What is Provincial Nominee Program and It's Benefits

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is an easy and legal way for international working professionals to get permanent residency in Canada. PNP allows Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals based on their specific economic and workforce needs.

The full form of PNP is the Provincial Nominee Program. It is an easy way to enter the desired province of Canada. It encourages skilled migration and simultaneously provides the opportunity to settle in different provinces of the country. With the right education, enough experience, and the required skill set, a person becomes eligible to get a visa to the country under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The program is fashioned to meet the requirements of the employers in the province. 

Initially, all Canadian provinces had their own selection process. However, with the introduction of the Express Entry System, many provinces and territories amalgamated the Express Entry procedure. Thus, the PNP Program application is acceptable via the Express Entry System as well.

Benefits of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

The application under the Provincial Nominee Program commences when the applicant is nominated by a Canadian province or territory. The system requires the applicants to meet the required skills, education and work experience, which would enable them to make an immediate economic contribution to their respective nominating province or territory.

• PNP the easiest roadmap to get settled in your desired Canadian province
• PNP offers immense job opportunities, as the nomination is provided only when there is demand or requirement of a specific profile
• The direct nomination from the province allows the process to be completed in less than six months
• A few of the Express-Entry linked PNP streams have no mandatory requirement of employment.

Application process for Canada Provincial Nominee Programs

There are two ways to apply for the Provincial Nominee Program:

1. Direct PNP program application

For direct application one needs to decide on one Province to settle and follow these steps for PNP application:

• Choose the desired province and directly apply for the PNP program
• The information provided for the application will then be reviewed based on a few standardised selection criteria
• The Province will provide the nomination letter if the application meets all the specified requirements
• With the nomination letter, the applicant is thus eligible to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency

2. Express Entry System Application

Primarily, to begin the process one needs to be registered in the Express Entry program. After registration, the applicant is placed in the Express Entry Pool. The process of pool placement is based on the applicant’s obtained score or rank. The registration is reviewed to see if the skills of the applicant meet the requirements of any of the provinces. If the skills match, the province provides the nomination letter. There is an added benefit of Express Entry, as along with nomination, the applicant will also receive an additional 600 points towards their CRS score (Comprehensive Ranking System). The increased CRS score helps the applicant to obtain an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian PR.

Read: Express Entry PR Application Deadline

Important Documents Required for PNP Canada

There are certain documents that are required for the application process of Canada’s PNP:

• A declaration form from the applicant and dependents
• Official documents of education, identity proofs and work experience
• All documents to support the applicant’s dependents
• Valid passport, visa, and all travel-related documents
• Documents certifying the Language proficiency of the applicant
• All legal documents to prove the identity of the applicant
• Few recent photographs
• Various certificates related to health and character and the likes

PNP Canada Processing Time

After submission of the application for a PNP, the officials then verify each document in detail. As the profile and the information provided vary, so does the review time of each profile. However, it also depends on the application process.

Best Province to Apply for Canada PR

What should an applicant consider before selecting a province?  To find the right immigration program, it is essential to understand the basic guidelines of each provincial nominee program. Below is a list of provinces offering PNP opportunities based on certain criteria:

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program

The BC PNP is divided into three streams that are further divided into three categories for targeting skilled workers, international students, and professionals. The specified elements like skills, experience, and qualifications are important for BC. The three main streams are:

• Skills Immigration: Health care professional category and Entry-level and semi-skilled category
• Express Entry BC
• Entrepreneur Immigration Streams

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program

Manitoba PNP is designed with streams nominating for skilled workers. This allows the applicant’s and their families who wish to live, work and settle permanently. Following are the eligibility requirements for Manitoba PNP are:

• Applicant must be under the age group 21 and 45
• Applicant must possess a valid employment letter for in-demand occupation list
• Applicant must be a bachelor’s degree or diploma holder
• Applicant must have a minimum of 2 years of work experience in the past five years
• Applicant must prove at least CLB 6 in each IELTS category

Alberta Provincial Nominee Program

AINP has three streams for the PNP program. Nomination letters are issued to candidates who meet the following requirements of the program. Furthermore, the nominated candidates must have the interest to stay in the province. The three streams of Alberta Provincial Nominee Program are:

• The Alberta Opportunity Stream
• The Alberta Express Entry Stream
• The Self-Employed Farmer Stream

Eligibility requirements for AINP are:

• The applicant must have an employment or job-offer letter for full-time from an Alberta employer.
• The applicant must have work experience related to your selected occupation to obtain a nomination.
• To qualify for AINP nomination, the applicant must obtain a minimum IELTS score.
• Applicant must have the interest to work and live in Alberta.
• Applicant’s occupation must match the NOC categories.
• Applicant must avail the valid Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) letter.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

OINP is one of the successful provinces gaining the most popularity amongst skilled workers. Every year, huge numbers of skilled workers, international students, business owners or entrepreneurs settle in this Canadian province. The applications for OINP are accepted under the below conditions:

• Human Capital Category
• Employer Job Offer Category
• Business Category

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program

The NBPNP mainly targets entrepreneurs, international graduates, skilled workers, supporters, and skilled professionals in the Express Entry selection system. The program has four streams:

• Express Entry Labour Market Stream
• Business Applicants
• Skilled Worker with Employer Support
• Skilled Worker with Family Support

The following are the required eligibility for NB PNP:

• The applicant must submit an express entry profile with valid Federal Express Entry Profile
• Applicant must have a letter of employment from employer living in New Brunswick
• Applicant should score a minimum CLB 7in all four language factors
• Applicant must have valid ECA report that matches the Canadian education system

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program

This program mainly accepts the applications from skilled professionals, International students who have completed graduation, and entrepreneurs meeting all the specified program needs. The applications for this program are mainly accepted under the following categories:

• Newfoundland & Labrador Express Entry Skilled Worker
• Skilled Worker Category
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
• International Entrepreneur Category
• International Graduate Entrepreneur Category
• International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

Nova Scotia Nominee Program

The program is designed for candidates aspiring to get settled as permanent residents in Nova Scotia. The program offers multiple immigration streams for skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs. The following three streams are aligned with Express Entry System:

• Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry
• Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry
• Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
• Skilled Worker Stream
• Entrepreneur Stream
• International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
• Physician Stream

Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program

PEI PNP is the economic immigration program that is popular amongst skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and international graduates to live and get settled as permanent residents. The applications which are accepted by the PEI PNP are as follows:

• PEI PNP Express Entry
• Labour Impact Category
• Business Impact Category

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program

SINP is also another successful immigration program that welcomes skilled professionals from various nations. The applications accepted by the SINP belong from the below categories.

• International Skilled Worker Category
• Saskatchewan Experience Category
• Entrepreneur and Farm Category

Northwest Territories Nominee Program

It is one of those programs that accept applications of foreign professionals to help them settle in Northern Canada. It has two main streams – the Employer-Driven Business Program and the Business Immigration Program.

• Northwest Territories Employer-Driven Program:

1. Express Entry System for Skilled Workers
2. Skilled Worker
3. Critical Impact Worker

• Northwest Territories Business Immigration Program:

1. Business Stream

Yukon Nominee Program

YNP helps employers in Canada’s Northern territory to nominate internationally trained people and foreign workers for Canada PR. The following programs are associated with YNP are:

• Yukon Express Entry (YEE)
• Skilled Worker
• Critical Impact Worker
• Business Nominee

Each Canadian province has its own Nominee Programs and eligibility requirements. It is advisable to do thorough research at your end before applying for PNP. For other queries related to studying abroad, you can contact our Study Abroad Experts and make your dream come true of studying at top Universities of Canada.