Ontario Workforce Priority Stream TEER 0–3 Pathway 2026: Eligibility, Job Offer, Work Experience and Document Checklist

TEER 0–3 eligibility at a glance

This is a pathway-specific guide. For the complete process, read the candidate step-by-step application guide. Employers should use the separate OINP Employer Portal and employer-requirements guide.

If the offered position is NOC TEER 4 or 5, use the separate TEER 4–5 pathway eligibility and nine-month experience guide. Its experience, language, education and licensing rules are materially different.

The three qualifying work-experience routes

Most candidates must establish one of the following routes. Do not combine fragments of different routes to create a hybrid test.

Ontario treats full-time as at least 30 hours per week. Six months at the required schedule is ordinarily at least 780 hours; three months is ordinarily at least 390 hours; two years of full-time-equivalent experience is ordinarily at least 3,120 hours. Hours alone do not replace a requirement for consecutive employment, the correct employer, the correct position or the applicable time window.

Route 1: six consecutive months with the job-offer employer

This route is designed for a candidate already working in Ontario in the position the employer proposes to support. The evidence should establish an uninterrupted employment timeline, lawful work authorization, actual duties, hours and pay.

The safest file contains the employment agreement, detailed employer reference, work permits, status records, payroll statements, bank deposits and tax records. A job title is not enough. The work actually performed should match the lead statement and a substantial number of the main duties of the selected NOC.

Unpaid work, unauthorized work and a different role with the same employer should not be assumed to count. A promotion, transfer, material duty change, leave or payroll interruption must be examined against the consecutive-experience rule.

Route 2: recent Ontario graduate with three consecutive months

The shortened route applies only where the candidate obtained an eligible Ontario credential from an eligible Ontario institution within the previous three years. Ontario identifies the following credential types:

• a degree or diploma from a program requiring at least two years of full-time study;
• an Ontario college graduate certificate;
• a master's degree; or
• a PhD degree.

The candidate must still show at least three consecutive months of paid, full-time Ontario experience in the offered position with the same employer during the 12 months before applying. Graduation by itself is not an experience exemption.

Recent-graduate status can also affect the language and wage tests. That makes the credential's completion date, institution, program type and documentary proof important at both EOI and application stages. A credential that becomes more than three years old before filing may change several parts of the eligibility analysis at once.

Route 3: two years of occupational experience

This route can assist a candidate who has not worked six consecutive months in the offered Ontario position. The general rule is at least two cumulative years of paid, full-time experience—or a permitted equivalent in paid part-time hours—during the five years before applying, in the same NOC occupation as the job offer.

The experience may have been acquired with more than one employer and may include qualifying work outside Ontario. The candidate still needs a qualifying Ontario job offer, eligible employer and approved employment position.

Ontario provides limited related-occupation rules. For example, specified professional engineering experience in NOC Sub-Major Group 213 can be relevant to an offer in technical engineering occupations under Sub-Major Group 223. Specified nursing or pharmacist experience may also be recognized for certain offers in NOC 33102 or 33103. These are narrow rules; a generally related field is not automatically acceptable.

Candidates with job offers as transport truck drivers (NOC 73300) or bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators (NOC 73301) cannot rely on the two-year occupational route. They must meet the same-employer, six-consecutive-month job-offer experience requirement.

Licensing and professional registration

If Ontario or federal law requires a licence or other authorization to perform the offered work, the candidate must hold the required authorization. Being academically qualified, internationally licensed or eligible to begin registration is not the same as holding the Ontario authorization required to practise.

Under the TEER 0–3 rules, a candidate who has obtained the legally required licence or authorization may come within the regulatory alternative to the ordinary education and work-experience minimums. This is not a blanket exception for every occupation described as regulated. Confirm:

• whether the law actually requires the licence for the offered duties;
• the exact class, scope, conditions and expiry of the authorization;
• that it permits the candidate to perform the position at the proposed location; and
• that the professional name and registration number match the application.

An employer cannot cure a missing licence by promising supervision if the candidate would legally need independent authority to perform the stated duties. Conversely, do not claim a licensing exception merely because a voluntary professional association offers membership.

Language rules and Ontario's listed skilled trades

The general threshold is CLB 6 or NCLC 6 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking on an accepted English or French test. Ontario looks at every ability; an overall average does not repair a band below the minimum.

For a job offer in one of Ontario's listed skilled-trades groups, the threshold is CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in every ability. The current listed groups are:

• Major Group 72, technical trades and transportation officers and controllers, excluding Sub-Major Group 726;
• Major Group 73, general trades;
• Major Group 82, supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production;
• Major Group 83, occupations in natural resources and related production;
• Major Group 93, central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, excluding Sub-Major Group 932;
• Minor Group 6320, cooks, butchers and bakers; and
• Unit Group 62200, chefs.

These listed trades also receive a different education rule: a Canadian secondary-school credential or its equivalent may satisfy the minimum instead of the usual post-secondary credential. Confirm the exact NOC group rather than assuming that any hands-on, industrial or transportation job is a listed trade.

An eligible recent Ontario graduate may qualify without proving the standard language minimum. That exemption should be documented through the qualifying credential and date; it should not be confused with receiving zero or more EOI language points. Eligibility and ranking remain separate.

Accepted test type, score conversion and validity must be checked when filing. A result that expires or falls below the required band can affect eligibility and the EOI score.

Education evidence

Most candidates who do not qualify through mandatory licensing need a Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma from a program requiring at least one year of full-time study, or a foreign credential shown to be equivalent through a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).

The applicant checklist should control the exact evidence. Depending on the facts, prepare:

• degree, diploma or certificate;
• final transcript;
• program dates and completion evidence;
• ECA report and proof the designated organization can share or confirm it with Ontario;
• institution evidence where recent-graduate status is claimed; and
• certified translation for documents not in English or French.

Ontario has a specific education rule for certain candidates with an offer in NOC 33102, nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates. Listed-trades candidates may use the secondary-school standard described above. Apply these exceptions only after checking the current wording against the candidate's exact credential and NOC.

Permanent, full-time job-offer requirements

The offer must be for paid employment in Ontario that is:

• full-time, meaning at least 30 hours per week and at least 1,560 hours per year;
• permanent, with no fixed end date;
• in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation;
• urgently necessary to the employer's business;
• primarily based in Ontario; and
• supported by a genuine employer-employee relationship.

Seasonal, casual and fixed-term arrangements do not become permanent merely because renewals are expected. The job offer, employment contract, portal fields, current payroll and candidate application should all describe the same position.

Where the candidate already works for the employer in the offered position, the offered wage must also be at least the wage currently paid to that candidate and meet Ontario's applicable wage floor.

Wage and work-location rules

The usual TEER 0–3 wage rule is the median wage for the occupation in the region where the candidate will work. An eligible recent Ontario graduate can be assessed against the applicable low wage instead. Ontario's rules and Job Bank data—not a general provincial average—determine the comparison.

Record the wage source, NOC, region and retrieval date. Convert salaries accurately to an hourly amount using the guaranteed hours. Do not count discretionary bonuses, tips, commissions, overtime or benefits unless Ontario's current instructions expressly permit them.

The real work or report-to-work location matters to wage, employer thresholds and EOI points. Remote, hybrid, client-site and multi-location roles require a defensible factual analysis. A nominal rural address cannot be used to obtain a lower wage threshold or more ranking points when the candidate will actually work elsewhere.

NOC selection and duty matching

Choose the NOC from the substance of the job, not the title or the score it may generate. Compare:

1. the NOC lead statement;
2. the main duties actually performed and offered;
3. the level of responsibility, reporting line and supervision;
4. occupational and licensing requirements; and
5. the employer's business activities and operational need.

The employer's offer, organizational chart and position description must align with the candidate's reference letters, résumé, current work and EOI. A manager title with non-managerial duties, a technician offer supported only by unrelated work, or copied NOC wording unsupported by business reality creates refusal and misrepresentation risk.

Use Canada's official NOC search to identify a preliminary code, then document why the lead statement and duties fit. The candidate eligibility and document checklist provides a broader consistency review.

Employer eligibility and employment-position approval

The candidate cannot qualify independently of the employer. In general, the employer must have an active business, have operated for the required period, maintain Ontario premises, satisfy the applicable gross-revenue and Canadian-citizen/permanent-resident employee thresholds, comply with employment and immigration-related laws, and demonstrate a genuine need for the position.

Location-specific thresholds apply, including distinct treatment for employers in the Greater Toronto Area, outside it and in qualifying rural communities. Recruitment may be required depending on the candidate's work authorization and circumstances.

The workflow is sequential:

1. employer registers and submits the job offer through the Employer Portal;
2. candidate uses the job-offer information to register an EOI, generally within 30 calendar days;
3. Ontario may issue an invitation;
4. employer submits the separate employment-position approval application, generally within 14 calendar days; and
5. candidate submits the nomination application, generally within 17 calendar days, after the employer submits.

The invitation notice and portal deadlines control. For employer thresholds, recruitment, signing authority and records, use the complete Employer Portal guide.

EOI scoring implications

Meeting TEER 0–3 eligibility only permits participation in the selection system. Ontario's current EOI grid can award up to 130 points across job-offer, human-capital and regional factors. Relevant factors include the offered occupation, wage, work location, current work status, valid work permit, job tenure, Canadian earnings, education and language.

Three practical distinctions matter:

• the work experience used to meet a mandatory route is not necessarily measured the same way as an EOI factor;
• a recent-graduate or listed-trades language threshold does not automatically award language points; and
• an eligible job offer can still receive fewer ranking points than another eligible offer.

Recalculate every claimed factor from evidence before registration and again before filing. Read the complete 130-point OINP Workforce Priority scoring guide and the evidence-based score-improvement guide.

Candidate document checklist

The official applicant checklist and invitation notice control. A TEER 0–3 file may require:

Identity, family and status

• passport biographical page and relevant stamped or visa pages;
• birth, marriage, divorce or name-change records, where applicable;
• current and prior Canadian permits and status records;
• evidence of lawful Ontario residence and work during experience relied on; and
• representative forms, if a representative is appointed.

Job offer and current employment

• signed permanent, full-time job offer and employment agreement;
• job-offer information received through the employer process;
• detailed duties, hours, wage, benefits, location and reporting line;
• recent pay statements, payroll records and bank deposits;
• T4 slips and Notices of Assessment, where available; and
• explanation and proof of any promotion, leave, wage change or location change.

Work experience

• employer reference letters with dates, hours, wage, duties and signatory contact details;
• contracts, pay statements, tax records and social-insurance contribution records;
• business registration evidence for a foreign employer where authenticity may require context;
• proof of lawful Ontario work for a six-month or graduate route; and
• an experience calculation identifying the chosen route, qualifying dates and hours.

Education, language and licensing

• Canadian credentials and transcripts;
• valid ECA and authorization for Ontario to verify it, where required;
• approved language-test results, unless a documented exemption applies;
• Ontario graduate completion and institution evidence, if relied on; and
• current licence, certificate of registration or other legal authorization, including class and conditions.

EOI and submission records

• saved EOI answers and score calculation;
• invitation letter and deadline calculation;
• explanation for any change since EOI registration;
• certified translations and translator documentation; and
• clear, complete scans that match the portal's format and size limits.

Employer document checklist

The employer generally controls its own evidence and declarations. The candidate should nevertheless confirm that shared facts reconcile. Depending on the business and invitation, the employer file may include:

• corporate registration, business number and ownership records;
• evidence of at least the required operating history and Ontario premises;
• financial statements, CRA records and other gross-revenue evidence;
• payroll records and a location-specific count of qualifying Canadian citizens and permanent residents;
• recruitment records and exemption analysis;
• organizational chart and proof of urgent business need;
• signed offer, supplementary employer letter and complete position description;
• NOC, wage and Job Bank regional-wage analysis;
• current-worker payroll and status records;
• signing-officer authority, employer consent form and declarations; and
• explanations for related companies, remote work, multiple locations or unusual business arrangements.

The employer must not send sensitive corporate records to the candidate merely for convenience. The parties can use a shared fact sheet while preserving separate responsibility and confidentiality.

Invitation-stage deadlines and filing sequence

Treat the invitation date as day zero. Save the invitation, portal messages and job-offer record immediately.

The employer generally has 14 calendar days to submit the employment-position approval application. The candidate generally has 17 calendar days to submit the nomination application and fee, and cannot complete the candidate submission until the employer has filed its portion. Weekends and holidays do not automatically extend a calendar-day deadline.

Within the first 24 hours:

• calculate both deadlines in writing;
• confirm employer signing-officer availability;
• verify the offer remains open and employment facts remain accurate;
• confirm the selected eligibility route and supporting evidence;
• recalculate the EOI score; and
• identify any expired, missing or inconsistent document.

Do not wait for the employer's fourteenth day if the candidate still needs the employer submission to unlock the final filing steps.

Common refusal risks

• Wrong experience route: counting non-consecutive months for the six-month route or using unrelated experience for the occupational route.
• Unauthorized work: relying on Ontario experience acquired without legal work authorization.
• NOC mismatch: title fits, but duties, responsibility or business context do not.
• Graduate-date problem: the credential or completion date does not meet the recent Ontario graduate definition when the application is filed.
• Language error: averaging scores, using an expired test or applying the CLB 5 trade rule to an unlisted NOC.
• Licensing gap: registration is pending, restricted or not the authorization legally required for the offered duties.
• Wage error: wrong region, obsolete data, incorrect salary conversion or reliance on non-guaranteed compensation.
• Location inconsistency: employer, payroll, EOI and job offer identify different actual work locations.
• Current-pay conflict: the job offer is lower than the wage already paid in the position.
• Employer ineligibility: insufficient revenue, workforce, operating history, premises or evidence of genuine need.
• Score inflation: claiming points without documents or failing to report a material change.
• Deadline or sequence failure: employer files late, candidate files before the employer step is complete, or the candidate misses the 17-day deadline.

Ontario assesses the complete record. A plausible explanation is not a substitute for contemporaneous evidence, and one party's accurate application cannot cure contradictory information from the other.

Worked candidate scenarios

Scenario 1: Ontario software developer with seven months of work

A candidate has worked lawfully for an Ontario technology employer for seven uninterrupted months in the same permanent software-development position being offered. The duties match the selected TEER 1 NOC, the wage meets the regional median, the candidate has a qualifying degree and CLB 8 in every ability.

This candidate may fit the six-month same-employer route. The file should still prove the continuous period, current status, actual duties, wage, employer eligibility and EOI claims. Seven months does not guarantee an invitation.

Scenario 2: recent Ontario master's graduate

A candidate completed an eligible Ontario master's degree two years ago and has worked four consecutive paid, full-time months with the offering employer in the exact position. The offer meets the applicable low-wage level but not the median.

The candidate may qualify through the recent Ontario graduate route and its related wage and language rules if every definition remains satisfied on the application date. The degree, completion date, institution, work period and wage source should be documented together. If recent-graduate status expires before filing, the experience, wage and language analysis may all change.

Scenario 3: engineer abroad offered an Ontario technologist role

A candidate has more than two years of recent professional engineering experience abroad in NOC Sub-Major Group 213 and receives an Ontario offer in a technical engineering occupation under Sub-Major Group 223. The candidate has not worked for the Ontario employer.

Ontario's limited related-occupation rule may allow the experience to support the occupational route. The candidate must still prove duty-level relevance, dates, pay and hours and meet the remaining education, language, job-offer, employer and invitation requirements.

Scenario 4: transport truck driver with three years abroad

A candidate has three years of paid truck-driving experience outside Canada and a permanent Ontario offer under NOC 73300 but has never worked for the employer.

The two-year occupational route is not available for this NOC under Ontario's specific rule. The candidate would need to meet the six-consecutive-month Ontario job-offer experience route while lawfully residing and working for the same employer in the offered position, together with all other requirements.

Scenario 5: licensed regulated professional

A professional holds the exact Ontario licence legally required for the offered duties. The registration is active, permits practice at the proposed location and has no condition inconsistent with the offer.

The licensing alternative may address the ordinary education and work-experience minimums, but it does not waive the need for an eligible employer, approved permanent full-time job offer, correct NOC, wage, language or invitation. The candidate should provide the licence and independent regulator verification.

What happens after nomination?

An Ontario nomination is not permanent residence and does not itself authorize work. The candidate must follow the nomination conditions, report material changes and apply separately to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada under the applicable Provincial Nominee Program process.

The nomination package may include a nomination certificate and, where Ontario's criteria are met, a work-permit support letter. A work permit remains a separate federal application decided by IRCC. The candidate must maintain valid temporary status and work authorization independently.

Ontario Workforce Priority TEER 0–3 nominees should follow the post-nomination guide to work permits, permanent residence and maintaining status.

Final pre-submission review

Before filing, answer each question with evidence rather than assumption:

• Is the offer genuinely permanent, full-time and TEER 0–3?
• Which one of the three experience routes applies?
• Are all required months, hours, employers, NOCs and legal-status periods proven?
• Does a graduate, trade, education or licensing rule apply to this exact candidate?
• Does the NOC reflect actual and offered duties?
• Is the wage measured against the correct region and applicable level?
• Does the employer qualify and have complete position-approval evidence?
• Do employer and candidate records agree on wage, duties, dates, location and status?
• Can every EOI point be proved as of the relevant date?
• Can both parties meet their separate invitation deadlines?

Official sources

This guide was reviewed against official information available on September 9, 2026:

• Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
• Applicant checklist for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
• Employer checklist for the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream
• OINP Employer Guide
• OINP application process
• 2026 OINP updates and invitations
• Ontario Regulation 422/17
• Canada's National Occupational Classification
• IRCC: Provincial nominees—non-Express Entry process

*This article provides general information, not legal advice. Eligibility and documentary strategy depend on the complete facts, and Ontario and federal officers make the final decisions.*