Five provinces have invited candidates to apply for provincial nomination this week (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, BC & Prince Edward Island).
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which was established in 1998, enables provinces to nominate economic immigration applicants they believe have the best chance of succeeding economically in the province. Immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments.
Each year, the federal government discloses the total number of PNP nominations and distributes it across the provinces under the Immigration Levels Plan. By 2025, the current immigration levels strategy is to admit 117,500 new permanent residents annually under the PNP.
The new multi-year immigration plan, which enables provinces to see the number of new permanent resident admissions that can be anticipated for up to three years in the future, was approved by provincial immigration ministers on March 10.
The only province in Canada without a PNP that chooses all of its economic immigrants is Quebec. This is because the province and the federal government have a special agreement.
British Columbia
In the most recent BC PNP draw on April 18, BC invited more than 203 candidates.
The biggest draw, a general draw in which no specific occupations were targeted, invited 158 individuals over five streams. Express Entry applicants and candidates from the skilled worker stream both needed minimum scores of 104. Candidates from the entry-level and semi-skilled streams needed scores of 85, while those from the international graduate stream needed scores of 104.
The province has set recruitment goals for 16 applicants in the healthcare sector, 29 candidates in the skilled worker and international graduate streams for early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202), and fewer than five individuals in other key occupations. The required minimum score for all targeted candidates was 60.
Alberta
The results of the two draws held so far in April by the Alberta Advantage Immigration Programme (AAIP) were finally made public this week. Candidates who had profiles in the Express Entry application management system received invitations.
The initial drawing happened on April 5. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of the 53 candidates selected under the Designated Healthcare Pathway: Alberta Job Offer stream ranged from 300 to 600.
The second was held on April 18, and 68 applicants with CRS scores ranging from 300 to 700 were invited from the Sector Priority – Agriculture Occupation with Alberta Job Offer stream.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan invited a total of 1067 people through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Programme (SINP) on April 20. 444 were nominated from the in-demand jobs group, while the remaining 623 were Express Entry candidates.
A minimum score of 69 was necessary for all candidates.
This was the first SINP draw in a month, and it was substantially larger than the March 23 draw, which only received nominations for 496 applicants.
Manitoba
On April 17, Manitoba welcomed 28 Ukrainian candidates in accordance with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) exceptional immigration provisions for persons affected by the region’s ongoing upheaval.
Candidates must still meet the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program’s eligibility requirements. For example, they require a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 4 in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as a provincial link. They must also be able to demonstrate that they have adequate settlement cash.
Prince Edward Island
In the most recent draw of the PEI PNP, held on April 20, 189 candidates were invited. Among those invited, 180 were from the Labour and Express streams, with the remaining nine nominations from the Business and Entrepreneur streams meeting the minimal point level of 72.
This draw represents a return to the province’s typical draw pattern. PEI normally has PNP lotteries once a month, but in March, the province welcomed candidates in three draws, the last of which was held on March 30.