- Maximum score
- 130, or 115 for self employed physicians
- Published cut off
- None; no draws have been held
- Draws held to date
- 0
- Early stage band
- Under 45
- Building band
- 45, 64
- Competitive band
- 65, 84
- Very strong band
- 85 and above
- Fastest way to move up
- Language retest (up to +11) and work region (up to +15)
Shift from points to proof
Strong on the grid. Your risk is no longer your score; it is the 17 day application window and whether you can evidence every factor you claimed. Get documents current now.
Why there is no cut off score yet
Workforce Priority was created on June 26, 2026; the scoring framework was published in July. The EOI system for the new stream has not reopened, so there are no draws, no invitations, no minimum scores.
Old cut offs online belong to closed streams and different grids. Quoting "you need 60+" from a closed Employer Job Offer stream is a different program's answer.
We publish every draw the day it happens on the draw history page, and this page gets rewritten around real cut offs the moment the first round runs. Until then, bands, not promises.
How to read the four bands
Bands come from grid structure, not draw history, what a profile needs to reach each level, and relative position versus other candidates.
Under 45, Early stage
Missing Canadian factors: no Ontario experience, no work permit, no Canadian tax history (about 36 points unavailable). Common for overseas applicants; the route usually runs through a work permit first.
45 to 64, Building
Most crowded; planning changes outcomes most. Typically Ontario plus 1-2 years of experience, decent but not maximal language, GTA job. A language retest and a region change often push into the next band.
65 to 84, Competitive
Most factors working: Ontario experience in the position, valid work permit, CLB 8+, strong wage or non-Toronto location. The bottleneck becomes documentation and timing (the 17 day window).
85+, Very strong
Several factors near max: deep experience/wage, CLB 9, regional job, often health or trades. Prepare to register on day one rather than optimize further.
Four benchmark profiles
Rather than a fictional cut off, here's what real profiles actually score. Useful for calibration.
| Profile | Key factors | Score | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSW in Sudbury, 14 months in role, CLB 6, $26/hr, work permit | Region 15 · exp 15 · status 10 · wage 8 · lang 4 · occupation 0 | 57 | Building |
| Software developer in Toronto, 8 months, CLB 9, $46/hr, work permit, master's | Occupation 15 · wage 15 · lang 15 · exp 12 · status 10 · region 0 | 75 | Competitive |
| Registered nurse in Thunder Bay, 3 years, CLB 8, $42/hr, work permit, Canadian diploma | Occupation 19 · region 15 · exp 18 · wage 15 · lang 12 · status 10 | 102 | Very strong |
| Welder abroad with an Ottawa offer, CLB 7, $34/hr, bachelor's | Occupation 14 · region 10 · wage 10 · lang 8 · exp 0 · status 0 | 48 | Building |
Illustrative profiles built from the published grid, not real applicants. Note the nurse and the developer: the developer earns more and speaks better English, and still scores 27 points lower, almost entirely because of where the job is.
What to do at each level
- Under 45; focus on getting into Ontario. A work permit converts three zero factors into points simultaneously.
- 45 to 64; run the calculator's action plan and execute the top two items. Language and region are the usual answers.
- 65 to 84; stop optimizing and start documenting. Reference letters, NOAs, ECA, test results, all current.
- 85+; be ready to register on day one. Set a draw alert and have your employer file early.
Score interpretation FAQ
The questions people search when they want a number they can act on.
What is a good OINP EOI score in 2026?
No cut off has been published, because the expression of interest system for the Workforce Priority stream has not reopened and no draws have been held. Based on the structure of the 130 point grid, scores of 65 and above represent a competitive profile and 85 and above a very strong one, but these are relative bands, not published minimums.
What score do I need to be invited to the OINP?
Nobody knows yet. Any site quoting a required score for the Workforce Priority stream is either guessing or citing a stream that closed on June 26, 2026. Cut-offs will only exist once Ontario runs its first draw, which we log on the draw history page.
Can I use old OINP draw scores as a guide?
No. The eight previous streams used different scoring systems entirely, and all of them closed in June 2026. Comparing a 2025 Human Capital Priorities cut off to a Workforce Priority score is comparing two unrelated scales.
Is 60 points a good OINP score?
Sixty sits in the building band, mid-pack, with real and reachable upside. Profiles at this level are typically missing maximum language points or forfeiting region points to a Toronto work location, and both are addressable within weeks rather than years.
What is the maximum OINP score?
130 points for applicants with a job offer, and 115 for self employed physicians, who have no hourly wage factor. Very few real profiles approach either ceiling, because several factors have to be near maximum simultaneously.
Does a higher score guarantee an invitation?
No. Score determines your rank in the pool, but invitations depend on how many Ontario issues in a round and which pathway it targets. A high score also does nothing if you fail eligibility: the two tests are separate.
What should I do if my score is low?
Work the controllable factors in order of points per week of effort: language (up to 15, about six weeks), work region (up to 15, set by the job offer address), wage band (2 to 3 points per step), and your best Notice of Assessment year. Ontario work experience is worth more but only time can build it.
Will you publish cut off scores when draws start?
Yes. Every draw gets logged the day it is announced with date, pathway, minimum score and invitation volume, and this page will be rewritten around real data rather than bands as soon as there is any.