PNP or provincial nominee programs are the provincial immigration streams inside Canada that operate under the Federal immigration umbrella.
Why is this important to know? If an applicant is not eligible for the Federal Express Entry program or has enough points to be invited to apply for permanent residency, then the provincial nominee programs may be a good alternative to apply.
The provincial nominee programs may have lower thresholds, eligibility criteria, and more opportunities for skilled immigrant applicants to be selected. These are the key two differentiators for all PNP’s: whether they require a valid job offer and/or if it facilitated through the Federal Express Entry system.
There are multiple criteria for each of the provincial nominee programs, but the two points mentioned in this article are the key differentials.
Each province runs its own provincial nominee programs. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada. The main sub-categories of these provincial immigration programs are:
- In-demand occupation stream (specific occupations with relevant work experience for each specific province);
- Employer supported skilled worker stream (skilled workers with valid job offers);
- Canadian experience skilled worker stream (skilled workers with experience inside the province working for eligible employers);
- Francophone skilled worker stream (for skilled French-speaking applicants);
- International Education / Career stream (for undergraduate international students who have graduated and working with local employers);
- International Post-Graduate Applicants (for graduates from Masters and Ph.D. programs at designated programs/institutions in specific provinces).
Main Benefits
- International students inside of Canada who graduates successfully have a chance of becoming eligible for permanent residency with little or no work experience - in case they are not eligible or cannot obtain enough points through the Federal Express Entry;
- Overseas skilled immigrants who do not have the criteria to apply or be selected through the Federal Express Entry, can be selected or nominated by the provinces directly based on their 1) Occupation and 2) Work Experience in that relevant occupation.
The simplest way to find out under which provincial program you can apply is to go through this 3-minute immigration wizard.
