Ontario Suspends Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream: What Applicants Need to Know

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has officially suspended its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream with immediate effect. The province cites widespread and systemic misrepresentation as the reason for shutting down the stream.

This decision impacts both current applicants and anyone who planned to apply under this pathway.

What This Suspension Means for Applicants

Ontario has stopped accepting new applications under the Skilled Trades Stream. All pending applications will be returned, and applicants will receive full refunds of their application fees.

The OINP has not confirmed whether this stream will reopen in the future.

Alternative Immigration Pathways for Skilled Trades Workers

Although the OINP Skilled Trades Stream is now closed, applicants still have multiple alternatives to pursue permanent residence.

1. Express Entry Trade Category

Those who already qualified for the OINP Skilled Trades Stream had a valid Express Entry profile, which means they can consider Express Entry’s own Trade occupation category.

Category-based selection draws in Express Entry often have lower CRS score cut-offs compared to general draws. For example:

• The most recent Trade category draw had a CRS cut-off of 505
• The latest Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw had a score of 533
  
  

Eligibility for the Trade Category

To qualify, candidates must:

• Meet the eligibility requirements for one Express Entry program (CEC, FSWP, or FSTP), and
• Have at least six months of work experience in an eligible trade occupation within the past three years
  
  

A sample of eligible occupations is listed below:

The full list includes 25 eligible occupations.

Other OINP Pathways to Consider

The OINP has encouraged affected applicants to explore alternative OINP streams if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Enhanced (Express Entry-Aligned) OINP Streams

These streams select candidates directly from the Express Entry pool:

• Human Capital Priorities Stream
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
  
  

Base OINP Streams

These streams are not connected to Express Entry and require candidates to apply through the OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) system:

• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
• Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
• Master’s Graduate Stream
• PhD Graduate Stream
  
  

Why Ontario Suspended the Skilled Trades Stream

Ontario’s internal review revealed extensive misrepresentation and fraud linked to this stream. Authorities found that they could not reliably verify whether applicants met the required criteria. This raised major concerns about the program’s integrity and its ability to select applicants who genuinely support Ontario’s labour market needs.

The province also noted that the current structure of the stream made it vulnerable to systematic misuse.

Additionally, Ontario’s nomination allocation from the federal government has been significantly reduced for 2025. With fewer nomination positions available, the OINP must focus on applicants who clearly meet labour market demands. Because of ongoing integrity issues in the Skilled Trades Stream, Ontario decided that the most responsible action was to close the stream entirely.

What This Means Going Forward

While the closure of the Skilled Trades Stream affects many applicants, multiple Express Entry and OINP options remain open. Skilled trades professionals can still succeed through the Express Entry Trade category or through other provincial streams that better align with Ontario’s labour and compliance requirements.