OINP Alert: December 10, 2025 Draw Analysis for Healthcare, ECE, and REDI Pilot Candidates (Critical January 2026 Deadlines)
Introduction
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) concluded 2025 with a highly strategic Expression of Interest (EOI) draw on December 10, issuing targeted Invitations to Apply (ITAs) across its Employer Job Offer (EJO) streams. This draw emphasized two core provincial priorities: addressing critical labor market shortages in public service sectors like healthcare and Early Childhood Education (ECE), and reinforcing regional economic growth through the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot. Candidates who received an ITA on this date must now act immediately to meet highly specific and non-standard administrative deadlines in early January 2026.
December 10, 2025: Key Draw Results
The December 10 draw focused heavily on candidates currently residing in Canada within targeted occupations.
Targeted Occupations (Healthcare & ECE): A total of 1,057 targeted invitations were issued to potential candidates working in priority health occupations or in NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants. The invited healthcare occupations included:
- NOC 31300 - Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31301 - Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 31302 - Nurse practitioners
- NOC 32101 - Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 33102 - Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
Minimum EOI Scores for Targeted Occupations:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream: Candidates needed an EOI score of 49 and above.
- Employer Job Offer: International Student stream: Candidates needed an EOI score of 73 and above.
REDI Pilot Invitations: An additional 76 targeted invitations were issued to candidates who may qualify for the REDI pilot under the Employer Job Offer streams (Foreign Worker, International Student or In-Demand Skills stream). The targeted Census Divisions for this round included Lambton, Lanark, and Leeds and Grenville.
Critical Deadlines and the Mandatory Employer Portal
Receiving an ITA now requires immediate, coordinated action between the applicant and their employer, especially due to regulatory changes implemented earlier in the year and the specific holiday-period deadlines.
Mandatory Employer-Led Process: As of July 2, 2025, all applications for the approval of an employment position under the Employer Job Offer streams must be submitted via the new Employer Portal. This system shifts the process to an employer-led approach, meaning the employer must initiate the application process. The employer must register their business and create a job offer digitally before the applicant can register their Expression of Interest (EOI).
Specific Deadlines for December 10, 2025, ITAs: The OINP provided specific deadlines for this draw, extending beyond the typical 14/17-day window to accommodate the year-end holidays:
- Employer Deadline: The employer must submit the application for the approval of an employment position by midnight on January 5, 2026.
- Applicant Deadline: The invited candidate must submit their application and payment by midnight on January 8, 2026.
If the employer fails to submit their application by January 5, the applicant will be unable to proceed, resulting in the withdrawal of the Invitation to Apply.
Spotlight on Regional Growth: The REDI Pilot
The Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot is a one-year initiative running from January 2, 2025, to December 31, 2025, which leverages the existing EJO streams to address specific regional labor needs.
Program Details:
- Goal: To attract highly skilled foreign talent to specific regional communities outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to fill local labor market gaps.
- Allocation: The pilot sets aside 200 nominations from the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams for each partner community.
- Targeted Communities: Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, and Thunder Bay.
- Application Process: There is no separate application for the REDI pilot; eligible applicants apply through the standard OINP EOI system and are considered for targeted pilot draws.
Universal Job Offer and Employer Eligibility Requirements
Regardless of whether the ITA was received under the sectoral targets or the REDI pilot, the fundamental requirements of the Employer Job Offer stream must be met.
Job Offer Must Be Full-Time and Permanent: The job must require no less than 30 hours of paid work per week (minimum 1,560 hours per year) and must have an indeterminate duration (no end date). The wage offered must also meet or exceed specific wage levels based on the stream and region: the median wage level for Foreign Worker and In-Demand Skills streams, or the low wage level for the International Student stream.
Employer Requirements (Revenue and Employees): The employer must have been in active business for at least three years. Financial and staffing requirements depend on the job location:
Work LocationMinimum Gross Annual RevenueMinimum Full-Time Employees (Canadian Citizens/PRs)Greater Toronto Area (GTA)$1,000,0005Outside the GTA (including all REDI communities)$500,0003
Conclusion and Call to Action
The December 10, 2025, OINP draw underscores the province's focus on filling critical labor gaps, especially in healthcare, early childhood education, and regional development. Invited candidates and their employers must immediately review their documentation and synchronize their efforts to submit the necessary application components by the January 5 and January 8, 2026, deadlines. Missing these dates means forfeiting the opportunity for nomination.
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This post is general information about Canadian immigration and Ontario paralegal matters and is not legal advice. Rules change and every case is different — confirm current requirements for your own situation.