Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program in Canada has seen exponential growth over the years. It came into being back in the 1990s, and today it is one of the most popular pathways to gaining permanent residence in Canada. It only stands second to the federal Express Entry method. Skilled foreign workers can make their way to Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program, and this gives the country access to highly skilled labor.

Canadian provinces have also adopted this system as an effective means to meet their labor shortage. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia have recently witnessed nominee streams distribute over 2,500 invitations to skilled workers who have a lot to offer to the Canadian job market. They have a variety of skills along with professional experience, which makes them the perfect candidates to apply for Canadian residence.

Under the Provincial Nominee Program or the PNP, nine Canadian provinces and two of its territories have the power to choose immigrants who they think will be able to satisfy their local labor market priorities and requirements. This way, the provinces can make up for their deficiency. The only Canadian province which does not take part in the PNP is Quebec as it has formed an agreement with the federal government. Quebec bears the sole responsibility of choosing economic-class immigrants.

The PNP’s first-year operation back in 199 admitted only 233 people through the program for permanent residence. Today, the demand has gone up to a point where the admissions target is 61,000 just for this year. If we look at the statistics, Canada could admit 213,000 new permanent residents through this program in the next three years alone.

One must admit that Canada is also looking out for itself through these policies. The new skilled labor makes up for the aging population, the declining birth rate, and labor shortages.