longer exists on ontario.ca and now redirects to the Archives of Ontario.
The EOI portal for the new stream opened on August 4, 2026, so Ontario currently has an operating intake, but it is an intake for applicants with an approved employer job offer and for self-employed physicians only.
If you had something in progress
Three situations need to be distinguished, and they are treated differently.
You had registered an EOI but were never invited. Ontario closed the EOI system to new registrations under the former streams and confirmed that no further invitations would issue under them. EOIs and registered job offers that had not resulted in an invitation were withdrawn as the platforms were rebuilt, with notice sent directly to registrants, employers and representatives.
You were invited and you filed. Applications submitted following an invitation under a former stream continue to be assessed against the eligibility requirements that were in effect when the application was submitted. The regulation says the same thing in section 3(5): an application for an approval or a certificate of nomination made before May 30, 2026 is assessed under the criteria that applied immediately before that day. An entrepreneur file already in the queue is not retroactively judged against rules that did not exist when it was filed.
You hold a nomination or a performance agreement. Obligations attached to an existing nomination are governed by the terms under which it was issued. If your situation has changed since, get the specific terms reviewed rather than assuming the closure erased them.
Why the surviving stream does not work for owners
Business owners sometimes ask whether they can simply have their own Ontario company make them a job offer under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. The regulation forecloses that. For both the TEER 0-3 and the TEER 4-5 categories, neither the applicant nor any of the applicant’s family members may hold or have held equity in the employer’s business, directly or indirectly, unless it was obtained as part of employment remuneration and the total held by the applicant and their family members is under 10 per cent.
The employer conditions point the same way. The business must have existed and been active for at least three years, must maintain a place of business in Ontario, must meet a gross annual revenue threshold that varies by region, and must already employ a minimum number of full-time Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the work location. A company you incorporated last year to support your own application meets none of this. Our note on the OINP employer requirements sets out the employer side in detail, and the OINP 2026 overhaul article covers the redesign as a whole.
What Phase 2 has been described as
At an August 2026 continuing education session on the new OINP, the presenters described the second phase as introducing three streams. They were clear that the changes may occur at different stages and that no date had been announced.
Entrepreneur Stream. Described as a redesign aimed at people who already own a business and at buyers of actively operating businesses, with an emphasis on business succession outside the Greater Toronto Area, job creation and regional development.
Exceptional Talent Stream. Described as covering researchers, innovators, creatives and high-impact professionals in science, technology, academia and the arts, with no job offer required and selection based on qualitative impact criteria rather than a points score.
Priority Healthcare Stream. Described as covering regulated health professionals, with no job offer required for those licensed in Ontario.
Treat all of this as a direction of travel, not as a rule set. Ontario has published no page, no criteria and no opening date for any of the three, and descriptions given at a professional session are not the regulation. When criteria do appear, they will appear as amendments to O. Reg. 422/17 and on the OINP program updates page.
What is actually available now
If your plan was Ontario entrepreneurship, the realistic options today are federal, temporary or in another province.
Federal Start-up Visa. A permanent residence program for founders with support from a designated organization. It is national, so Ontario’s closure does not touch it. See our Start-up Visa guide.
Owner-operator and entrepreneur work permits. A work permit gets you operating in Ontario while a permanent residence route is built separately. It is a temporary status, not a nomination, and the C11 significant benefit assessment is discretionary. See our C11 owner-operator guide.
Entrepreneur streams in other provinces. British Columbia and Alberta continue to run entrepreneur pathways with their own residency and business requirements. These come with a genuine commitment to live and operate in that province.
Waiting for Phase 2. Reasonable only if your timeline is flexible and your current status in Canada is secure. There is no date, so there is nothing to plan around.
If you are weighing these against each other, our investor immigration overview compares the business and investment routes, and you can contact us to have your own facts assessed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the OINP Entrepreneur Stream coming back?
A redesigned Entrepreneur Stream has been described as part of Phase 2 of the OINP redesign, but Ontario has not published eligibility criteria or an opening date. Nothing is open to apply to today.
My EOI was withdrawn. Can I get it reinstated?
No. Ontario closed the former EOI system and confirmed no further invitations would issue under those streams. Registrations that had not produced an invitation were withdrawn. Eligible candidates may register a new EOI under the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which is a different stream with different requirements.
I was invited before the closure and submitted my application. Will the new rules apply to me?
No. Applications submitted following an invitation under a former stream are assessed against the requirements that were in effect when the application was submitted.
Can I buy an Ontario business and be nominated for it?
Not through the current OINP. Buying an operating business is described as part of the Phase 2 Entrepreneur Stream concept, but that stream does not exist yet. The equity restriction in the current regulation prevents you from being nominated as an employee of a business you own.
Does the closure affect a nomination I already hold?
An issued nomination is governed by the terms under which it was issued, including any conditions and the certificate’s validity period. Have those specific terms reviewed if your plans or your business have changed.
Program rules here changed twice in two months, and Phase 2 will change them again. Confirm the current position on the OINP program updates page before you act, and contact us if you want your business plan and your immigration timeline looked at together.
Ask us about your matter
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Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration law and IRCC/ESDC policy change frequently, and every case turns on its own facts. Reading this article does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Obtain advice tailored to your situation before you act.
Talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer. BridgePoint Law advises individuals and businesses across Canada — and on Canada–US–China cross-border matters — on Ontario provincial nomination and business immigration. Book a consultation with our team in Toronto and Kingston. We work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
