Four provinces recently issued invitations to apply for provincially-led programs that can lead to permanent residency in Canada.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs

British Columbia

On October 22, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCNPP) issued approximately 125 invitations for draws by category under the Skilled Worker and International Graduate streams:

All draws were category draws for workers in specific occupations. Applicants had to obtain job offers in British Columbia to be eligible.

Minimum scores differed for each category.

Manitoba

Manitoba has conducted its 231st expression of interest draw for his PNP on October 24. The province has issued a total of 253 letters of advice to apply:

The Basic PNP accounted for 210 of these invitations, and the Enhanced PNP accounted for 43.

Applicants under the Overseas Skilled Worker stream had to be invited as part of a strategic recruitment initiative to be considered.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island (PEI) issued 48 invitations on September 20. PEI PNP draw, the minimum points threshold for Business invitations was 97.

The province has issued invitations to the following types of candidates:

• Candidates from the healthcare sector;
• Candidates from the construction sector;
• Trucking and transportation applicants whose work permit expires this year; And
• International Graduate stream candidates whose work permit expires this year.

Only 2 commercial invitations were issued; the other 46 invitations went to Labor and Express Entry candidates.

Quebec

On September 19, Quebec launched 1,650 invitations to candidates under the Regular skilled worker program.

To be invited, candidates had to present a mastery of oral French of 7 in the Quebec scale of French proficiency levels (NCLC). Applicants also required one of the following:

• A minimum score of 573; Or
• A valid job offer outside the Montreal region.

Quebec normally publishes information on invitations issued retroactively.

About Provincial Nominee Programs

The invitations issued by British Columbia, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island are part of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

The PNP is a program administered jointly by the federal government of Canada and the provinces, as well as the territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Under the PNP, provinces have the ability to nominate foreign nationals for permanent residence.

The Canadian federal government provides provinces with allocations for a certain number of nominations, while the provinces determine how people are appointed and who is appointed.

Each province has a variety of PCP streams, each with its own eligibility criteria and consideration process set by the province.

Generally, after a foreign national receives a provincial nomination, they can expect to receive an invitation from IRCC to apply to the federal government for permanent residence.

Basic PNP versus enhanced PNP

There are two types of PNP: basic and enhanced.

In the case of core PNPs, foreign nationals apply in the province and, if successful, receive a provincial nomination, which they can expect to be followed by an invitation to apply from IRCC.

Enhanced PNPs, on the other hand, integrate with Express Entry system. To be considered for an enhanced PNP program, a foreign national must be an Express Entry candidate with a valid profile.

If an enhanced PNP candidate receives a provincial nomination, they will get the maximum of 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points on their Express Entry profile.

If IRCC conducts a draw for which this candidate is eligible, he or she will receive a Invitation to Apply (ITA) from IRCC via the Express Entry system.

Permanent residence applications in response to IPDs issued through enhanced PNPs are generally processed more quickly than applications in response to IPDs from basic PNPs.

In recent times, processing times for applications to IRCC under the Enhanced PNP have been around 6 months, while those under the Basic PNP have been around 12 months.

About the Quebec immigration program

Quebec invitations work differently, as Quebec controls its own targets for immigration levels. The Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration does not need to receive an allocation from IRCC.

Foreign nationals who wish to immigrate to Quebec must submit an application to one of Quebec’s immigration programs. If successful, the candidate will receive a Quebec selection certificate (CSQ) from the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, which they will use to apply for permanent residence at IRCC.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs