A member with a low score and a work permit expiring within months asked whether Ontario's International Student Stream (OINP) was worth a shot, and how often it draws. A member who tracks the stream answered in detail:
- Understand the draw cadence. In the prior year roughly 3,000 people were invited under the international student stream, across about 5–6 draws — and the member expected a similar pattern that year. A general (uncategorized) draw hadn't happened in about a year, so one was anticipated, likely with a higher cutoff (their guess: above 82) given the pent-up pool and newly eligible one-year programs. (Historical note: these draw counts, cutoffs and eligibility tweaks are time-bound — check current OINP draw history.)
- Register a profile in OINP itself. These draws are not regular Express Entry rounds. You need a profile in Ontario's own system (with the employer form completed where applicable) to be drawn.
- Track draws on the official page. Search for the OINP international student stream draws page — it publishes each draw's date, cutoff score and category, which is how you time and benchmark your chances.
The answering member was careful to label the projections as personal assessment, not fact — treat the numbers as a snapshot.