Immigration Announcement
2019: A Great Year for Canada’s Express Entry-linked PNP streams
2019 might not have been the best year for Canada’s Express Entry system, but the Express Entry-associated provincial nomination streams really thrived, which is a great sign. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in Canada grants permission to participating provinces and territories to give their nominations for a fixed number of skilled workers and economic immigration candidates who can then apply for permanent residence.
All the nine provinces and the two territories that participated in the PNP organized at least one “enhanced” nomination stream that could be linked to the Express Entry system. This allows the provinces to nominate candidates who already have a profile in the Express Entry pool. Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination are given an extra 600 points that are added to their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This almost guarantees them an invitation allowing them to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Nova Scotia, located on Canada’s Atlantic coast, used the Labour Market Priorities Stream regularly in order to extend invitations to candidates in the Express Entry pool. Via this stream, the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) is able to browse the pool to look for candidates who can make up for labor shortages. The NSNP took advantage of the Labour Market Priorities Stream to look for registered nurses, social workers, financial auditors, early childhood educators, marketing or public relations professionals etc. in 2019.
Saskatchewan’s Express Entry sub-category distributed almost 5,000 invitations among candidates allowing them to apply for provincial nomination. In September, there was a change from the In-Demand Occupation List to the Excluded Occupation List leading to an increase in the number of eligible occupations.
The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) gave invitations to 6,884 Express Entry candidates in 2019. Ontario’s Express Entry-linked nomination streams distributed a total of 8,906 invitations.
