Canada's Ontario has just conducted its largest immigration draw of 2025, extending invitations to 2,643 foreigners on 2 September through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
The move highlights how the province is increasingly turning to immigration to fill critical roles in healthcare, education, and support services.
How The Invitations Are Divided
The invitations were issued under three separate streams of the Employer Job Offer category, each targeting different candidate groups:
- Foreign worker stream: 1,305 invitations went out to profiles created between July 2 and September 2 2025. Applicants needed a minimum score of 41 and a job offer in one of nine healthcare roles or as early childhood educators and assistants.
- International student stream: 1,105 invitations were issued for the same time period, with a higher cut-off score of 58. The focus remained on healthcare and early education occupations.
- In-demand skills stream: 233 invitations were sent to candidates with scores of 33 or higher. These were specifically for home support workers, housekeepers, and related jobs.
Together, the draws covered 10 priority job codes under Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC), ranging from general practitioners and specialist surgeons to nurses, midwives, physician assistants, early childhood educators, and home support workers.
Why These Jobs Were Chosen
Ontario officials, according to Business Standard, said the targeted occupations reflect the province's most pressing labour shortages. With an ageing population and rising demand for healthcare services, doctors, nurses, and support staff are urgently needed. Education too remains a priority, particularly early childhood educators, as population growth continues to put pressure on schools and childcare facilities.
What's Next
Receiving an invitation is just the first step. Successful candidates now have a strict timeline to follow:
- Both candidates and their employers are notified by email if their Expression of Interest (EOI) was selected
- Employers must apply for approval of the job offer through Ontario's Employer Portal within 14 calendar days, by September 16
- Candidates must then submit their application through the OINP e-Filing Portal within 17 days, by September 19, along with the required fees
- Each application must include all mandatory documents for the respective stream
- Failure to meet these deadlines could result in losing the invitation.
Programme Changes In 2025
The OINP made procedural changes in July 2025, requiring employers to use the Employer Portal for job offer approvals.
The new system ranks candidates on factors like job offers, prior experience, and how well their skills match Ontario's labour priorities. This has allowed the province to run more targeted draws, such as the September one.
What Does It Means For Indian Migrants
Ontario's decision to invite more than 2,600 people in one go reflects a clear strategy-directly address workforce shortages by bringing in skilled foreign talent already in Canada.
For many, this pathway offers not only a stable job but also a route to permanent residency, especially in sectors like healthcare and childcare that will remain in demand for years to come.
This list also include Indians. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) does not restrict draws by nationality. Anyone who has created an Expression of Interest profile and meets the eligibility criteria, from any other country, can be invited if they have the required job offer and score.
In fact, Indians are among the largest groups applying through OINP and other Canadian immigration streams, so it's very likely that a good number of these 2,643 invitations went to Indian candidates too.
READ MORE: How Indians Can Apply For Canadian PR, And Know If It's Worth It