Ontario Workforce Priority Stream TEER 4–5 Pathway 2026: Eligibility, Job Offer, 9-Month Work Experience and Document Checklist

TEER 4–5 eligibility at a glance

For the end-to-end filing sequence, use the Ontario Workforce Priority candidate application guide. This article concentrates on the pathway-specific eligibility and evidence analysis.

What TEER 4 and TEER 5 mean

TEER measures the training, education, experience and responsibilities ordinarily associated with an occupation. Under NOC 2021:

• TEER 4 generally covers occupations that may require secondary-school completion, several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary education, or several years of experience in a related TEER 5 occupation; and
• TEER 5 generally covers occupations that may require a short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements.

These descriptions classify occupations; they do not decide OINP eligibility by themselves. A candidate must identify the NOC whose lead statement and main duties match the actual job. Examples can arise in food services, agriculture, manufacturing, transport support, health support, retail, hospitality, construction support and other sectors, but job titles are unreliable.

The pathway does not publish a short closed list of qualifying occupations. Any genuine TEER 4 or 5 occupation may potentially fit, subject to the candidate, employer, position, invitation and program requirements.

The single nine-month work-experience route

Unlike the TEER 0–3 pathway, TEER 4–5 does not offer multiple work-experience routes. The candidate must have at least nine months of cumulative, paid, full-time work experience:

• in the employment position described in the job offer;
• with the same employer supporting the OINP application;
• acquired in Ontario;
• during the two years immediately before the application; and
• while lawfully residing and working in Ontario.

Ontario defines full-time work as at least 30 hours per week. Nine months at that schedule is ordinarily at least 1,170 hours. The legal test is not merely an hours total: the experience must also meet the full-time, position, employer, location, timing and authorization requirements.

Cumulative does not mean consecutive

The nine months may be cumulative. A qualifying interruption may not necessarily erase earlier work, provided all relied-on periods fall within the two-year window and the complete record still satisfies Ontario's rule.

However, the candidate should explain every gap, leave, layoff, permit interruption, reduction in hours, transfer or payroll change. Cumulative does not permit the candidate to add unrelated jobs, different employers or non-qualifying part-time periods.

Part-time work should not be converted

The TEER 4–5 rule requires paid, full-time experience and does not provide the express part-time-equivalency mechanism available under the TEER 0–3 occupational-experience route. A candidate should not add two part-time jobs or extend a part-time period and assume the hours convert to nine months of full-time experience.

Foreign and out-of-province experience does not satisfy the route

Experience from another country or province can support a résumé and occupational history, but it does not replace the required nine months in Ontario with the offering employer in the offered position.

The job-offer position must be the experienced position

Working for the same corporate employer is not enough if the candidate's actual position was materially different. A promotion from a TEER 5 role into the proposed TEER 4 role may restart the qualifying period if the earlier duties do not match the offered position.

Compare the employment contracts, payroll classifications, schedules, supervisor records and duties across the full nine-month period. If the role evolved gradually, prepare a dated explanation and evidence showing when the candidate began performing the offered position.

Lawful residence and work authorization

Every Ontario work period relied on must have been acquired while the candidate was lawfully residing and authorized to work. Prepare a permit-and-employment chronology showing:

• entry and status dates;
• each study or work permit's validity;
• any conditions restricting employer, occupation, location or hours;
• maintained-status periods and the application that created them;
• the date employment began and any interruption; and
• the legal authority relied on for each period.

A valid visitor record can satisfy Ontario's general legal-status requirement for an application made in Canada, but it does not authorize employment and cannot generate qualifying work experience. A pending restoration application is not the same as maintained status.

If the candidate worked beyond permit conditions, exceeded a student work limit or continued after authority ended, do not count the period without a careful legal review. Payroll evidence proves payment; it does not prove authorization.

No recent Ontario graduate shortcut

The TEER 4–5 pathway does not include the TEER 0–3 recent-graduate reduction to three months. An Ontario certificate, diploma, degree, graduate certificate, master's degree or PhD does not reduce the nine-month experience requirement.

Recent-graduate status also does not create a language-test exemption or lower the applicable wage requirement in this pathway. Candidates should not import the TEER 0–3 graduate rules into a TEER 4–5 application.

Education requirement

The candidate must have a Canadian secondary-school diploma or a foreign credential assessed as equivalent. A foreign credential generally requires a valid Educational Credential Assessment from an organization designated by IRCC.

The education file may include:

• secondary-school diploma or certificate;
• final transcript or marks sheet;
• graduation or completion record;
• valid ECA report for a foreign credential;
• proof that the assessment organization can share or confirm the report with Ontario; and
• certified translation and translator documentation where required.

A higher credential does not remove the need to document education properly. Where names or dates differ across the diploma, passport, ECA and application, include the legal change record and a concise explanation.

Language requirement: CLB or NCLC 4 in every ability

The candidate must demonstrate at least CLB 4 in English or NCLC 4 in French in listening, reading, writing and speaking through an accepted test.

Ontario assesses each ability separately. For example, scores equivalent to CLB 5 in listening, reading and speaking but CLB 3 in writing do not meet the minimum.

Accepted tests currently include CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French. Use the official conversion table for the test taken. Confirm the result remains valid on the relevant application date and matches the identity document.

Language affects both eligibility and ranking. CLB 4 may satisfy the TEER 4–5 minimum but does not necessarily generate the same EOI points as a higher result. A candidate can improve a score only after obtaining a valid new result; intended or booked testing cannot be claimed.

Licensing and authorization

If Ontario or federal law requires a licence, certificate or other authorization to perform the offered work, the candidate must have obtained it. Verify:

• the regulator or issuing authority;
• the exact occupation and offered duties;
• licence class, scope, expiry and conditions;
• whether the authorization is mandatory rather than voluntary; and
• whether it permits work at the proposed location.

The TEER 4–5 pathway does not provide the same licensing alternative that can replace ordinary education and work-experience minimums in certain TEER 0–3 cases. A mandatory licence is an additional requirement here; it does not erase the nine months or secondary-school requirement.

Permanent, full-time job-offer requirements

The qualifying offer must be:

• for paid employment in Ontario;
• full-time, meaning at least 30 hours per week and 1,560 hours per year;
• permanent or indeterminate, with no fixed end date;
• in a NOC TEER 4 or 5 occupation;
• urgently necessary to the employer's business; and
• based on a genuine employer-employee relationship.

Seasonal, casual, project-based and fixed-term jobs are not permanent. An offer that states “permanent” can still fail if the surrounding contract, work pattern or business need shows a temporary arrangement.

The job must generally remain available until nomination and continue afterward in accordance with Ontario's conditions. A reduction in hours, layoff, termination, transfer, wage cut or offer withdrawal can affect eligibility and must be reviewed and reported where required.

Wage requirement

The offered wage must generally meet or exceed the applicable median wage for the NOC in the Ontario region where the candidate will work. The TEER 0–3 low-wage exception for eligible recent Ontario graduates does not apply.

If the candidate already works in the position, the offer must also be at least the wage the employer currently pays that candidate. An employer cannot reduce current remuneration to the median or use a lower paper offer for immigration purposes.

For an accurate wage analysis:

1. identify the correct NOC;
2. identify the actual work or report-to-work region;
3. retrieve the current Job Bank wage data;
4. record the source and retrieval date;
5. convert salary to an hourly wage using guaranteed hours; and
6. exclude discretionary or non-guaranteed compensation unless Ontario expressly permits it.

Where Job Bank lacks regional or occupational data, follow Ontario's current fallback method. A collective agreement may also affect the wage analysis.

Work location and remote-work risks

The real work location can affect the wage floor, employer eligibility thresholds and EOI score. Employer documents, payroll, job offer and candidate application should identify the same factual location.

For hybrid, remote, mobile or client-site work, document:

• where the candidate ordinarily performs duties;
• where the candidate reports to work;
• which establishment supervises and pays the candidate;
• how much work occurs in Ontario; and
• why the selected region is accurate.

Do not use a rural office or lower-wage region merely because it is advantageous if the candidate does not genuinely work or report there.

NOC selection and duty matching

NOC selection determines the pathway and affects wage and EOI points. It should be based on actual and offered duties, not a title or preferred TEER.

Compare:

• the NOC lead statement;
• a substantial number of the main duties;
• the candidate's daily tasks;
• supervision and decision-making authority;
• equipment, customers, products or processes involved;
• the employer's business model; and
• any occupational or licensing requirements.

A title such as “supervisor,” “assistant,” “operator,” “associate” or “manager” can fall under different NOCs depending on the facts. Inflating a TEER 5 position into TEER 4 does not strengthen a file. It creates inconsistencies with payroll, schedules, organizational charts and interviews.

Employer eligibility and position approval

The employer must independently qualify and later obtain approval for the employment position. The requirements generally address:

• active business and required operating history;
• an Ontario place of business;
• applicable gross annual revenue;
• the minimum number of full-time Canadian-citizen or permanent-resident employees at the relevant location;
• compliance with Ontario employment and workplace-safety law;
• recruitment, where required;
• a genuine, urgently necessary position; and
• complete and accurate Employer Portal declarations.

Different financial and employee thresholds can apply depending on whether the position is in the Greater Toronto Area, elsewhere in Ontario or a qualifying rural community. The complete thresholds, recruitment rules and signing-officer workflow are covered in the OINP Employer Portal guide.

An eligible worker cannot cure an ineligible employer. Likewise, an eligible employer does not cure missing candidate experience, education, language or status.

Candidate and family ownership restrictions

Ontario restricts certain equity interests in the employer's business. Review any direct or indirect ownership held by the candidate or accompanying family members, including interests through another corporation, partnership, trust or nominee arrangement.

Do not assume a small shareholding is harmless. Identify the percentage, acquisition date, consideration, voting rights and reason for the interest and compare it with the current regulatory exception, if any. The employer's corporate records and the candidate's declaration must agree.

EOI scoring implications

The EOI grid ranks candidates; it does not replace eligibility. Ontario can award up to 130 points across job-offer, human-capital and regional factors.

For TEER 4–5 candidates, the most important practical scoring issues often include:

• occupation category and TEER;
• offered hourly wage;
• work or report-to-work location;
• current work status and valid work permit;
• tenure with the employer;
• Canadian earnings reported to CRA;
• education; and
• official-language ability.

The same evidence may serve different legal purposes. Nine months can satisfy the mandatory experience rule, while the EOI system may measure Ontario tenure or earnings under its own definitions. Do not assume one automatically proves the other.

Use the complete 130-point Workforce Priority scoring guide to calculate the score, then use the EOI score-improvement guide to distinguish genuine improvements from risky paper changes.

Candidate document checklist

The official applicant checklist and invitation notice control. A TEER 4–5 candidate should generally prepare the following categories.

Identity, family and status

• passport identity page and relevant visas, stamps and permits;
• birth, marriage, divorce, adoption or name-change records, where applicable;
• current and prior Canadian status documents;
• evidence supporting maintained status, if relied on;
• complete address, travel and personal history; and
• representative forms, if applicable.

Nine-month experience

• detailed employer reference letter identifying the exact position, dates, hours, wage, duties and location;
• employment contracts and amendments;
• complete pay statements for the qualifying period;
• bank deposits corresponding to payroll;
• T4 slips and CRA Notices of Assessment, where available;
• work schedules, time records or ROEs where relevant;
• status and work-authorization evidence covering every relied-on period; and
• a month-by-month calculation explaining cumulative experience and gaps.

Job offer and occupation

• signed permanent, full-time job offer;
• position description and organizational reporting line;
• NOC analysis based on actual duties;
• current wage evidence and regional median-wage record;
• accurate work-location evidence; and
• explanation of promotions, transfers or duty changes.

Education, language and licence

• Canadian secondary-school credential or foreign equivalent;
• valid ECA and verification authorization, where required;
• official approved language-test result;
• score-conversion worksheet; and
• current mandatory licence or authorization, including conditions and expiry.

EOI and invitation

• saved EOI answers and independent point calculation;
• employer job-offer information;
• invitation letter and both deadline calculations;
• evidence for every point claimed;
• explanation and evidence for changes after EOI registration; and
• clear scans, certified translations and translator declarations.

Employer document checklist

The employer's separate position-approval file may include:

• incorporation, registration, ownership and business-number records;
• proof of active operations and Ontario premises;
• CRA documents, financial statements and gross-revenue evidence;
• payroll records and a location-specific qualifying-employee count;
• recruitment evidence or a documented exemption analysis;
• organizational chart and explanation of urgent business need;
• signed offer, employment agreement and supplementary employer letter;
• NOC duties, wage analysis and work-location support;
• current-worker payroll and status records;
• collective agreement, where applicable;
• employment-standards and workplace-safety compliance evidence;
• signing-officer authority, consent and declarations; and
• explanations for related companies, multiple locations or unusual arrangements.

The parties should reconcile shared facts without improperly combining their applications. Each remains responsible for its own declarations, uploads and deadlines.

Invitation-stage deadlines

After an invitation, 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 normally cannot complete the candidate submission until the employer has filed.

The invitation notice and portal control. On receipt:

1. save the invitation and all portal messages;
2. calculate both deadlines, including weekends and holidays;
3. confirm the job and employment continue unchanged;
4. verify all nine months remain within the two-year window;
5. reconcile wage, duties, dates, NOC and location;
6. recalculate the EOI score; and
7. have the employer file early enough for the candidate to complete the separate submission.

For a procedural timeline, use the candidate step-by-step application guide.

Common refusal risks

• counting part-time work as full-time equivalent without an express rule;
• combining experience from different employers;
• relying on foreign or out-of-province experience;
• including unauthorized work or a period outside permit conditions;
• counting time in a materially different position;
• selecting the NOC from title rather than duties;
• using an expired language test or averaging four ability scores;
• assuming an Ontario credential creates a graduate exemption;
• treating a licence as a substitute for nine months or education;
• using the wrong wage region or low-wage figure;
• inconsistencies in pay, hours, duties, location or start date;
• prohibited ownership in the employer;
• insufficient employer revenue, employees, premises or operational history;
• unsupported recruitment or business need;
• an inaccurate or stale EOI score; and
• missing the employer or candidate invitation deadline.

Worked candidate scenarios

Scenario 1: food counter attendant with continuous employment

A candidate has worked lawfully for 11 months at 35 hours per week in the exact TEER 5 position offered by an eligible Ontario employer. Payroll, schedules and duties are consistent. The offer is permanent and meets the regional median wage. The candidate has a Canadian secondary-school diploma and CLB 5 in every ability.

The candidate may satisfy the pathway-specific minimums, subject to the employer, position, EOI and remaining requirements. Eleven months does not guarantee an invitation.

Scenario 2: warehouse worker with two part-time jobs

A candidate has worked 20 hours per week for the offering employer and another 20 hours for an unrelated employer for 14 months. The combined hours exceed 30 per week.

The candidate should not combine those jobs. The rule requires full-time experience in the offered position with the same supporting employer. The second employer's hours do not cure the first job's part-time nature.

Scenario 3: promoted from helper to machine operator

A worker spent seven months as a production helper and four months as a machine operator. The employer offers the machine-operator position.

Only the period that actually matches the offered position can safely be counted. The earlier helper period does not automatically qualify because it was with the same employer. The worker may need additional machine-operator experience before reaching nine months.

Scenario 4: recent Ontario college graduate

A graduate completed an Ontario diploma last year and has five months of full-time work in a TEER 4 offer position. The employer wants to use the TEER 0–3 three-month graduate rule.

That shortcut does not apply. A TEER 4–5 candidate still needs nine months of qualifying work, CLB/NCLC 4 and the education requirement. The NOC must not be changed merely to reach a preferred pathway.

Scenario 5: accumulated experience with an authorized gap

A candidate worked five full-time months, took an authorized leave, then returned to the same employer and same position for another five months. All experience falls within the preceding two years and was acquired while lawfully residing and authorized to work.

Because the rule is cumulative, the interruption may not prevent the candidate from reaching nine months. The file should document the leave, continuing employment relationship, permit coverage and return to the identical position.

Scenario 6: nine months completed but wage is below median

A candidate has ten qualifying months, CLB 6 and an equivalent secondary-school credential, but the permanent offer is below the applicable regional median wage.

The experience does not cure the wage defect. The employer must satisfy the applicable wage rule through a genuine, sustainable compensation arrangement reflected in payroll and all filings—not a paper-only increase created for the application.

TEER 4–5 compared with TEER 0–3

See the complete TEER 0–3 pathway guide before comparing options. A candidate cannot choose the pathway independently of the genuine NOC of the offered position.

What happens after nomination?

An Ontario nomination is not permanent residence and does not grant or extend work authorization. A TEER 4–5 nominee must apply separately to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada through the applicable non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program process.

The candidate must continue complying with nomination conditions, maintain temporary status independently and report material employment or family changes as required. Ontario may issue a work-permit support letter where its criteria are met, but the candidate must make a separate federal application and IRCC decides it.

Follow the post-nomination guide to permanent residence, work permits and maintaining status.

Final pre-submission review

• Is the job genuinely NOC TEER 4 or 5 based on duties?
• Has the candidate completed nine months of paid, full-time work in that exact position?
• Was all relied-on work with the supporting employer, in Ontario and within the preceding two years?
• Was the candidate lawfully residing and authorized to work throughout?
• Are education, CLB/NCLC 4 and mandatory licensing proven?
• Is the offer permanent, full-time and urgently necessary?
• Does the wage meet the correct regional median and current-pay rule?
• Does the employer independently meet every threshold and compliance rule?
• Do both applications agree on NOC, duties, dates, hours, pay and location?
• Is every EOI point supported and current?
• Can the employer and candidate meet their separate 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
• Ontario Regulation 204/26
• 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.*