If you are planning to move to Canada, Provincial Nominee Program is one of the best options for you. It is designed for people who are interested in immigrating to a specific Canadian province or territory. If you are an Express Entry candidate and need some added points to receive an ITA, PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) can be extremely helpful.
To know more about how you can immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee,let’s go through this blog:
What is a Provincial Nominee Program?
Provincial Nominee Program is the fastest growing program to economic immigration to Canada. It consists of 80 immigration streams and managed by 11 provinces and territories of Canada. Each province and territory operate its own PNP designed to meet its specific economic and demographic needs.
Provincial Nominee Programs and Application Fees in 2022
There are 11 PNPs and each of the provinces and territories operates its own PNP program with several streams. You need to apply fora Provincial Nomination Certificate from the province or territory in which you want to settle. Let’s have a look at the 11 PNPs and their application fees:
Procedure of Provincial Nominee Program:
A PNP is an auspice which covers several PNP streams with specific requirements. These streams are designed by the provinces to help meet their unique immigration goals;therefore, the eligibility criteria and application procedures may vary. PNPs are very popular because they can be the fastest pathway to immigrate to Canada. A successful applicant to a PNP will be nominated by that province to apply for permanent residency from the Federal Government of Canada. That is why securing a provincial nomination is always part one of a two-part process.
What is a stream?
An immigration program with certain categories and requirements is called stream.Altogether, there are more than 80 different immigration streams within the 11 participating provincial governments.
How to Apply for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)?
The Application process for PNPs depends on the stream you qualify for. Here is a Step-by-Step guide to applying to a Canadian PNP:
Step 1: Create an express entry profile
The first step to apply for a nomination through an Express Entry-linked stream is to create an Express Entry profile online. Your Express Entry profile is where you give information about yourself. You need to meet the requirements for the stream.
Step 2: Send an Expression of Interest
After creating an Express Entry profile, you can send an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the province you are interested in. If you receive a “notification of interest”from the province to your account in response, then you can directly contact to apply to their Express Entry stream.
Step 3: Receive a nomination
If your application is successful, the province or territory will nominate you to apply for Canadian permanent residence.You will receive a nomination certificate and automatically receive 600 CRS points.
Step 4: Submit online application for Permanent Residency
After receiving the nomination, you will get a time of 60 days to submit a duly filled application attached with the required supporting documents. Processing time for the Express entry applications is normally 6 months.
Provincial Process
Step 1: Create a profile
Provincial process starts with creating a profile in a proper system for your stream. Each one of the provincial governments has its own system. For example: when you apply for Ontario, you’ll use the OINP e-Filing Portal.
Step 2: Receive an Invitation to Apply
Top contenders receive an invitation to apply for nomination. Most candidates are chosen based on a scoring system.
Step 3: Apply for nomination
After receiving an invitation to apply, candidates must apply to be nominated by province. Applying for nomination requires submitting supporting documents such as language test results and job offer letter.
Step 4: Submit an on-paper application for permanent residency
After getting nominated by province, candidates need to submit an on- paper application for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Average processing time for PNP applications is 18 months.
How doExpress Entry and Provincial Nomination Program differ?
The Express Entry system is managed by the federal government and is createdin order to attract skilled workers to Canada. It is highly popular, and its application process is faster. Therefore, it is a more competitive process to acquiring a permanent resident visa. On the flip side, the Provincial Nomination Program is managed by the individual provincial governments attract skilled and medial skilled workers based on the economic needs of the particular region. Mostly, PNP streams require that candidates have tie ups with the province to qualify for a nomination by means of work experience, a job offer, or education.
Major differences:
| Express Entry | Provincial Nomination Program |
| 2021-2023 target: 332,750 new immigrants | 2021-2023 target: 245,300 new immigrants |
| Application Processing time: 6 months (after receiving ITA) | Application Processing time: 18 months (after receiving a nomination) |
| Completely online-based applications | Both Online and paper-based applications |
| 3 major immigration programs | Over 80 streams including Express Entry linked streams |
| Available to skilled foreign workers NOC A: Professionals NOC 0: Managerial experience NOC B: Technical and trade workers | Available to skilled and medial skilled foreign workers NOC 0: Managerial experience NOC B: Technical and trade workers NOC C: Intermediate skilled workers like butchers and truck drivers NOC D: Labourers like cleaning staff and farm laborers |
| Candidates can reside anywhere in Canada (only if you did not receive a nomination) | Candidates must reside in the province that nominated them |
