Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) Pilot
Learn how we’re spreading economic immigration to regional communities across Ontario.
Overview
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has launched the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot, a one-year initiative that will run from January 2, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
This new initiative will use the OINP to target skilled labour that is not available locally to help fill labour market needs of employers in four pilot communities:
- Lanark County
- Leeds and Grenville
- Sarnia-Lambton
- City of Thunder Bay
The REDI pilot offers a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers with a job offer who want to live and work in a pilot community.
About the pilot
The Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot is a regionalization initiative from the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The REDI pilot works within the existing Employer Job Offer streams of the OINP.
For 2025, 200 nomination spaces from the OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams are allocated to each of the four partner communities. These nominations are specifically , reserved for applicants with job offers in one of the four pilot communities.
REDI pilot objectives
The goal of this initiative is to attract more highly skilled foreign talent to Ontario regional communities to fill local labour market gaps and help spread the benefits of economic immigration across the province. Through this initiative, we will:
- promote the OINP to encourage uptake under the Employer Job Offer streams in pilot communities
- collaborate with regional partners to educate employers on how best to leverage the OINP to fill local labour shortages
- provide a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers with a job offer who want to live and work in a pilot community
Participating communities will receive dedicated support from the OINP, including information sessions for employers. Employers will have access to business service support to help them leverage the program.
Eligible applicants
If an applicant qualifies for any of the OINP Employer Job Offer streams and their full-time job offer is for a position located within one of the pilot communities, then they may qualify for the pilot.
There is no additional criteria or a separate application process for the pilot. Eligible applicants can apply through the regular OINP Expression of Interest (EOI) system and are eligible for targeted pilot draws.
For more information, prospective applicants are encouraged to explore opportunities in the partnering communities and visit the OINP Expression of Interest webpage.
Partnering communities
- Lanark County (geographic boundaries)
- Leeds and Grenville (United Counties) (geographic boundaries)
- Sarnia-Lambton (geographic boundaries)
- City of Thunder Bay (geographic boundaries)
Geographic boundaries: Census Sub Division as defined by Statistics Canada.
You can find more information about the communities by visiting their websites.
How the communities were chosen
In the summer of 2024, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development invited communities from across Ontario to express their interest in participating in the pilot.
The partnering communities were chosen based on their need for economic immigration including:
- representation of the geographic and cultural diversity of Ontario
- demonstrated specific labour challenges
- capacity and willingness to support the REDI program
- ability and readiness to help newcomers get settled
- interest from community stakeholders
The OINP is working with local partners in each community to successfully implement the pilot, and will work collaboratively with local stakeholders to spread awareness of the OINP and increase program uptake, including:
- municipal governments
- businesses
- economic development organizations
- chambers of commerce
- settlement organizations
- universities and colleges
Contact us
If you are an employer or a stakeholder in one of the partnering communities, you can contact the OINP at immigration.ontario@ontario.ca to find out more about the program, or to schedule an employer consultation.
If you have general questions about REDI partner communities:
- lanarkcounty.ca
- Tel: 1-888-9-LANARK
- info@lanarkcounty.ca
Leeds and Grenville (United Counties)
- investleedsgrenville.com
- Tel:
613-342-3840 ext. 5365 - econdev@uclg.on.ca
For potential applicants if you have general questions about the OINP:
- use our webform
- use our Stream Selector Tool to identify which OINP stream you may be eligible for
- call us Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at:
- Tel:
416-327-0374 - Toll-free:
1-866-214-6820 (toll-free within North America only) - TTY:
416-325-0866 - Toll-free TTY:
1-866-853-2137
- Tel:
If you have questions about your application for a visa or temporary permit or your application for permanent residence, please contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada through their website or by telephone at