Four provinces held Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws this week. Continue reading for a complete breakdown of this week’s PNP findings.
Ontario
The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (OINP) staged provincial draws for three types of nominations:
The highest draw occurred in the Skilled Trades stream, with Ontario issuing 2,855 Notifications of Interest (NOIs)—the OINP equivalent of an invitation to apply (ITA)—to candidates with CRS scores ranging from 250 to 516.
Under the Master’s Graduate stream, the province additionally invited 755 candidates with a minimum OINP points score of 48 and above. In addition, 84 individuals with a score of 39 or higher were invited to the PhD Graduate stream.
The province of British Columbia
On August 1st, the Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) of British Columbia held two provincial nominee draws.
British Columbia held targeted lotteries for in-demand occupations under the Skilled Worker International Graduate (with EEBC (Express Entry aligned) option, issuing:
• 132 invitations to tech workers with a minimum BCPNP score of 88;
• 39 invitations to early childhood educators and assistants with a minimum BCPNP score of 60;
• 23 invitations to healthcare workers with a minimum score of 60; and
• At least one invitation to candidates in other targeted professions, with a minimum score of 60.
The BCPNP also held a draw for Entrepreneur immigration candidates, giving at least one invitation under the base Entrepreneur Immigration stream and at least one additional invitation under the Regional Pilot stream.
Alberta
On August 1st, the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (AAIP) issued invitations in two different streams.
The AAIP issued 32 NOIs under the Priority Sector, Agriculture occupation stream to candidates with a minimum CRS score of 322.
In addition, 11 NOIs were given to applicants in the Dedicated Healthcare Pathway who had a CRS score of 317 or above.
The province of Prince Edward Island
The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) held a draw on August 3rd under the Labour & Express Entry stream. The PEI PNP invited 58 candidates from the Healthcare, Manufacturing, Food Processing, Construction, Hotel/Accommodation, and Agriculture sectors. There was no minimum CRS score announced for this draw.
About the PNP
The PNP is now Canada’s primary economic immigration route. The program was first established to disseminate the advantages of immigration throughout Canada.
The PNP has become a more prominent feature of Canada’s immigration policy in recent years, particularly as provinces try to address labour and demographic shortages more closely through immigration.
In addition to the standard PNP (which is operated by all provinces in Canada except Quebec and Nunavut), provinces can nominate people in the federal Express Entry pool, which is known as an Enhanced Provincial Nomination. This improved nomination provides Express Entry candidates with an additional 600 CRS points, almost ensuring they will acquire an ITA.
The PNP is scheduled to welcome 333,000 newcomers to Canada between 2023 and 2025.
