June 25, 2026
Ontario has experienced one of the most significant changes in recent years to its immigration programs. This impacts many Karis employees with work permits who are waiting to apply for permanent residency. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 421/17 under the Ontario Immigration Act took effect on May 30th, 2026. Under these amendments, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has ended. This closes the International Student stream that Human Resources relied on to support Karis employees. It also ends other parts of OINP, including the Foreign Worker stream. At this time, no alternate immigration program has been announced. We eagerly await news from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding what program will replace the OINP.
The province of Ontario has confirmed that candidates with current applications already submitted in the OINP portal will continue to be assessed according to the eligibility requirements that were in place when they were submitted. No new OINP applications can be submitted.
Some work has been done by the provincial government regarding a new program. In December 2025, Ontario consulted stakeholders on a two-phase redesign. The government of Ontario OINP webpage continues to list the outdated OINP streams. This has led to confusion about what programs are currently in place. We encourage applicants to use caution when reviewing any information unless it is confirmed by official sources from the Ontario government and IRCC websites.
Karis is proud of the immigration support offered to our talented team members. On June 11, an On the Horizon article highlighted advocacy in Supporting Our DSP Workforce: A Positive Update. It described the successful changes that were directly influenced by the Human Resources Committee of the Provincial Network, a forum of Ontario developmental services agencies that includes Karis. Their advocacy work has led to positive outcomes including the recognition of the need for ‘draws’ – Invitations to Apply that include the National Occupation Code for Direct Support Professionals (NOC42201). This advocacy improved the effectiveness of the OINP. This advocacy work continues to be important because the same NOC will be used and recognized in any new immigration programs.
Karis is waiting for an announcement from the IRCC and the Ontario government regarding new immigration streams, eligibility requirements, and implementation timelines. The Human Resource department is monitoring the situation closely so that Karis can retain our skilled workforce. If you have questions, reach out to immigration@karis.org.
Karolina Fahel, HR Associate, Human Resources