Three provinces held draws this week under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
All of Canada’s provinces and territories (except Quebec and Nunavut) operate their own PNPs to select the economic immigration candidates that they feel have the best chance of becoming economically established, settling in the province, and contributing to the provincial economy.
Quebec has a unique agreement with the federal government that gives it total autonomy over all its economic immigration programs.
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The PNP is the main economic immigration pathway for newcomers to Canada. By 2025, the Immigration Levels Plan has a target of 117,500 new permanent residents admitted to Canada via the PNP per year, more so than Express Entry (114,000).
Demonstrating the ability to become economically established
After a PNP candidate receives provincial nomination, they must then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to get status as a permanent resident of Canada.
IRCC says there are three main criteria they use when evaluating a permanent residence application. The candidate must:
- have the ability to become economically established in Canada.
- be named in a nomination certificate issued by the government of a province or territory.
- intend to reside in the province or territory that nominated them.
In most instances, getting nominated by a province is considered enough to demonstrate the ability to become economically established because the application for provincial nomination and the one for permanent residence often have overlapping information.
Sometimes though, IRCC has additional questions that can arise from a perceived skills mismatch with a candidate’s job or job offer, or if they see a candidate is relying exclusively on financial aid from a family member.
This can also impact a candidate’s demonstrated intention to reside in the nominating province. A PNP participant should be able to prove they intend to live and work in the province of nomination. If IRCC has reason to question this intent, they will invite the candidate to address these concerns.
Provincial immigration results April 8-14
Ontario
Ontario invited 295 candidates in an Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream draw on April 11. Candidates needed a minimum score of 30. It was a general draw, meaning no specific occupation was targeted.
Ontario recently announced it is doubling the number of skilled immigrants who come to the province through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). To do so, it is investing $25 million over three years. The province says increasing skilled immigration will address labour shortages and contribute to economic growth.
Ontario expects to welcome 18,000 newcomers through the PNP by 2025.
British Columbia
On April 11, British Columbia invited 99 candidates through the skilled worker and international graduate streams of the BC PNP in a draw that targeted tech occupations. Candidates required a minimum score of 85.
The province says targeted invitations to apply to the Skills Immigration streams may be based on one or more of the following factors:
- Education – level and field of education and where it was completed
- Eligible professional designations in B.C.
- Language skills
- Occupation
- Duration and skill level of work experience
- Wage and/or skill level of job offer
- Intent to live, work and settle in a specific region
- Strategic priorities – factors that address specific labour market needs in B.C. or support government pilot projects and initiatives
There were two other targeted draws on April 11. The first invited 25 early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) with a minimum score of 60.
The second draw invited eight candidates with healthcare occupations. They also needed a minimum score of 60.
Manitoba
Manitoba invited 566 candidates on April 6 through three streams of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). Among them, 157 were also Express Entry candidates.
Through the Skilled Workers Stream, there were two separate draws. The first was an occupation-specific selection for retail sales and service supervisors. There were 225 candidates invited with a minimum score of 615
The second skilled worker draw invited 226 candidates from all occupations with minimum scores of 670.
The province also invited 61 candidates through the International Education stream and 54 Skilled Worker Overseas candidates were invited through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative. They required a minimum score of 708.
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