Most provinces and territories in Canada can nominate immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to expedite the process of obtaining permanent residence. These applicants must demonstrate the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of that province or territory, and must want to live there.
Each province and territory has its own “streams” (immigration programs that target specific groups) and set criteria for their PNP. Some are paper-based applications and some can be used to support an Express Entry application. Recent PNP updates include:
Nova Scotia:
On July 5, 2017, the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream reopened, but then closed within hours after quickly filling its intake quota.
Through this stream, candidates with profiles in the Express Entry pool may apply for the Nova Scotia nominee program in order to receive an additional 600 points. This allows nominees to expedite the process of becoming a permanent resident.
Applicants may be eligible for the nominee program under one of two categories:
- Category A requires a valid full-time job offer made by an employer in Nova Scotia. This category remains open for applications.
- Category B does not require a job offer but applicants must have at least one year of skilled work experience in the last six years in one of 16 pre-determined occupations
Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream remains of the few first come first served economic immigration steams. The stream is expected to reopen in coming months to a year.
Saskatchewan:
Saskatchewan’s International Skilled Worker-Express Entry category, has reopened as of July 27, 2017.
Similarly, to the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, the program is aligned with Express Entry and operates on a first come first served basis. Successful applicants are awarded the additional 600 CRS points, and a subsequent Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next Express Entry Draw.
There are two categories:
- The International Skilled Worker – Employment Offer is accepting applications. This category requires a valid job offer from an employer in Saskatchewan
- The International Skilled Worker – Occupations In-Demand sub-category is closed to applications at this time, reaching its quota of 600 new applications.
Upon reopening, the Saskatchewan nominee program had announced the addition of 43 occupations to the previously accepted list of 17. Of these newly listed occupations, 20 do not require professional licensure while the remaining 23 do.
British Columbia:
British Columbia has recently begun conducting PNP draws specific to technology workers.
Since starting in May, BC has held 6 tech-only Express Entry draws as part of the PNP, sometimes in collaboration with other specific stream draws. BC continues to perform draws for the Provincial Nominee Program that are not restricted to the IT sector.
These draws echo the tendency other Canadian provinces have demonstrated in prioritizing the Information Technology (IT) sector for provincial nominations.