Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Immigrate to your chosen province

Explore Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs

The government of Canada made an agreement with the provincial government, under which local provinces can nominate prospective immigrants who are willing to settle permanently in any particular province or territory of Canada. To apply for Canadian permanent residency through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), candidates must choose a province they wish to live and work.

Different provinces nominate applicants considering the labour market needs and assessing the candidate’s intention to move in the province.

Moreover, Canadian immigration plays an essential role for many provinces to boost economies, emphasize on the growth of key industries in the region, and back the ageing population.

Below are the provinces and territories that invite applications through PNP:

• Ontario
• Alberta
• Manitoba
• British Columbia
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Nova Scotia
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Saskatchewan
• Northwest Territories
• Yukon

Note: The province of Quebec has its separate immigration selection system and a points-based system distinct from other provinces in the country.

What is a Provincial Nominee Program?

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) help boosts the economic growth of the provinces by speeding up the immigration process depending upon the requirements set by different provinces. There are two types of PNPs:

Skilled Worker PNP:

This program enables skilled workers to immigrate to Canada quickly if they have an employment offer from a local business in an in-demand occupation or business sector of the province,

Business Immigration Program:

Many business immigration PNPs offers a fast-track pathway to the applicants who do one or a combination of the below:

• Makes an investment
• Sets up a new business
• Undertake a joint venture with an existing business in the province

For applications under PNP, the process starts with the approval of the application by the province, and generally, this step is completed quickly. The processing time taken by the province can range between two weeks to nine months. Usually, the PNP approval is referred to as receiving a Provincial Nomination.

After receiving a provincial nomination, the next step is taking federal approval, which includes medical, police, and security checks. Generally, federal approval ranges between six to eight months, varying for different immigration cases. However, after receiving a provincial nomination, the candidate can obtain a work visa on a priority basis through PNP, before immigrating to Canada.

The Framework of the Provincial Nominee Program

While applying for permanent residence in Canada through a PNP, candidates have two options:

•       Direct application to the province or territory
•       The Express Entry-linked process

Direct application process

For directly applying for a provincial nomination, candidates are required to submit a paper application through courier or mail to the preferred province or territory. This can be a lengthy process, ranging between 15 and 19 months, to receive the final status of the application, i.e., successful or rejected.

Express Entry-linked process

Applying through the Express Entry-aligned process has two pathways:

•       Expression of Interest: While submitting the online Express Entry profile, candidates can show their interest in a specific province or territory. This pathway enables provinces to directly select prospective candidates from the Express Entry pool, who have relevant skills and work experience and issue a Provincial Nomination to them.
•       Express Entry-aligned PNP streams: Most of the provinces and territories have their streams aligned under the Express Entry immigration system, followed by the list of in-demand occupations in the region.

The advantage of applying through the Express Entry-linked process is the faster processing times, ranging between six and eight months; moreover, the applicants under this process have higher chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent resident status in Canada.

Check out the list of in-demand jobs for different Canadian provinces and territories.

PNPs and Express Entry system

Introduced in early 2015, the federal Express Entry system has many streams aligned for different provinces and territories since the beginning. While applying under the Express Entry system, an enhanced provincial nomination can reward up to 600 extra CRS points. Thus, it is easy to conclude that a provincial nomination plays an essential role in the CRS.

Under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), candidates are scored out of 1200 points, which decides if candidates will be issued an ITA or not. Most PNPs have lower cut-off scores compared to regular Express Entry draws, which means having a nomination almost guarantees an ITA in the pool draw.

Note: To apply under an enhanced PNP stream through the Express Entry system, candidates must submit an online Express Entry profile.

 Not sure where to start with the application through the Provincial Nominee Program? Make Home Canada is here with an expert, experienced team of RCICs to address all your queries. Sign up now to check your eligibility for different immigration programs, and our expert immigration consultant will reach out to you with insights into various pathways for Canadian immigration. We ensure custom-made immigration solutions to optimize your chances of moving to Canada.

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