OINP EOI Score: How the 130-Point Ontario Workforce Priority System Works
Under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s Ontario Workforce Priority stream, meeting the eligibility criteria only gets you into the pool. Every expression of interest (EOI) is scored out of 130 points across eleven factors, and Ontario invites the highest ranked candidates, sometimes from the whole pool and sometimes from a targeted group such as one region or one set of occupations. The factors that move the score most are the location of the job, your months in the job offer position, the hourly wage, and your language test result. Age is not scored at all.
Key Takeaways
- The maximum EOI score is 130 points. There is no published pass mark, because each draw sets its own cut-off.
- Region is worth up to 15 points. Northern Ontario scores 15 and the City of Toronto scores 0.
- Ontario work experience in the job offer position is the single largest factor at up to 18 points.
- A language test is worth up to 25 points in total (15 for proficiency, 10 for English and French), even where the stream does not require a test.
- Your EOI stays in the pool for 12 months, and you can keep updating your personal information until you are invited.
How the EOI system works
Ontario replaced first come, first served intake with the EOI system so it could target labour market gaps instead of rewarding whoever clicked fastest. Under the redesigned program the sequence is fixed: your employer registers in the Employer Portal and submits a job offer, you receive a job offer ID by email, and you then have 30 calendar days to register your EOI. Self employed physicians do not need a job offer and instead submit an OINP webform to begin registering.
Registering is free. The application fee only arrives once you are invited. Registering also guarantees nothing: Ontario is clear that a registration does not guarantee an invitation, and an invitation does not guarantee a nomination.
Two practical points for anyone using a lawyer or consultant. First, your representative can prepare the EOI, but you must appoint them in the portal before it can be submitted. Second, self appointment is prohibited. The LPEN instructors warned that the system carries enough identifiers for Ontario to detect it, and the consequence is withdrawal of the EOI or of the application, with possible cautions or bans for the representative.
For background on how the stream was rebuilt in 2026, see our post on the OINP overhaul for Ontario employers. For the eligibility rules that sit underneath the score, see TEER 0 to 3 versus TEER 4 and 5 requirements.
The 130 points at a glance
| Factor | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Regional immigration (work location) | 15 |
| NOC TEER category | 9 |
| NOC broad occupational category | 10 |
| Hourly wage | 15 |
| Ontario work experience | 18 |
| Canadian earnings history | 8 |
| Legal status in Canada | 10 |
| Highest level of education | 10 |
| Number of Canadian credentials | 10 |
| Official language proficiency | 15 |
| Knowledge of both official languages | 10 |
| Total | 130 |
The job related factors are pre-populated from the employer’s job offer, so you cannot adjust them in your own profile. Everything else comes from what you enter.
Employment and labour market factors
Regional immigration (up to 15). Northern Ontario scores 15. Eastern Ontario, Central Ontario outside the Greater Toronto Area, and Southwestern Ontario each score 10. Durham, Halton, Peel and York score 5. The City of Toronto scores 0. The regions are defined by census division on the program page, so a job in Frontenac or Ottawa is Eastern Ontario, and a job in Waterloo is Central Ontario. For a self employed physician, the region follows the Ontario practice address tied to the OHIP billing number.
NOC TEER category (up to 9). TEER 0 or 1 earns 9, TEER 2 or 3 earns 6, and TEER 4 or 5 earns 0.
NOC broad occupational category (up to 10). This is the first digit of the NOC code. Health occupations (category 3) earn 10. Trades, transport and equipment operators (category 7) earn 8. Natural and applied sciences (category 2) earn 6. Management, business and finance, education and law, natural resources, and manufacturing (categories 0, 1, 4, 8 and 9) earn 4. Sales and service and the art, culture and recreation group (categories 5 and 6) earn 2.
Hourly wage (up to 15). $40 or more earns 15, then 12 at $35 to $39.99, 10 at $30 to $34.99, 8 at $25 to $29.99, 5 at $20 to $24.99, and 0 below $20. This factor does not apply to self employed physicians.
Ontario work experience (up to 18). This is the biggest single factor and it is measured two different ways. If you are working in the job offer position, you score on time in that position: over 24 months earns 18, 13 to 24 months earns 15, 6 to 12 months earns 12, and under 6 months earns 0. If you have less than 6 months in the job offer position, you fall to the second table and score on general Ontario work experience instead: over 24 months earns 12, 13 to 24 months earns 9, 6 to 12 months earns 6, and under 6 months earns 0. For self employed physicians the measure is cumulative medical practice in Ontario, on the same 18, 15, 12, 0 scale.
Canadian earnings history (up to 8). Based on a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment in the last 5 years: $70,000 or more earns 8, $50,000 to $69,999 earns 6, $30,000 to $49,999 earns 4, and under $30,000 earns 0. The applicant checklist notes that T4 slips alone are not accepted, so pull the Notice of Assessment before you register.
Legal status in Canada (up to 10). A valid work permit earns 10, a valid study permit earns 5, and neither earns 0.
Education and language factors
Highest level of education (up to 10). A doctorate, or a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry, earns 10. A master’s degree earns 8. A bachelor’s degree, or a university certificate or diploma above bachelor level, earns 6. An Ontario College Graduate Certificate, a university certificate or diploma below bachelor level, a college or CEGEP diploma, or an apprenticeship or trades certificate each earn 5. Anything less earns 0. Foreign credentials need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
Note the difference from the federal system. Under Express Entry a professional degree in medicine or dentistry is scored like a master’s degree. Here it is scored like a doctorate. Physicians and dentists therefore do noticeably better on this factor in Ontario than they do federally.
Number of Canadian credentials (up to 10). Two or more post-secondary credentials from an eligible Canadian institution earn 10, one earns 5, none earns 0. The credential must take at least one year of full-time study, and the eligible institution list is published on the stream page.
Official language proficiency (up to 15). Points come from your lowest CLB level across reading, writing, listening and speaking, in whichever official language scores higher. CLB 9 or above earns 15, CLB 8 earns 12, CLB 7 earns 8, CLB 6 earns 4, and CLB 5 or lower earns 0. Academic and One Skill Retake results are not accepted.
Knowledge of both official languages (up to 10). Two official languages earn 10, which requires at least CLB 6 in all four abilities on each test. One official language earns 5.
Where candidates actually gain points
The LPEN instructors drew several practical conclusions from the grid, and the numbers bear them out.
- Take a language test even when the stream does not require one. A TEER 4 or 5 applicant only needs CLB 4 to be eligible, and a recent Ontario graduate in a TEER 0 to 3 job needs no test at all for eligibility. But without a test there are no language points, and language is worth up to 25 across the two factors. Even a weak result earns the 5 points for one official language.
- Get an ECA even when you do not need one for eligibility. Education points are available for foreign credentials only if they have been assessed, and an ECA for a foreign degree can outscore a lower level Canadian credential.
- The location of the job is worth as much as a strong language score. The 15 point gap between a Northern Ontario job and a Toronto job is the same as the gap between CLB 9 and CLB 5.
- Time in the job offer position compounds. Passing the 6, 13 and 24 month marks in the same position moves you 12, then 15, then 18 points, and it is the only factor worth 18.
- Age and time spent studying in Canada are not scored directly. Age is irrelevant, and study time only appears through Canadian credentials and study permit status.
If you are comparing provinces, the same “score versus filters” tension appears in the prairie programs. See our note on the Alberta EOI score versus its eligibility filters.
Draws: why the score is not the whole story
Ontario can rank the entire pool or run a targeted draw, selecting only candidates with a particular attribute such as a region, an occupation group, or French ability. Under the former streams the published 2026 results were almost entirely targeted draws, with cut-offs that moved sharply between regions in the same week. Those results were scored under the old system and are not a guide to the new one.
Two consequences follow. First, a score that is short of a general cut-off can still be invited in a targeted draw, and a strong score can sit in the pool if no draw targets that profile. Second, because invitations are unpredictable, the 12 month validity of the EOI matters. Keep the profile accurate and update it as your months of experience, credentials or test results change, because you can update until the moment you are invited.
Ontario publishes draw results on its invitations to apply page. Check that page for current cut-offs rather than relying on any figure quoted in an article, including this one.
One thing you cannot fix later
The NOC code and the hourly wage in your EOI are locked. They are pulled from the job offer your employer submitted, and you cannot edit them in your own profile. If the employer needs to change either, the employer must withdraw the job offer and submit a new one, and you must then register a brand new EOI. Any time already spent in the pool is lost. That makes the NOC selection and the wage figure the two entries worth checking most carefully before the employer submits, particularly where the wage sits just below one of the 15, 12, 10, 8 or 5 point thresholds.
The employer side of this, including revenue and headcount conditions, is covered in OINP employer requirements for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum score to register an EOI?
No. You can register if you meet the stream criteria, whatever your score. The cut-off is set by each draw.
Does age affect my OINP score?
No. Age is not one of the eleven scoring factors.
I do not need a language test to be eligible. Should I still take one?
In most cases yes. Language is worth up to 25 points across the two language factors, and you get none of them without an accepted test result.
Can I change my NOC code or wage in the EOI?
No. Both are pre-populated from the employer’s job offer. Changing either means a new job offer and a new EOI.
How long does my EOI stay in the pool?
12 months, unless you are invited or the registration is withdrawn earlier. After that you must register again.
Do self employed physicians use the same score?
Mostly. The hourly wage factor does not apply, work experience is measured as cumulative medical practice in Ontario, and the region follows the practice address on the OHIP billing registration.
Scoring factors and draw practice change. Confirm the current figures on the Ontario Workforce Priority stream page before you register, and contact us if you would like your score and your realistic draw prospects assessed.
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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 permanent residence. Book a consultation with our team in Toronto and Kingston. We work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.