PNP
A Brief History of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Before the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was established, the majority of immigrants to Canada chose to settle in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. The Prairie and Atlantic provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, were concerned about their regions’ low levels of immigration in the early 1990s.
The PNP, which was introduced in 1998, was decided to be put into action by the federal government. The PNP sought to popularize the benefits of immigration among Canada’s provinces and territory. By signing an immigration agreement with the federal government in 2009, all provinces—aside from Quebec and Nunavut—were granted the right to establish their own PNP. With the launch of the PNP, the Atlantic and Prairie provinces have seen increased immigration.
Province/Territory The signing of the first PNP agreement British Columbia 1998 Alberta 2002 Saskatchewan 1998 Manitoba 1998 Ontario 2005 New Brunswick 1999 Nova Scotia 2002 Prince Edward Island 2001 Northwest Territory 2009 Newfoundland and Labrador 1999 Yukon 2001
Provincial Nomination Program – How Does the PNP Work?
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is one pathway for skilled professionals to immigrate to Canada and attain permanent resident status. This program exclusively aims at welcoming skilled workers to strengthen provincial and territorial economies and extend the benefits of immigration across Canada. This has been a successful way of inviting skilled workers to provinces that have less number of immigrants, such as the Atlantic provinces.
Most of the Canadian provinces and territories manage their own immigration system except Quebec and Nunavut. These programs serve as pathways to immigration that set applicants up for economic success in their regions. Some PNPs are managed by the Express Entry system. Qualifying applicants will be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. If you are nominated, you will receive additional 600 points which also guarantees that you will receive an ITA in the subsequent Express Entry draw.
Provincial Nominee Programs permit Canadian provinces and territories to nominate people who wish to immigrate to Canada and are keen on settling in a specific province. There are more than 80 provincial immigration streams that are aimed to attract workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs. Each program is designed to fulfill the labour force requirements of the province.
There are two main pathways to attain permanent resident status through the PNP: The Base programs and the Enhanced programs.
Base Programs
The first and foremost option is the Base programs. It is when the candidate applies to a PNP stream directly. The province will make sure that the application fulfills all the eligibility criteria for that particular stream. If all the criteria are met, the province will publish a letter of nomination to the candidate and the candidate can submit an application to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence.
Enhanced Programs
The Enhanced programs are aligned with the federal Express Entry application management system. An eligible candidate for an Express Entry-managed program, such as the Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) can enhance their chances of an Invitation to Apply (ITA) by attaining provincial nomination.
PNP – Pathway to PR in Canada
Only 477 individuals were granted entry into Canada through the PNP in 1999. The number of immigrants who settled in Canada grew steadily over the years. To direct its activities and set immigration goals, the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publish a new Immigration Levels Plan each year.
The IRCC projects that 83,500 people will immigrate under the PNP in 2022 and that 93,000 people will do so by 2024. The PNP is a popular route for skilled individuals to enter Canada, and the provinces and territories must accept skilled workers from all over the world to boost their economies.
