Ontario OINP Issues 1,828 PR Invitations in New Draws Held on April 8

A total of 1,828 invites were issued on April 8, 2026, by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program for four different targeted draws.

Ontario has made its largest OINP draw day of April 2026, and the numbers are simply astonishing.

This one-day draw makes a mockery of the earlier 759 invitations issued by Ontario to miners at the start of the month.

The draws were aimed at healthcare workers, Francophone applicants, physicians, and REDI pilot program applicants.

The vast majority of invites went to Healthcare and Early Childhood Education occupations, who received 1,635 invites alone.

All three Employer Job Offers streams invited 146 Francophone applicants.

The REDI pilot for the Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville region issued 32 invitations.

Lastly, there was a draw of 15 invitations for physicians in Ontario.

It is clear that Ontario is working hard to address the gap in their healthcare system, support Francophone people, attract physicians, and develop their economy in smaller regions.

Let us look at everything we should know about the four different draws that took place on April 8, 2026.

Complete Summary of All Four OINP Draws on April 8, 2026

Below you can see how all draws conducted on April 8, 2026 were composed, with their invitation numbers, streams, and the required minimum score.

With a grand total of 1,828 invitations, April 8, 2026 ranks amongst the most successful single days in recent times for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

This certainly seems to be an extremely busy month for Ontario when it comes to nominations.

Foreign Worker Stream NOC Codes for Healthcare and ECE Draw

The table below shows the list of six NOC codes eligible under the Foreign Worker category for the draw under health-care and early childhood education.

The presence of nursing supervisors and coordinators in addition to the regular registered nurses and nurse practitioners demonstrates that Ontario is targeting healthcare workers at all levels of nursing hierarchy.

LPNs and nurse aides were also listed here, which means that Ontario needs front-line care providers the most in hospitals and LTCHs.

Early childhood educators and assistants were also included in the draw, indicating Ontario’s continued attempts to provide more childcare services according to its federal-provincial childcare agreement.

International Student Stream NOC Codes for Healthcare and ECE Draw

The International Student pathway had five eligible NOC codes, one less than those in the Foreign Worker pathway.

The following table shows all eligible professions.

The difference between the two pathways is that the Foreign Worker pathway included NOC 31302 as an eligible profession along with the five NOCs mentioned above.

As a result, nurse practitioners were eligible to apply through the Foreign Worker pathway but not the International Student pathway.

Apart from nurse practitioners, all other healthcare and early childhood education occupations were common to both pathways.

Francophone Draw Foreign Worker Stream Eligible NOC Codes

The Foreign Worker stream of the Francophone draw had the longest list of occupations among the three streams, totaling 46 NOC codes.

This is one of the longest lists of occupations that we have observed in the recent OINP target draws.

The variety of occupations in this list clearly demonstrates how much Ontario values francophone workers in various fields.

Occupations in the management, finance, trades, and healthcare industries, along with many others, are available to applicants who could prove their French skills and had a legitimate job offer in any of those 46 NOC codes.

The technology sector is well represented by occupations such as software engineers and designers, information systems analysts and consultants, as well as business system analysts and consultants.

Educational professionals are included too, from elementary school teachers, school principals, to post-secondary teaching assistants.

Skilled trades occupations such as welder, heavy duty equipment mechanic, automotive service technician, and cabinetmaker complete the list.

Francophone Draw International Student Stream Eligible NOC Codes

For the French-speaking draw, the International Students category had 29 occupation codes that were considered as eligible with a minimum number of 63.

There were various unique occupations included in the International Students category but were not included in the Foreign Workers category.

Some examples include data scientists, civil engineers, construction managers, translators and interpreters, and bus drivers who were only present in the International Students category.

Other occupations that were also included in the same category are financial advisors, construction estimators, and audio and video recording technicians.

The differences above show that Ontario creates different streams according to workforce pipeline needs.

Francophone Draw In-Demand Skills Stream Eligible NOC Codes

The In-Demand Skills category received the least amount of points (25 points), and there were 11 eligible NOC codes in this category.

Occupations in the category are mainly in manufacturing, food processing, construction, and agriculture occupations.

Among those occupations are occupations such as home support worker, industrial sewing machine operator, industrial butcher, and nursery labourer.

The low score requirement of 25 points signifies the need for French speaking skilled workers in Ontario.

REDI Pilot Foreign Worker Stream Eligible NOC Codes

The following occupations were eligible under the REDI pilot Foreign Worker stream.

The REDI Foreign Worker stream targeted a mix of business management, healthcare, and skilled trades occupations.

Electrical mechanics and motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle mechanics are unique inclusions that reflect the specific employer needs in Lanark and Leeds and Grenville.

REDI Pilot International Student Stream Eligible NOC Codes

These professions qualified for the REDI pilot International Student Stream:

Healthcare occupations take the lion’s share among those listed for the International Student stream of the REDI pilot.

These include licensed practical nurses, nurse aides, social workers, and early childhood educators due to their great importance for these remote areas.

In addition, there are landscape and horticulture technicians among the qualifying professions, corresponding to the rural character of Eastern Ontario.

REDI Pilot In-Demand Skills Stream Eligible NOC Codes

In the REDI pilot program, the stream for In-Demand Skills included four occupations.

These occupations were home support workers, machine operators, plastics processing operators, and food processing labourers.

These occupations are critical jobs within small towns and communities, wherein employers find it very challenging to hire suitable employees.

Physician’s Draw targeted 3 NOC Codes

The physician draw of April 8, 2026, although being the smallest out of all four draws held on this date, holds immense importance.

Fifteen invites to apply were sent under the Employer Job Offer category for doctors or medical specialists.

The minimum passing score for this draw was 43 points.

Three different NOCs were eligible for this draw.

The issuance of the physician-specific draw by the Province of Ontario clearly reflects the gravity of the problem of lack of doctors in Ontario.

There are millions of Ontarians who have no family doctor and there are increasing waiting lists to meet medical specialists.

This draw indicates that recruiting foreign physicians is of primary concern to the Province of Ontario.

For more information, one can go through the OINP Program Update dated January 5.

Application Process and Deadlines for April 8, 2026 Invitations

All applicants who receive an invitation to apply for April 8, 2026 must adhere to the same application procedure, irrespective of the draw from which they have been invited.

This table below provides a brief overview of the process and timeline.

The 14 days employer time and 17 days candidate time are fixed and under no circumstance can they be changed.

Applicants are urged to contact their employer immediately after receiving the invitation in order to be sure about the timeframe.

Failure to do so within this timeframe will cause the invitation to expire.

What the April 8, 2026 OINP Draws Mean for Ontario Immigration

The size and complexity of the April 8 draws highlight the extent to which Ontario is using its nomination rights to resolve its biggest workforce problems.

Healthcare continues to dominate the list with 1,635 invitations making up almost 90 percent of all invitations issued on that date.

The record-low mark of 20 points in the foreign worker stream for healthcare illustrates how desperate Ontario is for nurses and healthcare providers.

The Francophone draw with its record 81 different NOC codes in three streams highlights Ontario’s emphasis on promoting bilingualism and fulfilling its duty to preserve French-speaking populations.

As part of its policy of spreading its immigration benefits outside major cities such as Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario has started a new pilot called REDI.

The physician stream with just 15 invitations is targeting one of Ontario’s most visible workforce problems.

Taking into account the 759 invitations for the mining sector announced on April 1, Ontario is now issuing a total of 2,587 OINP invitations in just the first eight days of April 2026.

It seems to indicate that April 2026 may be one of the busiest periods ever recorded by the OINP.

All candidates from each sector must ensure that their profiles are up-to-date and check the OINP Program Updates page for upcoming draws.