Canada Provincial Nominee Program
Provincial Nominee Program – PNP is a major immigration pathway for Canada PR Visa, especially for immigrants who want to settle in the province of their own choice. With Canada looking to increase the admission rate for skilled immigrants through its economic immigration programs, PNP has to play a vital role in the same. For the year 2020, IRCC has set admission targets at 67,800 new permanent residents, and next year, 2021 PNPs are set to accept 71,300 new admissions for PR.
Comparison between Express entry and Provincial Nomination Program
Express entry program is the most popular immigration program for Canada PR Visa, and it takes around 6 to 8 months to get a Canada PR Visa through it. With a ranking system – Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), profiles are ranked in the express entry pool and higher ranked profiles are then issued ITAs to submit their application for PR Visa. This is where the express entry program becomes difficult as the points requirements for Canada PR Visa can be higher than some anticipates.
On the other hand, each PNP has different requirements, giving us a wider range of choices for you to apply under for PR Visa if you can meet the requirements. These requirements vary from having a job-offer, work experience in an in-demand job, strong connection to the province, etc. If you can meet these requirements you can easily apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residency. Thus giving you a much simpler and less-demanding immigration pathway to PR Visa than the express entry program.
Are you eligible for a provincial nomination?
Provincial Nomination Program is intended for workers who:
- Have the skills, education and work experience necessary to contribute to the economy of a particular province or territory
- Want to live in this province, and
- Want to become permanent residents of Canada
Each province and territory has its own immigration “streams” (immigration programs that target certain groups) and requirements. These immigration streams under various PNPs targets the following immigrants for permanent resident status in the province:
- Students
- Businessmen
- Qualified workers
- Businessmen
Through PNPs, provinces are able to fill the gap of skilled labour in their local labour market by selecting the immigrants with required skill-sets and work experience for permanent residency in the respective province.
To apply for PNP, you have to meet the minimum requirements of a provincial nominee program that are majorly based on your credentials. If you have shown interest to settle in the province and meet the minimum requirements then you can submit your application for provincial nomination.
How to apply for Canada PNP?
It majorly depends on the immigration streams of a PNP you are applying to. You can either apply through a paper-based process or online through the Express entry program.
You will need to pass a medical exam and get a Police Clearance certificate. Everyone should have these checks, no matter where they plan to live in Canada.
Paper-Based PNP Immigration process
- You are applying to the province or territory for provincial nomination under a non-Express Entry stream.
- You must meet the eligibility criteria of the PNP you are applying to
- Once you have been designated, you submit a paper application for permanent residence to IRCC
- You must pass a medical examination and obtain a PCC. Everyone should have these checks, no matter where you plan to live in Canada.
- Application processing times are longer than with Express Entry.
Online process, there are 2 ways to apply online through Express entry program:
First Way:
- You can come in contact with the province or territory and apple for a provincial nomination through express entry program.
- 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 that you have been nominated.
Second Way:
- You create an Express Entry profile and display the provinces and territories that interest you.
- If a province or territory sends you a “notification of interest” to your account, you communicate it directly.
You are applying to their Express Entry stream
- If you are selected, the province will offer it to you through your account and you will accept it electronically.
If you apply for a provincial nomination through Express entry program and can get a provincial nomination via these “enhanced” immigration streams, your express entry profile will get a major boost of 600 CRS points. These many points automatically guarantee you an ITA to submit your application for Canada PR Visa to the IRCC.
What are different Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs – PNPs?
Every province in Canada (except Quebec, it has its immigration program – Quebec Skilled Worker Program) has these PNPs.
- Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
- British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
- Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
- New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NB PNP)
- Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
- Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
What is the application processing time under Canada PNP?
The major deciding for your application processing time is whether you have applied for a provincial nomination through Express entry aligned stream or other PNP immigration stream not aligned with Express entry program.
The total application processing time includes the time taken by the provincial government to process your initial application and the time taken by the federal government to process your application for Canada PR Visa.
Most provinces have reduced their processing times to months or even weeks. For Express Entry requests, the federal processing time for most requests is six months. Non-Express Entry applications, also known as paper applications, typically take between 1 and 2 years to be processed at the federal stage.
