How to get Canadian permanent residency through the Provincial Nominee Program
For many foreign nationals seeking Canadian permanent residency (PR), the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) may be the most suitable pathway.
As of the time of writing, the federal Express Entry system has 236,909 profiles, and the most recent CRS cut-offs for CEC draws in 2025 have ranged between 521 and 542.
If you don’t have a high CRS score or qualify for category-based draws, the PNP may be your best shot at gaining Canadian PR through economic immigration.
Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs
This article will cover
- How you can obtain Canadian PR through the PNP;
- How to be considered for provincial nomination;
- What criteria PNPs look for in candidates; and
- The costs associated with applying for a PNP.
How does getting PR through the PNP work?
Obtaining permanent residency through the PNP is a two-step process.
First, you must obtain a provincial nomination.
After obtaining a provincial nomination, you’ll apply for PR to the Canadian federal government’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
To obtain a provincial or territorial nomination, you must demonstrate an intent to reside in the province or territory nominating you, in addition to fulfilling the requirements of the particular PNP stream.
How to pursue provincial nomination
To pursue a provincial nomination, you must meet the eligibility requirements for one of the PNP streams, and you must follow the process to be considered for that stream.
How to determine which streams you are eligible for
There are over 80 PNP pathways. To determine which pathways you are eligible for, you must do your own research, or consult with an experienced immigration representative.
In all cases, you will need to demonstrate an intent to reside in the province or territory from which you seek a nomination.
Once you’ve determined that you’re eligible for a pathway, the next step is to follow the consideration process for that pathway.
How to be considered for provincial nomination
The province defines the consideration process for each stream.
In general, consideration processes generally fall into one of the following types:
| Consideration process | Definition |
|---|---|
| Base PNP – direct application | You can submit a complete application directly to the PNP, and if successful, you’ll receive a nomination. |
| Base PNP – expression of interest pool | You must submit an expression of interest in the province’s online system in order to be considered for nomination. If the province selects you from the pool, they’ll send you an invitation, to which you can respond with your complete application for nomination. |
| Enhanced PNP – passive | You must have a valid Express Entry profile. The province will automatically consider you as a candidate on the basis of your Express Entry profile, provided that you’ve selected that province on your profile. If you appear to be an eligible candidate, you might receive a notification of interest from the province through the Express Entry system. You can respond to this notification of interest with an application for provincial nomination. |
| Enhanced PNP – active – direct application | You must have a valid Express Entry profile. You can submit a complete application directly to the PNP, and if successful, you’ll receive a nomination. |
| Enhanced PNP – active – EOI pool | You must have a valid Express Entry profile. You must submit an expression of interest in the province’s online system in order to be considered for nomination. If the province selects you for consideration, they’ll send you an invitation, to which you can respond with your application for nomination. |
The above table is for high-level reference only.
Ensure that you read with close attention the province’s program guide and application guide, and follow the instructions exactly.
Remember that even if you meet all eligibility criteria, you are never guaranteed success in obtaining a provincial nomination. Nominations are issued at the discretion of the provincial officers.
Base vs enhanced streams
Enhanced PNP streams are integrated with the federal Express Entry system. To be eligible for an enhanced stream, you must always have a valid Express Entry profile, in addition to meeting all other stream requirements.
Base PNPs do not integrate with Express Entry.
The distinction between base and enhanced streams is relevant in three ways:
- Eligibility – what you need in order to qualify for a given stream.
- Consideration – the process(es) followed to be considered for provincial nomination under that stream.
- Post-nomination – the process(es) by which you can expect to obtain PR after having received a provincial nomination.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria you will be required to meet will differ depending on whether you’re applying to a base or enhanced PNP stream.
For both base and enhanced streams, typical eligibility criteria include, but are not limited to
- Age;
- Education;
- Job offer;
- Language proficiency; and
- Work experience.
In the case of enhanced PNP streams, you will need to meet additional criteria.
Enhanced streams
Enhanced streams are linked to the Express Entry system and are overseen on a federal and provincial level.
In order to qualify for an enhanced PNP stream, you must have an active Express Entry profile and meet the eligibility criteria for one of the following federal programs:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP); or
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
The above programs all require a skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3), so if your NOC is TEER 4 or 5, you cannot qualify for enhanced PNP streams.
You will also need to meet the settlement funds requirement for Express Entry based on the size of your family, unless you meet one of the exemptions for settlement funds (e.g. qualifying for CEC, having arranged employment and Canadian work authorization).
Express Entry also requires you to have on your profile
- Approved language test results; and
- Educational Credential Assessments (ECAs) for any degrees.
The primary benefit of enhanced streams is faster processing time for your PR application after you receive a nomination and apply to the federal government for PR—typically 6 months for enhanced streams, compared to 12 months for base streams.
Base streams
Base PNP streams are managed by the province or territory, independently from the federal Express Entry system.
You do NOT need to have an Express Entry profile to qualify for a base PNP stream. As a result,
- You don’t need to meet the eligibility criteria for one of the three Express Entry-managed programs;
- You don’t need to have a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation (unless required by the PNP stream);
- You don’t need settlement funds (unless the PNP stream itself requires them).
You also don’t need language tests results or ECAs to be considered for many base PNPs, although you’ll typically need these at the application stage.
Some PNP streams have both a base and enhanced option.
Consideration
The province or territory is responsible for determining the consideration process for each of their streams, and this process can vary depending on whether you want to be considered for a base stream or enhanced stream.
For base PNP streams, the consideration process will always be active, meaning you are required to take an action of some kind for the PNP to consider you as a candidate.
When it comes to enhanced streams, the consideration process can be either active or passive.
Active consideration
In the case of an active consideration process, you will follow a similar process to be considered regardless of whether the stream is base or enhanced. An active consideration process can be either submitting a direct application to the PNP or submitting an expression of interest (EOI) to enter the PNP's EOI pool:
- Direction application: Applying directly to the PNP with a complete application (to be considered for nomination) which includes all necessary information and documentation required. The PNP will process your application, and if you're successful, will issue you a nomination. To be eligible for a direct application stream, you will typically require a job offer.
- Expression of Interest Pool: Submitting an expression of interest through the province’s online system, indicating you’re interested in a stream. The province will tell you what information and documents to include in your EOI. Typically, less documentation is required at the EOI stage than for an application. The province will review EOIs in the pool, and will typically periodically invite its preferred candidates to submit full applications for nomination.
The difference regarding active enhanced streams, however, is that you are required to have a valid Express Entry profile to be considered. When submitting an application or an EOI for an enhanced streams, you will usually have to include your Express Entry profile number and your job seeker validation code.
Passive consideration
For enhanced passive streams, you will be automatically considered by the PNP on the basis of your Express Entry profile.
When creating your Express Entry profile, you will indicate which provinces or territories you’d be interested in living in.
If you select a province that has an enhanced passive stream, and you meet their requirements, the province may send you a notification or letter of interest through the Express Entry system.
Once you receive that notification or letter of interest, you can then apply for provincial nomination with a complete application. In the case of some passive streams, you can only apply if you receive a letter of interest; you cannot ask them to consider you without it.
For some passive PNP streams, the province will look at the primary occupation you have selected on your Express Entry profile. You may wish to research enhanced passive streams to ensure that you select a primary NOC that allows you to be considered.
Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs
Post-nomination
Obtaining PR through the PNP will look different depending on whether you received a provincial nomination through a base or enhanced stream.
Base streams
If you’ve been nominated by a province through a base stream, you will receive a provincial nomination certificate, which makes you eligible to apply directly to IRCC for permanent residence with a completed application.
You are expected to submit your PR application through the Permanent Residence Portal unless you require special accommodations.
The current processing time for Non-Express Entry applications for provincial immigration is approximately 21 months.
Enhanced streams
For an Express Entry-aligned (enhanced) PNP stream, you will have to update (or in some instances, create) your Express Entry profile and indicate you've received a provincial nomination.
The province or territory will be responsible for confirming their nomination electronically. To get this confirmation, you must directly contact the province through their desired method (this varies by province or territory), and provide them your:
- Express Entry profile number; and
- Job seeker validation code.
Once the province provides confirmation, you will have 30 calendar days to accept the nomination.
If you accept it, you will then be awarded 600 additional CRS points which will significantly increase your chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
After receiving an ITA from the federal government in an Express Entry draw, you can respond to the ITA with a complete application for PR.
The average processing time for permanent residence applications through Express Entry is six months.
Costs to immigrate through the PNP
The costs associated with immigrating to Canada through a PNP can vary.
If you’re successful in obtaining PR through the PNP, start to finish, you can expect to pay
- A provincial application fee;
- Federal permanent residence fees; and
- Third-party fees for required documents and services.
Provincial Application Fee
PNPs generally charge a single application fee when you submit a complete application for nomination.
The fee range is lower for worker and graduate streams than for entrepreneur streams.
| Stream type | Provincial application fee range |
|---|---|
| Worker and international graduate streams | $0 to $2,500 |
| Entrepreneur streams | $0 to $10,000 |
In the case of EOI-based PNP programs, you’ll only pay this fee when you apply for nomination, not when you submit your EOI.
Federal immigration fees
You'll have to pay several federal immigration fees, and may have to pay additional fees if you have more family members on your application.
| Fee type | Fee amount |
|---|---|
| Application processing fee | $950 |
| Right of permanent residence fee | $575 |
| Biometrics | $85 per person |
| Inclusion of spouse or partner (if applicable), consisting of the -processing fee; and -Right of permanent residence fee. | $1,525 |
| Inclusion of dependent (if applicable) | $260 (per child) |
Third-party fees for required documents and services
The immigration process will also typically require you to pay fees to third-parties (not to the government) to obtain the required documents or services you need for your immigration application.
| Fee type | Fee amount |
|---|---|
| Language tests | $300 to $400 |
| Educational Credential Assessments (ECAs) | $210 to $260 |
| Medical exams | Varies, typically $100 to $320 |
| Translations (for original documents that are not in English or French) | Varies, typically $20 to $60 per page |
| Police certificates | Varies by country |
| Immigration representative services | Varies by type of service and complexity of the case |
Provincial immigration targets slashed in half
PNP programs are expected to be more competitive in 2025, as a result of reduced allocations to the provinces from the federal government.
In Oct of 2024, the federal government reduced the landings target for the PNP program from 110,000 (in 2024) to 55,000 for 2025.
In January of 2025, the federal government correspondingly halved the allocations of nominations to the PNPs—and, for Atlantic provinces, spots for the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Many PNPs delayed re-opening, banned certain NOC codes, closed international graduate streams, tightened eligibility criteria, and/or chose to limit nominations to workers in certain in-demand occupations or sectors.
Despite it now being more difficult to qualify for PNP programs, the PNP remains one of the best routes to Canadian economic PR for foreign nationals who don’t have a high CRS score or qualify for category-based selection.
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