Ontario Employer Portal: What Employers Must Submit First for the Workforce Priority Stream

If you're an Ontario employer trying to sponsor a foreign worker under the new Workforce Priority stream, the process starts with you — not your employee. Before your candidate can even register their Expression of Interest, you need to submit a job offer through the OINP Employer Portal and meet a specific set of eligibility criteria.

Step 1: Employer Registers and Submits a Job Offer

Before your prospective employee can do anything, you must:

1. Register your business in the Employer Portal
2. Submit details of the job offer you're extending

Once submitted, your employee receives a job offer ID, which they need to register their own Expression of Interest (EOI). They have 30 calendar days from your submission to do this.

Employer Eligibility Requirements

Your business must meet all of the following:

• In active business for at least 3 years prior to applying
• A physical business premises in Ontario where the employee will actually work
• No outstanding orders under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Minimum revenue requirements, which vary depending on where the job is located
• Minimum number of Canadian citizen or permanent resident full-time employees, also location-dependent
• Demonstrated recruitment effort to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident first — this only applies if your candidate is currently living outside Canada or working outside Ontario

Note: government and Ontario Public Service (OPS) entities are not eligible to participate as employers under this stream.

Job Offer Requirements

The position itself must:

• Be full-time and permanent
• Be urgently necessary to your business operations
• Not be connected to an active labour dispute
• Meet the required wage level for the job's location in Ontario

If the candidate is already working for you in the position, they must continue in that role until nomination and throughout the post-nomination period. If they're not yet working for you, the job offer becomes effective once they obtain a work permit and begin the role.

Important: Any change to job duties, wage, hours, or term after nomination must be reported to the OINP immediately. This isn't optional — non-compliance can result in cancellation of the nomination.

Step 2: If Your Employee Is Invited to Apply

If your employee receives an invitation to apply, the clock starts for both of you:

• You (the employer) have 14 calendar days to submit your application for approval of the employment position
• Your employee has 17 calendar days to submit their application — but they cannot submit until after you've submitted yours

Both applications need to be approved for the nomination to go through. If your portion isn't approved, your employee's application cannot be approved either — so timeliness and accuracy on your end directly affects their outcome.

Common Employer Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting too long to submit the job offer, leaving the employee a shrunken window to register their EOI
• Underestimating the recruitment-effort documentation needed for candidates currently outside Canada or Ontario
• Not confirming revenue and staffing thresholds before starting the process
• Missing the 14-day application window after an invitation is issued