In this week’s PNP draws, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island all invite candidates.

This week, five provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island) invited candidates to apply for provincial nomination.

Because immigration is a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial governments, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was established in 1998 to allow provinces to nominate economic immigration candidates who they believe have the best chance of establishing themselves economically within the province.

Each year, the federal government publishes the total number of PNP nominations and divides it among the provinces in the Immigration Levels Plan. The current immigration levels plan calls for 117,500 new permanent residents to be admitted each year through the PNP by 2025.

Provincial immigration ministers endorsed a new multi-year immigration plan for the provinces on March 10, allowing them to see the number of new permanent resident admissions that can be expected for the next three years.

Quebec has no PNP and is the only province in Canada that selects all economic immigrants. This is because of a one-of-a-kind agreement between the province and the federal government.

Provincial immigration results April 15-21

British Columbia PNP

In the most recent BC PNP draw, held on April 18, more than 203 candidates were invited.

In a general draw, the largest draw invited 158 candidates from five streams, implying that no occupations were targeted. Candidates in the skilled worker category (including Express Entry) needed a minimum score of 104. International Graduate candidates needed a score of 104, while Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates needed an 85.

In addition, the province sought 29 candidates in the skilled worker and international graduate streams for early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202), 16 in healthcare occupations, and fewer than five in other priority occupations. A minimum score of 60 was required for all targeted candidates.

Alberta AINP

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has held two draws in April so far, with the results only being released this week. Candidates with profiles in the Express Entry application management system received invitations.

The first drawing was held on April 5. The Designated Healthcare Pathway: Alberta Job Offer stream invited 53 candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores ranging from 300-600.

The second was on April 18 and invited 68 candidates with CRS scores ranging from 300 to 700 from the Sector priority – Agriculture occupation with Alberta job offer stream.

Saskatchewan PNP

Saskatchewan invited a total of 1067 candidates through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) on April 20. 444 were nominated from the in-demand occupations category, while the remaining 623 were Express Entry candidates.

A minimum score of 69 was required for all candidates.

This was the first SINP draw in a month, and it was significantly larger than the March 23 draw, which only received nominations for 496 candidates.

Manitoba PNP

On April 17, Manitoba invited 28 Ukrainian candidates in accordance with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) special immigration measures for those affected by the region’s current unrest.

Candidates must still meet the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program’s eligibility requirements. For example, they require a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 4 in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as a provincial connection. They must also be able to demonstrate that they have adequate settlement funds.

Prince Edward Island PNP

In the most recent draw of the PEI PNP, held on April 20, 189 candidates were invited. Among those invited, 180 were from the Labour and Express streams, with the remaining nine nominees from the Business and Entrepreneur streams meeting the minimum point threshold of 72.

This draw represents a return to the province’s normal draw pattern. PEI normally holds PNP draws once a month, but in March, the province invited candidates in three draws, the last of which was held on March 30.