The PNP or Provincial Nominee Program is one of the ways skilled workers can immigrate to Canada and obtain permanent resident status.
This program is designed to attract skilled workers to Canada in order to improve the economy of provincial and territorial governments and to spread the benefits immigration throughout Canada. This program has proven to be a great way to attract skilled workers into provinces with low immigration numbers, such as the Atlantic and Prairie provinces.
PNP allows Canadian territories and provinces to nominate people who wish to immigrate to Canada. Over 80 provinces offer immigration streams designed to attract graduates, workers and entrepreneurs. Each program addresses the needs of each province's labour force.
Except for Nunavut, all provinces are eligible to participate in the program. Quebec is able to set the criteria for economic immigration.
Two main routes to permanent resident status through PNP are the "base" and "enhanced" programs.
The "base" program
The "base" programs are the first option. This is where the applicant applies directly for a PNP stream. Once the province has verified that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, the stream will issue a letter of nomination. Once all criteria have been met, the province will issue a nomination letter to the applicant. The applicant can then apply for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada permanent residence.
The "enhanced” programs
The "enhanced" programs are aligned to the federal Express Entry application management software. A provincial nomination can be obtained by an applicant who is eligible to an express entry-managed program such as the Federal Skilled Workers Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. This will increase their chances of receiving an Invitation To Apply.
An applicant can make an online Express Entry profile and indicate if they are interested in settling in a particular province. The provincial government will then decide if the candidate is suitable for the position. The province will send a notification to the applicant if this happens. This invites the applicant to apply for provincial nomination.
The applicant can submit an application to the provincial government if they accept the nomination. They will be issued a letter of nominating if they have met all requirements.