PNP
Canada’s PNP Immigration Targets Will Continue to Surpass Express Entry
Canada released its Immigration Levels Plan for 2023-2025 on November 1. In the plan, the country aims to admit 500,000 immigrants by the year 2025. Not only this, Canada has increased the target of permanent residents entering the country, exponentially. The plan shows that the number of immigrants will increase from 465,000 to 485,000 to 500,000 in the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 respectively.
The PNP targets overtook Express Entry
The majority of newcomers immigrate via economic class programs – Express Entry System and PNPs. However, there is an increase in the allocations under Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) only. The country has received a total of 83,500 new permanent residents but the current plan is expecting a boost of an additional 20,000 new permanent residents via PNP.
The PNP targets will increase up to 105,500 in 2023, 110,000 in 2024, and 117,500 in 2025. This means one-fifth of the total number of permanent residents will be immigrating to the country through a PNP. On the other hand, the targets for Express Entry programs will increase up to 82,880 in 2023, 109,020 in 2024, and 114,000 in 2025. Thus, the PNP targets overtook Express Entry.
Until the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, even though Canada sets its permanent residence targets for more than three years, PNP allocations will be determined every year. Also, the Canadian ministers concurred that in the future, PNP targets will likewise be set on a three-year basis.
The Canadian Provinces’ request for bigger PNP targets
Recently, the provinces met and called upon the Canadian government for a radical expansion in immigration targets through the PNP system. This was majorly due to the rising labour deficiency issues in the Canadian labour market.
There are as of now almost 1,000,000 job opportunities in Canada with an unemployment rate of 5.2%. In addition, there are not even sufficient individuals in the Canadian labour force to fill every one of the empty job positions. Thus, by asking for larger PNP targets, the Canadian provinces can choose and welcome a huge number of immigrants through PNP streams.
Overview of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a popular pathway for skilled professionals to immigrate to Canada and get permanent resident status. There are more than 80 provincial immigration streams that are aimed to attract workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs. Each program is designed to fulfill the labor force requirements. However, many different nominee programs have varying eligibility criteria for Canada’s ten provinces, except Quebec and Nunavut.
If a candidate accepts a provincial nomination, it means they intend to live and work in the province. Later, they can apply for permanent residency through IRCC. Provincial nomination boosts Express Entry candidates by adding 600 extra points to their score via CRS. Applicants who are not qualified for Express Entry may likewise find it simpler to get PR status through a provincial nomination.
