The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has immediately suspended its Express Entry — Skilled Trades Stream. Effective now, no new applications will be accepted under this stream, and current pending applications will be returned.
What the suspension involves
- Candidates in the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool for this stream cannot proceed to provincial nomination under this category.
- All pending applications under the Skilled Trades Stream will be returned and application fees will be refunded.
- The OINP has not provided a timeline or commitment for reopening the stream.
- Individuals in the EOI pool may still submit EOIs under other eligible OINP streams, if they meet the respective criteria.
Why the suspension was introduced
- Internal OINP review uncovered “widespread misrepresentation and/or fraud” connected to this Skilled Trades Stream, particularly that eligibility criteria could not be reliably verified.
- The structure of the stream was found to be vulnerable to systemic misuse, which undermined the program’s ability to nominate candidates whose skills meet Ontario’s labour-market needs.
- The province is also operating under a reduced nomination allocation for 2025. With limited spots, OINP opted to suspend this stream in order to better allocate its resources to streams with more clearly verifiable applicant eligibility.
Impact of the suspension
- Skilled trades applicants who were relying on this stream must now explore other immigration options or alternative OINP streams.
- Employers and candidates must be aware of increased scrutiny on streams involving job offers and labour-market alignment.
- The suspension signals that Ontario is tightening its program integrity, aiming to reserve nominations for applications that can be clearly verified and align with the province’s economic priorities.
- Applicants in the Skilled Trades EOI pool should act quickly: they can submit EOIs to other streams, but must meet all eligibility criteria for those streams—there is no automatic rollover.
What to do next
Work with a qualified immigration consultant or legal professional to re-assess your strategy in light of this development
