An OINP applicant under the Employer Job Offer – Foreign Worker stream (EOI June 2023, invited June 20, applied July 1) received an additional-document request in December, could only provide two of four items, submitted explanations for the rest, and moved to 'decision in progress' the next day. Then a new NOI arrived under the OINP STEM category, with a 15–20 day response window. Should they answer it, given the first file felt 50-50?
What the thread offered:
- Missing documents aren't automatically fatal — the explanation is what's judged. The clearest reply: OINP decides on the information it has; for documents you couldn't provide, you must clearly explain why, and the officer will approve or refuse on that basis. A prompt move to 'decision in progress' means the file is complete enough to assess.
- Withdrawing the first application forfeits the fee. If you choose to pursue the second stream instead, you can withdraw the first — but the fee is not refunded.
- The open question — running both in parallel — went unresolved. The applicant's hope that STEM eligibility would somehow bolster the pending Employer Job Offer file is not how the streams work; each application is assessed on its own criteria. Members with the same withdraw-and-switch dilemma (Foreign Worker → Human Capital Priorities) were in the thread asking the same thing without a definitive answer.
Practical read: respond to a live NOI within its deadline rather than betting everything on an uncertain pending file — but confirm current OINP rules on holding concurrent applications before filing twice.