A review of last month’s Provincial Nominee Programs results and draw results from across the country.
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) issued more than 1,400 invitations to apply for provincial nominations in May.
The PNP is an immigration program jointly administered by state, provincial and territorial governments. It provides Canadian provinces and territories with the opportunity to create their own immigration streams to better meet the needs of their labor markets and economic development goals.
Canada introduced the PNP in 1998 to distribute the benefits of immigration more evenly across the provinces and to encourage immigration to smaller provinces and less populated areas of the country. Today, the PNP represents a huge part of monetary migration to most provinces and territories in Canada. Many smaller Canadian provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan rely on this program to meet their labor needs. By 2024, more than 93,000 immigrants are expected to be admitted annually as permanent residents through the PNP alone.
Express Entry-linked PNPs
Most participating provinces and territories have at least one PNP program linked to the federal Express Entry system. This system is Canada’s administrative system for three immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). PNP programs linked to Express Entry, also referred to as “enhanced” PNP programs, allow a province to select candidates with profiles from the Express Entry pool and invite them to apply for a provincial nomination. Express Entry applicants who receive a nomination from a PNP program automatically have 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points added to their base score.
In May, 1,134 candidates received invitations to apply in two separate PNP-specific Express Entry drawings. Currently, FSWP and CEC invitations are on hold to help alleviate the Express Entry backlog caused by the pandemic. However, Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced in April that invitations for FSWP and CEC applicants would resume in early July. The minister also said that most new express entry applications would again be processed within the six-month processing time set by the IRCC.
Alberta
In May, Alberta announced the results of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) lottery. The province invited 100 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry program on May 19. Invited candidates had to achieve a CRS score of at least 382 to be invited.
British Columbia
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) conducts weekly draws in which candidates with the highest scores are invited to apply for provincial nominations under the Express Entry British Columbia, Skills Immigration, Tech, and Entrepreneur Regional Pilot programs. The province also conducts special draws for applicants whose occupation has been identified as a priority. In May, more than 636 British Columbia immigration candidates received invitations from the province.
Manitoba
Manitoba regularly awards invitations in the following three areas: Manitoba Professionals, Overseas Professionals and International Education Stream. The province held a general draw last month. A total of 315 letters of invitation were issued, 48 of which went to applicants with a valid Express Entry profile.
As a special immigration measure for Ukrainian nationals, Manitoba occasionally conducts Expressions of Interest (EOI) for individuals who meet the MPNP eligibility criteria and are affected by the current situation in Ukraine. On May 20, the province conducted one such draw and issued 13 invitations.
New Brunswick
In a May 20, 2022 update, the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) announced that it will temporarily suspend the New Brunswick Express Entry program. In an email to CIC News, a spokesperson for the NBPNP explained that the decision was “due to the significant increase in demand from foreign workers and international students in Canada.” And that if the program “were to continue in its current form, the high demand for our current program would jeopardize immigration access for certain sectors or types of clients when they are needed, such as internationally trained nurses or international students currently in New Brunswick and graduating later this year. ”
This temporary pause applies only to the Express Entry stream and applications submitted on or after May 20, 2022. While no specific date was given, the spokesperson indicated that the provision “may reopen later this year.”
Employers seeking to hire foreign nationals still have other options available, such as the New Brunswick Skilled Worker Stream, the Atlantic Immigration Program and the Federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Prince Edward Island
Drawings under the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) are scheduled in advance and take place once a month. The PEI PNP held a draw on May 20 and invited 137 applicants from the Labour Impact and Express Entry programs and 16 applicants from the Business Impact program.
Québec
Those seeking to settle in Québec are assessed under a different system than those seeking to settle in other parts of Canada. Québec’s immigration programs are administered by the province and differ from Canadian immigration programs.
On May 5, the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration, MIFI) invited 30 candidates to apply for permanent selection under the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP). Applicants were required to have a profile on Arrima’s expressions of interest system and a valid job offer outside the Greater Montreal area.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan announced details of a lottery held May 5 through the contractor expression of interest system. The number of invitations was 54.
Likewise, on May 5, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) welcomed a sum of 197 contenders to apply for a provincial nomination. In this round of invitations, a total of 106 invitations went to Express Entry candidates and 91 invitations went to Occupations In-Demand candidates.
In response to the crisis in Ukraine, Saskatchewan is also conducting separate draws for individuals whose current country of residence is Ukraine. The most recent draw was held on May 5, and an invitation was sent out.
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