Since the beginning of 2022, provinces across the country have come out strong utilizing approximately 80 different immigration streams to invite foreign workers through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to bridge the skill and labor shortage across the country. In addition to the 4 500 invitations issued last month, a further 1070 Express Entry pool applicants with a minimum score of 674 were issued invitations to apply for permanent residency in the latest draw, held on February 2.
The PNP, which was established in 1998, is a popular and a rapidly growing program that is aimed towards overseas students, businesspeople, skilled and semi-skilled professionals who want to stay in the country permanently and work and live in a specific province for economic reasons. Interested individuals must have the necessary skills, education, and job experience to positively contribute to the economy and society of a province or territory.
The application process and eligibility criteria varies depending on which PNP stream one is applying to because each province has its own method. As an example, one province may emphasize sending in provincial nominees with experience in a particular occupation, while another may prioritize bringing in provincial nominees with French-language experience. Nominations are made to meet the province’s specific economic and demographic needs, as well as their respective unique immigration goals.
Every year, the Canadian federal government increases the number of invitations issued to PNP candidates. All PNPs provide Express Entry linked-streams as well as non-Express Entry streams for applicants who do not have an active profile in the Express Entry pool. Rather, applicants must apply directly to the province.
One of the most popular PNP streams is through Express Entry, a points-based immigration system that shortens the application process for skilled foreign workers to six months, and where a province nomination adds 600 points to an applicant’s CRS (Comprehensive Ranking Score), almost ensuring an Invitation to Apply (ITA). An applicant for an Express Entry linked-stream must not only meet the Express Entry eligibility criteria for one of three streams – Federal Skilled Workers Program, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skill Trade Program – but also meet the province’s requirements.
After being nominated by the province, the candidate must be able to live and work in the respective province for a minimum of two years.
How to apply for PNP
Canada’s provinces cannot grant permanent resident status on their own since all decisions on permanent residency in Canada must be approved at the national level by the federal government. Therefore there are two level for applying though a PNP namely:
- At province level
- Through the IRCC (Immigrations, Refugees, Citizenship Canada)
Federal Process – Through their Express Entry profile, applicants can send an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the province of their choice via the Express Entry linked-stream. If the province sends you a “notification of interest,” you can contact them directly to apply for their Express Entry stream.
When an applicant is nominated, they will receive a nomination certificate via their Express entry profile and 600 points added to their CRS (Comprehensive Ranking Score), almost ensuring an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Provincial Process – The first step is to decide which province you want to apply to, and then to build a profile for that particular nomination program (see links below).
Top applicants or candidates chosen based on a score system are given the option to apply for permanent residency via a paper-based system and are issued a nomination and an ITA.
Provinces and Their Respective PNPs
Ontario – Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
British Columbia – British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP)
Alberta – Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
Manitoba – Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program
Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program
Nova Scotia – Nova Scotia Nominee Program
New Brunswick – New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program
Prince Edward Island – Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)
Newfoundland and Labrador – Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)
Northwest Territories – Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)