Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a Canadian immigration program for people who want to reside in a province or territory as permanent residents. Each province or territory in Canada has a different provincial nominee program that is designed to meet the needs and demands of the local labor market.

Over the years the federal government has increased the allocations for the number of immigrants invited for permanent residency through PNPs. Canada has targeted to admit over 200,000 people through PNP between 2020 and 2023.

All the provinces or territories of Canada have their PNP with different immigration streams. Following are the major Canada PNP programs:

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP):

Alberta's provincial nomination program offers nomination to foreign applicants in 3 streams

• Alberta Opportunity Stream
• Alberta Express Entry Stream
• Self-Employed Farmer Stream

The applicants are required to meet the program's eligibility requirements and show the intention of settling in the province.

Find out about the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP):

The applicants can seek the nomination in British Columbia PNP under the following streams:

• Skills Immigration
• Express Entry BC
• Entrepreneur Immigration

These streams are meant to target skilled workers, international graduates, and professionals who have the qualifications, skills, and experience required for the PNP.

Find out about the British Columbia Provincial Immigrant Nominee Program

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP):

The Manitoba PNP invites fresh graduates, skilled workers, and business people along with their families to settle in Canada as permanent residents. They are required to have the ability and intention of settling and establishing themselves economically in Manitoba.

The PNP has the following streams:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba
• Skilled Workers Overseas
• International Education
• Business Investor

Find out about the Manitoba Provincial Immigrant Nominee Program

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP):

The Ontario PNP nominates foreign workers, international students, and entrepreneurs who possess the required education, skills, experience, and the intention to settle in the province as permanent residents. Nominations under Ontario province's economic immigration program are open for the following streams:

• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
• Ph.D. Graduate Stream
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
• Human Capital Priorities Stream
• Skilled Trades Stream
• Entrepreneur Stream

Find out about the Ontario Provincial Immigrant Nominee Program

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP):

SINP allows non-Canadians to immigrate to Canada and settle permanently in the province on a PR visa. Under the PNP, the following are the categories immigration candidates can apply to:

• International Skilled Worker
• Saskatchewan Experience
• Entrepreneur and Farm

Find out about the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program

Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP):

The applicants who have the desired skills and experience are targeted by the provincial government of Prince Edward Island. Provincial Nomination Certificate is issued to the eligible candidates who can then apply for a Canadian permanent residence (PR) visa with the Federal Government of Canada.

Under the PEI PNP, nominations are issued for the following immigration categories:

• PEI PNP Express Entry
• Labour Impact Category
• Business Impact Category

Find out about the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP):

New Brunswick is a unique province in Canada where people speak 2 languages. Around 30 percent of people speak French as their first language. New Brunswick has a number of cities that include - Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John. NBPNP is the province's Provincial Nominee Program, through which, immigration applicants who have the skills and experience required by the province are offered nominations. The province accepts nomination applications for the following streams:

• Skilled Workers with Employer Support
• Express Entry Labour Market Stream
• Post-Graduate Entrepreneurial Stream
• Entrepreneurial Stream

Find out about the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program

Newfound land and Labrador's Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP):

The province consists of two distinct landmasses - Labrador, which is connected to the mainland, and the island of Newfoundland. The province has lately seen vital economic development with the help of its energy and natural resources. Through the PNP, immigration applicants from foreign countries can seek a nomination from the provincial government.

Under NLPNP, nominations are available for the following immigration categories:

• Express Entry Skilled Worker
• Skilled Worker
• International Graduate

Find out about the Newfound land and Labrador's Provincial Nominee Program

Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP):

Nova Scotia's Provincial Nominee Program offers nomination to eligible skilled workers, international graduates, entrepreneurs, and professionals for permanent residence in the province. NSNP accepts applications for the following immigration streams:

• Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
• Labour Market Priorities for Physicians
• Physician
• Entrepreneur
• International Graduate Entrepreneur
• Skilled Worker
• Occupations in Demand
• Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry
• Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry

Find out about the Nova Scotia Nominee Program

Yukon Nominee Program (YNP):

Yukon's Provincial Nomination Program helps the eligible employers in the province to nominate foreign workers and business people that have been trained internationally for permanent residence in the Canadian province.

The program has the following streams:

• Yukon Express Entry (YEE)
• Critical Impact Worker
• Skilled Worker
• Business Nominee

Find out about the Yukon Nominee Program

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) eligibility factors vary from province to province.

As PNPs are part of an economic immigration strategy, they are usually organized in such a way as to attract workers who can easily contribute to the economy and have a high probability of remaining in that province. As a result, some PNPs prioritize immigrants with experience in occupations in demand in that province. Other PNPs prefer immigrants who have a connection to the province, such as a relative, as this increases the chances of them remaining in the province.

As with most economic immigration programs, young applicants who have strong language skills, a high level of education, and skilled work experience are in a better position to succeed.

Every PNP has different "immigration" streams with each designed in a way that targets immigrants with different skill-sets.

Following are the simple steps to get Canada provincial nomination program:

Step 1: Check your eligibility for a PNP - Check through the above-mentioned list of PNPs under which PNP you are eligible to apply.

Step 2: Submit your application - After selecting the PNP, you have to submit your application for provincial nomination.

Step 3: Get your provincial nomination certificate - if your application is successfully evaluated by the provincial authority, you will be nominated for permanent residency in the province.

Step 4: Submit your PR Visa application - With your provincial nomination, you have to submit your Canada PR Visa application to IRCC. If your PNP is in-line with the express entry program, you can apply online, if not you have to apply through a paper-based process.

If your PNP is not online with the express entry program, you have to apply through a paper-based process.

Once you get a provincial nomination, you can submit your paper application for Canadian permanent residence to IRCC with a PCC and a medical examination certificate.

Paper-based processes take much longer than online-based processes through express entry programs. While the average processing time for a permanent residence application submitted through Express Entry is 6 months, a paper application is processed in 18 months on average.

Create an online account and submit an Express Entry profile. In your profile, you must indicate that you have been nominated by a Canadian province or territory.

Once your provincial nomination is confirmed, you will be placed in the Express Entry pool and you will receive an additional 600 points for your CRS score. With these many extra points, you are effectively guaranteed to receive an ITA for Canada PR Visa.

Most PNPs have an "enhanced" immigration stream that allows the provinces to search for skilled immigrants who can meet the needs of the labor market in the federal government's Express Entry pool. This way Express entry program's candidates can apply for provincial nomination.

After getting a provincial nomination certificate, Express entry candidates are awarded 600 CRS points to their profile, ensuring an ITA in the next rounds of invitation.

Application processing time for a PNP depends on whether you have applied through express entry linked streams or non-express entry linked streams.

Total Canada PNP processing time includes the initial application to the province, plus the additional processing time for the PR Visa application by the IRCC.

Most provinces have reduced their processing times to months or even weeks. For Express Entry linked streams, the processing time is 6 to 8 months. Non-Express Entry applications (paper-based)typically take between 1 and 2 years to be processed at the federal stage.