Every immigration pathway has its good and bad effects. The same goes for applying through the Provincial Skilled Worker program and applying through the Federal government. Comparing the two is the best way to know which is best suitable to apply for Canadian immigration.
So, how does one decide which economic pathway to opt for? Well, this solely depends on the amount of money you need to spend in order to apply for Canadian immigration.
Usually, people end up applying for permanent residence in Canada directly through the federal government, IRCC. Apart from this, you also have the option of applying through the provincial pathway.
You will either receive a nomination certificate or Quebec Certification through the provincial pathway. To apply for a Permanent Residency application to IRCC, you will use the above certificates as supporting documents. Since IRCC gives the final decision on your application.
Provincial programs are far more feasible because they provide opportunities to an increased number of candidates applying for permanent residence in Canada.
These programs require workers who can fulfill the skill requirements according to the labor market needs of different regions.
Federal Skilled Worker Program & its details
Immigration to Canada consists of various programs to meet the immigration needs of several aspiring individuals who are looking to move to Canada. One of the fastest and excessively in-demand programs is the Express Entry Program. The Federal Skilled Worker Program is one of the three parts or categories under the Express Entry pool.
Who is eligible under this stream?
- Professional and Skilled Workers who want to settle permanently in the country are eligible for this program, provided they meet the other requirements.
- The other requirements are basically related to work experience, language ability and educational proof.
- The processing time for this stream might be six months or below.
- This program has the maximum chance of applications being processed.
Provincial Nominee Program & its details
Provincial Nominee Programs are suited for those individuals who are looking forward to settle in any of the provinces in Canada. Under this program, individuals are nominated by either provinces or territories in Canada.
Eligibility Criteria of Provincial Nominee programs
Provincial Nominee Programs will have different eligibility criteria for different provinces or territories.
For instance, one province might emphasize occupation as its criteria while another province might opt for the French language as its required criteria.
Program Costs of IRCC affiliated programs for skilled workers
- Applying for immigration through IRCC costs you a fee. Even if your family members such as dependents or spouses accompany you to Canada, you’re liable to pay the fee for them too.
- The fee for permanent residence also needs to be paid by an applicant and the spouse.
- No fee to be paid for children.
- As declared by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada IRCC in 2020, the application fee will increase every two years. This means that the Canadian immigration fee is likely to increase soon further due until 2024.
- Fee April 30 onwards: Fee will exceed up to $40 from the current amount of $1325.
- $1365 to be paid as a fee by applicants and spouses. (In CAD)
- Biometric Fee Payment is also applicable. ($85 for each person along with $175 for more than two family members)
- Application fee and right to permanent resident fee differ from another. The application fee depends on the program while the permanent residence right fee remains as it is.
The costing part was the crucial one so far in this federal & provincial skilled worker program and we covered it very well.
Application Cost for PNPs and Quebec Immigration
- Apart from the immigration fee, candidates applying through the PNP and Quebec need to pay an additional fee for the province they choose.
- However, some programs don’t require you to pay an additional fee for provincial nominations.
- These programs include Nova Scotia, Yukon, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories.
- Newfoundland and Labrador took an initiative to abolish the fee for provincial nominations for welcoming newcomers.
- For other provinces, the fee for skilled workers could be anything from $2,50 to $1,500.
Differentiating Base PNPs from Enhanced PNPs
- Base PNPs function through the Provincial government.
- Only Express Entry candidates can avail of the Enhanced PNPs.
- Enhanced PNP requires candidates to apply through any of the programs including Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trade, and Canadian Experience Class.
- Express Entry Pool & its benefit: Applicants can apply to IRCC.
- Applying through Express Entry is considered better than applying through PNP because IRCC ultimately makes the final decision.
- Applying for PNP– Applying for nomination through the province comes before applying for permanent residence in Canada.
Express Entry & Its Details
Express Entry comes under the Federal government for those applying for permanent residence in Canada.
Students who attain the highest scores stand eligible to receive the invitation to apply (ITA).
Initially, candidates acquiring high scores would reject the invitation to apply in the case of Provincial Nomination to avoid paying the additional fee. They would wait for the Express Entry.
Additional points up to 600 under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) are provided to Express Entry candidates with a Provincial Nomination. These additional points ensure an ITA for Canadian permanent residence application.
Ineligible candidates for Express Entry have an opportunity to apply through Base PNP, which means these are province-driven programs. The processing time is longer.
Comparison of the Processing Times
- IRCC processes Base PNPs in 28 months while it processes Express Entry PNPs in 22months.
- IRCC to take 31 months to process for Quebec Skilled Workers.
- Express Entry’s processing time is 6 months.
- The current processing time for applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program is 27 months whereas for the CEC applications the processing time is 8 months.
- The processing time for FSTP is 37 months.
Conclusion
So, in the article – Federal & provincial skilled worker program, we have covered every important aspects. To conclude deciding the best pathway for applying, you first need to be clear on the streams you stand eligible for and which ones look suitable for you.
In the case of being eligible for Express Entry, you must have a profile uploaded. This will get you noticed by provinces to apply through PNP.
