British Columbia, Alberta and Prince Edward Island have invited candidates under their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).
Getting a provincial nomination can be an advantage for candidates planning to apply for permanent resident status. This is because immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments.
Provinces nominate candidates that the government feels will integrate easily into the provincial labour force based on attributes such as work experience, education, language ability or other human capital factors.
Both the federal and provincial governments use the PNP as a valuable tool to spread the benefits of economic development throughout the country.
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Provincial immigration results February 25- March 3
British Columbia
British Columbia invited 169 total candidates in its weekly BC PNP draw.
Among the candidates, 145 were invited in a targeted draw for tech occupations. This means that candidates needed a valid job offer for a position that falls under a specific National Occupation Classification (NOC) code. British Columbia has these occupations listed as priority occupations.
Tech draw candidates were participants in the Skilled Worker or International Graduate streams. Express Entry candidates were also eligible. They required a minimum SIRS score of 83.
The province also held rounds of invitations for candidates working in the following occupations.
- 18 early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) with scores of at least 60 points and;
- 6 healthcare workers from the Skilled Worker, International Graduate, including Express Entry category, with scores of at least 60 points.
Alberta
Alberta held an Express Entry draw on February 16 and has only recently published results.
Overall, there were 100 candidates invited in the draw and the lowest CRS score accepted was 357.
Alberta has been allocated 9,750 nomination certificates for 2023 by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Each province has a cap on the number of provincial nominations it can issue. Typically, more populous provinces such as Ontario or Alberta, are issued the highest allocations.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island invited 46 candidates under the Labour and Express Entry stream of the PEI PNP on March 2. So far, 484 candidates have received an Expression of Interest from PEI in 2023.
The province admits the most immigrants per capita of any province in the country. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, international immigration added 2,035 people to Prince Edward Island’s population in the third quarter of 2022. This was an increase of 71.3% from the same period in 2021 and was a new record for any quarter.
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