Canada PNP Update: 4 Provinces Invite 3,870+

Provincial draws held by British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. A provincial nomination guarantees an ITA from IRCC for an Express Entry candidate. 

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. With the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, all provinces and territories run their own Canadian immigration pathways under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Quebec immigration runs independently. Nunavut has no immigration program. 

Draws are held by the provinces and territories from time to time. Selected candidates get an invitation to apply from the concerned PNP of that province/territory. A provincial nominee gets a Nomination Certificate that they can use for applying for Canadian permanent residence through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

With a streamlined process and a standard processing time of within 6 months, the Express Entry system remains the better-known route to a Canada PR visa. Worth 600 CRS score or ranking points in itself, a PNP nomination - through any of the PNP pathways aligned with Express Entry - guarantees an ITA from IRCC for an Express Entry candidate. 

Recently, provincial draws were held by 4 provinces. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 

On September 7, 2022, there were 3 separate draws held under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). All were targeted draws that invited candidates with job offers in British Columbia outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD). The biggest draw - with 361 ITAs - had Skills Immigration invitations that included tech occupations. 

Another 8 ITAs were issued specifically to those with NOC 4214 as their occupation code on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) of Canada. Another <5 ITAs went out to those in healthcare.  

The minimum score requirement ranged from SIRS 60 for healthcare and childcare professionals on one hand, to SIRS 95 for Skilled Workers. Generally, a score is allotted on the 

Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) following successful registration with the BC PNP. 

MANITOBA 

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) holds draws under the Expression of Interest (EOI) system. The latest MPNP draw - EOI Draw #155 - was held on September 8, 2022. 

Total 278 invitations were issued by Manitoba PNP in the latest draw. Those already working in Manitoba, thereby eligible for the Skilled Workers in Manitoba stream, secured 217. Another 20 were invited through the Skilled Workers Overseas route. 41 got MPNP invitations under the International Education Stream (IES).

MPNP’s IES provides a quick route to immigrate to Manitoba to international students graduating within the province. 

76 invitations - of the overall 278 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) issued - went to Express Entry candidates. 

In a notice dated August 22, 2022, the MPNP announced that it will be “switching to the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for all applications received on or after November 16, 2022” as per the change being made by IRCC. 

To implement the required changes, Manitoba PNP will be conducting the final MPNP EOI draw using NOC 2016 on September 15, 2022. Going ahead, the first EOI draw of the MPNP using NOC 2021 will be held after November 16, 2022.    

ONTARIO 

Ontario PNP, officially referred to as the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), invited 1,521 from the Skilled Trades stream. As the Skilled Trades pathway is linked with the IRCC Express Entry system, the invitations issued are OINP Express Entry “Notification of Interest”. 

Since April 28, 2021, Ontario PNP follows an Expression of Interest system for - 

• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
• Employment Job Offer: International Student stream
• Employment Job Offer: In-Demand Skills
• Masters Graduate stream
• PhD Graduate stream

Three OINP streams - Human Capital Priorities stream, French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream, and Skilled Trades stream - are linked with the federal Express Entry system. Selected candidates are issued Notification of Interest (NOI) letters. 

SASKATCHEWAN 

Saskatchewan PNP is officially the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). You can move to Saskatchewan on a Canada PR visa as an international skilled worker, entrepreneur, worker with Saskatchewan work experience etc. 

Recently, Saskatchewan held 2 rounds of invitations in 2 days - 943 invitations were issued on September 7, along with 760 invitations the previous day.

With nearly 80 different Canadian immigration pathways available, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) offers a viable Canada PR route through the provincial and territorial (PT) governments. 

To be eligible for Canadian PNP, you must have the clear intention of settling within the province or territory that nominated you for your Canada PR visa. For being considered by a specific province or territory, you must possess the education, work experience, and skills to be able to contribute to their local economy.

83,500 Canada PR visas will be granted in 2022 to PNP nominees. The PNP admissions target for 2023 is 86,000 visa spaces. In 2024, another 93,000 will get Canada PR visa by the PNP pathway.