In November this year, the country was able to send out 3000 invites. The invites were sent out under Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP), allowing receivers to seek the provincial nomination.
Except for Quebec and Nunavut, every territory and province in Canada has their PNP plan with a specific set of guidelines and requirements. The liberty to have their own program for immigrants allows provinces to filter out applicants that meet their needs. They have particular requirement criteria that help them fulfill their labour market needs. It also lets them decide the settlement procedure while managing the immigrant population in their region. Every province can select eligible applicants and can invite them to request provincial nominations.
The PNP aids the immigration program run by the government and helps provinces to play a major part in selecting new immigrants.
Since its inception in 1998, the program has become a significant contributor in settling new immigrants in Canada. PNP is considered the 2nd main route for citizenship in Canada. Till 2023, the PNP plan is expected to help get 80,000 immigrants permanent residency (PR).
PNP-Focused Express Entry Highlights – Nov’21
Every province has one program under PNP that is affiliated to the federal immigration stream – Express Entry. It is considered the main economic pathway for immigrants.
Till now, IRCC has been conducting PNP-specific draws almost every 14 days. In the last month, IRCC had two draws. The draws were conducted focusing on PNP applicants. They were able to send out 775 ITAs in the first one and 613 in the second. The first draw was conducted on the 10th and another one on 24th November.
After mid-September, IRCC had been conducting draws for the PNP plan only. Till now, 23 draws have been completed this year. That helped to send invites to 13,000 applicants.
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program did not send any invite under the PNP plan in November. That indicates that the province may have exhausted the limit for maximum nomination allocation for 2021.
Here is the list of other provinces and their summary from most to least invites in November:
British Columbia
In the last month, the province was able to conduct six draws. The draws allowed to send 861 invites to applicants. The invites were sent under:
- Express Entry British Columbia and
- Skills Immigration streams.
They have been maintaining an average of close to 800 throughout the year.
Manitoba
Manitoba was able to conduct two draws in November. They conducted the draws under 3 streams:
- Skilled Workers in Manitoba,
- International Education Stream, and
- Skilled Workers Overseas.
The draws were conducted on 1st and 18th November. They sent 849 communication of Advice to Apply. Of 849, 143 were sent to applicants with an Express Entry profile.
Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) conducted the biggest draw of 2021 in the last month. The round was conducted under the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-categories of the International Skilled Worker Category. In this round, 633 invites were sent for provincial nomination. This happened for the 1st time after a one-month break that invites were sent in two sub-categories.
The SINP also mentioned that it would soon start a pilot program. That will be focused on helping employers/recruiters to hire foreign nationals for specific in-demand professions. The eligibility requirements are as follows:
– Should have a permanent, full-time job offer
– Should meet the minimum level of language proficiency in any official language of the country
– Should meet education and work experience requirements
Alberta
The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program(AINP)’s Express Entry Stream conducted only one invitation round in the last month. The province sent 200 invites in the draw conducted on 9th November. The applicant with a score of at least 343 was invited.
Prince Edward Island
The province conducted a pre-arranged draw on 18th November. That helped it send 188 invites to applicants. 172 invites of the total were given to Labour Impact and Express Entry candidates. The remaining ones were given to the Business impact category. PEI had sent 1,729 invites in total in 2021.
Nova Scotia
The province included 3 new eligible occupations that were listed under the Occupations In-Demand stream. Those are as follows:
- Food & beverage servers (NOC 6513),
- Food counter attendants (NOC 6711), and
- Light-duty cleaners (NOC 6731).
Newfoundland and Labrador
In the last month, the province announced the outcomes of the first three draws held under the Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador stream. So far this year, the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) has sent out 663 invites for a provincial nomination.
More about PNPs
PNPs are some specific programs that allow provinces of Canada to nominate applicants for PR. They are mostly divided into two categories:
- Base
- Enhanced
Base type does not include and cater to federal immigration requirements. They are independently conducted programs and are run by provincial governments. These programs have their own set of rules and requirements that can change as per the needs of provinces.
To reach from base nomination to PR, there is a two-step process. Applicants have to find that if they are eligible for the provincial nomination, they apply for it. If approved, they will get the confirmation certificate from the province. With the certification, they can request the federal government for PR.
Enhanced PNPs are linked and are conducted under Express Entry streams. They let provinces look for eligible applicants in the Express Entry pool. The provinces can ask for eligible individuals to request a nomination.
The Express Entry platform accommodates and handles the details of applicants for the three federal immigrant programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program,
- Federal Skilled Trades Program,
- Canadian Experience Class.
The enhanced PNPs can grant 600 extra points for eligible applicants who get the nomination. That practically guarantees the chance of getting an invite in the next draw.
