Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec invite candidates to apply for PNP
Three Canadian Provinces Invite Immigration Candidates to Apply for Provincial Programs
Three Canadian provinces, Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, have recently invited candidates to apply for their provincial immigration programs. Ontario and British Columbia did this through their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which were created in 1998 to help bring more newcomers to areas of Canada that usually don’t attract many immigrants.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) works together with the provincial governments to handle immigration. Through the PNP, the federal government gives each province a set number of nominations, and the provinces choose immigration candidates who are most likely to succeed in their local economies.
A provincial nomination does not directly grant permanent residency. However, it makes the candidate’s final application to IRCC much stronger. For example, candidates in Express Entry who get a provincial nomination receive an extra 600 points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which almost guarantees they’ll get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next draw.
Quebec does not have a PNP because it has a special agreement with the federal government. Quebec is in charge of selecting its own economic immigration candidates and sets its own target for how many newcomers to admit each year.
Provincial Immigration Results (September 14-20)
Ontario
On September 17, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued invitations to candidates in the Master’s Graduate and PhD Graduate streams.
- 1,249 invitations were given to Master’s Graduate candidates with a score of 53 or higher.
- 194 invitations were given to PhD Graduate candidates with a score of 45 or higher.
On September 19, Ontario held another draw for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream, targeting candidates in specific priority occupations.
- 1,424 candidates with a CRS score between 505 and 528 were invited.
British Columbia
On September 17, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held several draws, inviting over 163 candidates.
The largest draw was for candidates in the Skilled Worker, International Graduate, and Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled streams.
- Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates, including those eligible for Express Entry BC, needed a minimum score of 128.
- Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Workers needed a minimum score of 110.
Three other targeted draws were held for specific occupations:
- 43 candidates in childcare jobs with a score of 83 or higher.
- 29 candidates in construction jobs with a score of 89 or higher.
- 29 candidates in healthcare jobs with a score of 99 or higher.
Quebec
Quebec published the results of its Quebec Skilled Worker Program draw that took place on September 5. Quebec typically posts results after the draw has occurred.
- 1,417 people were invited to apply for permanent selection, with a minimum score of 575.
- Candidates also needed to show oral French proficiency at level 7 or higher based on Quebec’s French scale for adult immigrants.
- Applicants with a job offer outside the Montreal metropolitan area were also considered.
