Ontario, British Columbia (B.C.), Prince Edward Island (PEI), and Manitoba have issued provincial immigration invitations through their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in the last two weeks, a period that also saw Quebec release the results of two rounds of invitations conducted through their provincial immigration system since February 17.
In all but two of Canada’s provinces and territories*, local governments operate PNPs as a way of attracting foreign nationals who are best able to help their region address the needs of its labour force and demographics.
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Provincial immigration results from February 17 to March 1
Ontario
On March 1, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued 2,583 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to candidates who qualified for the Skilled Trades stream of the province’s PNP. As the name of the stream suggests, Ontario’s March 1 draw targeted candidates in specific skilled trades occupations. All candidates who received an NOI in Ontario’s March 1 draw had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in the range of 350 and 424.
British Columbia
British Columbia has conducted several provincial immigration draws since February 16, 2024.
Beginning with a pair of draws on February 21, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) conducted a general draw and a group of draws for different occupational categories within its Skilled Worker, International Graduate stream (including Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option). The results from the BCPNP draws on February 21 are as follows:
General Draw
The BCPNP issued a total of 69 invites in a general draw on February 21. During this draw, the issued invitations were spread between candidates from the following five streams. For all but one stream below (“Entry Level and Semi-Skilled” candidates), the minimum score required was 126. BCPNP candidates who received a provincial invitation through the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream required a minimum score of 99.
- Skilled Worker
- Skilled Worker – EEBC option
- International Graduate
- International Graduate – EEBC option
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled
Skilled Worker International Graduate Stream Draw
On top of the invites issued in the above general draw, B.C. issued at last 143 invites through its PNP as follows:
- 70 invitations were issued to childcare occupation candidates (60)
- 32 invitations were issued to construction occupation candidates (75)
- 41 invitations were issued to healthcare occupation candidates (60)
- Less than five invitations were issued to veterinary care occupation candidates (60)
Note: The numbers included in brackets above indicate the minimum score required for candidates within an occupational group
February 27 Draw
On February 27, the BCPNP issued invitations through another draw conducted for candidates from its Skilled Worker: International Graduate Stream (including EEBC option). This draw produced the following results:
- 45 invitations were issued to candidates in childcare occupations with a minimum score of 65
- 12 invitations were issued to candidates in construction occupations with a minimum score of 80
- 41 invitations were issued to candidates in healthcare occupations with a minimum score of 65
- 90 invitations were issued to candidates in “tech” occupations with a minimum score of 108
- Less than five invitations were issued to candidates in veterinary care occupations with a minimum score of 65
Quebec
Quebec has recently released the results of two draws conducted through its provincial immigration program, one on February 8 and another on February 22. As outlined below, each of these draws invited a separate group of candidates based on different eligibility criteria.
It is important to note that Quebec does not operate a PNP. This is because the province has a unique arrangement in place with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which allows the local government to maintain control over economic immigration in the region.
February 8
On February 8, Quebec released the results of a draw where on February 5, the Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration invited 1,034 candidates to apply for permanent selection.
To receive an invitation during this draw, candidates were required to meet the following three criteria:
- Have a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français* or its equivalent
- Having a valid job offer outside the territory of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
- Have a score equal to or greater than 613 points
*The Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français is Québec’s scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants
February 22
Following the February 8 draw, Quebec released the results of its draw on February 22. This draw (which used invitations extracted on February 19) invited another 1,007 candidates to apply for permanent selection.
This candidate group was required to have a minimum score of 608 to be considered, in addition to having to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Having a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (Québec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent
- Having a valid job offer outside the territory of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
Those who received an invitation through either of these Quebec draws are then eligible to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate. This is the first step Quebec-bound immigration candidates must take before applying for permanent residency with IRCC.
Manitoba
On February 28, Manitoba posted new results for a recent PNP draw coinciding with the provincial government’s special immigration measures for Ukraine.
Under this special immigration measure, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) issued 155 Letters of Advice to Apply to eligible candidates “as part of the Manitoba government’s response to the situation in Ukraine and in line with IRCC’s special immigration measures for those affected.”
Prince Edward Island
In the province’s smallest PNP draw (by number of Labour and Express Entry invitations issued) since October 2023, the PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) issued 24 invitations on February 29 to candidates working in two employment sectors: healthcare and construction. This is the first time that Prince Edward Island has conducted three PNP draws in one month since November of last year.
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