What is Canada's Provincial nominee program?

While most immigration pathways are administered at the federal level, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows participating provinces and territories to nominate foreign nationals for permanent residence based on their specific labour-market and economic needs.

PNPs are distinct from other pathways, such as family sponsorship and federal business/entrepreneur programs. However, some PNP streams are aligned with Express Entry, meaning candidates in the federal Express Entry pool can be nominated by a province or territory if they meet the relevant requirements. For Express Entry-linked PNPs, a provincial nomination awards the candidate an additional 600 CRS points, significantly increasing their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

The application process for Provincial Nominee Programs is different depending on whether you are applying for Express Entry or not.

For Express Entry-linked PNP:

Once you've ascertained that you meet the eligibility criteria for Express Entry (which you can see here), you will need to create your Express Entry profile on the Canadian government website.

Next you will need to seek nomination. You can apply for a province's Express Entry-linked PNP stream directly, which is recommended if you wish to gain residence in a specific province. Alternatively, you can apply for Express Entry and a province may choose to nominate you if you fulfil their criteria.

If nominated, you will receive confirmation electronically, and will have 30 days to accept or reject it.

Once you receive the ITA, you have 60 days to submit your permanent-residence application through Express Entry.

For non-Express Entry PNP

If you are not taking the Express Entry route, you must apply directly to a province’s PNP. You can learn about each province's eligibility criteria, and submit your application, through the Canadian government website.

The province first assesses the applicant under one of its non-Express Entry streams. If the applicant is nominated, they can then apply to the federal government for permanent residence.

Once you've received your nomination, you must apply for permanent residence through the federal PNP process.

With the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, every province and territory in Canada runs its own Provincial Nominee Program. As each province has different economic priorities and demographic situations, the eligibility criteria change from province to province. For instance, Ontario and British Columbia offer large programs aimed chiefly at graduates, while smaller provinces like New Brunswick and Manitoba offer smaller programs targeting workers.

It's worth bearing in mind that just because a province has a larger program, that doesn't necessarily make it easier to get nominated, as it often correlates with the size of the applicant base and can indeed be more competitive.