Provincial Nominee Programs
Each province and territory of Canada has its own immigration “streams” (immigration programs) that target students, skilled workers, semi-skilled workers & businesspeople based on local cultural & economic requirements. Provinces & Territories have their own nomination criteria that are intended to assess the applicant’s ability to become economically established and their intention to reside in that Province or Territory.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are for workers who –
- have the skills, education, and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory,
- want to live in that province, and
- want to become Permanent Residents of Canada
The PNPs also work through the Express Entry system. Provinces & Territories have direct access to the Express Entry pool through a dedicated portal that allows them to view and nominate candidates in the pool. It allows each Canadian province & territory to nominate eligible foreign applicants who wish to immigrate to Canada & live in their province.
To be nominated by a province or territory, you must meet the eligibility requirements of the province or territory, submit an Express Entry profile, and show that you meet all criteria for the provincial program & Express Entry. The criteria for each province and territory varies & can change without notice.
The Province of Quebec does not have a provincial nominee program but have their own programs under a special agreement with the government of Canada.
There are 2 ways in which you can apply for a PNP:
- You contact the province or territory and apply for a nomination under one of their ‘streams’. If the province or territory agrees to nominate you, you create an Express Entry profile (or update your profile if you already have one) and show you have been nominated, OR
- You create an Express Entry profile, in which you show the provinces and territories you’re interested in. If a province or territory sends a “notification of interest” to your account, you contact them directly & apply for one of their ‘streams’. If you are nominated, the province will send a nomination certificate to your account which you can accept electronically.
A Provincial or Territory nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, which is usually sufficient to trigger an invitation to apply (ITA) at the next round of invitations.
If you are invited to apply by a province or territory, you must submit an application to IRCC for permanent residency (PR). You will have 60 days to submit your PR application to IRCC.
Cancelling a PNP nomination
Once a nomination has been issued by a Province or Territory and accepted by a candidate, it cannot be canceled in the candidate’s Express Entry profile. Should the candidate change their mind or the Province/Territory withdraws the nomination, the candidate must cancel their Express Entry profile and submit a new profile.
How you apply will depend on which Provincial Nominee Program stream you’re applying to.
Contact us to know if you are eligible for any PNP and how you can apply.
