Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program

Named ‘Newfoundelande’ or New Found Land by explorers in the late 15th century, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador is the newest of Canada’s 10 provinces, having joined the confederation only in 1949.

It was in 2001 that the name of the province was officially changed to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Lying across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland is separated from Labrador by the Strait of Belle Isle.

While to the north and east of Labrador can be found the Labrador Sea (the northwestern arm of the Atlantic Ocean), the province of Quebec lies towards the south and west.

Newfoundland and Labrador province is made up of 9 distinct regions. 7 of these are located on the island of Newfoundland. The mainland of Labrador has the other 2 regions. All together these 9 regions make up the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Being the most easterly part of North America, the positioning of NL in the Atlantic Ocean has granted it a strategic importance in terms of defense, communications, and transportation. Interestingly, the capital city of the province – St John’s – is closer to the coast of Ireland as compared to Winnipeg in Manitoba province.

Prominent cities in Newfoundland and Labrador include – St John’s, Torbay, Conception Bay South, Paradise, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Gander, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South, Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, and Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s.

A part of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador has its own immigration program – the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) – for the induction of newcomers into the province.

Through an agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the province can nominate – with an annual allocation of 1,050 spaces – certain applicants to the federal government of Canada for permanent residency.

Newfoundland PNP selects applicants based on the economic needs and provincial labour requirements.

Linked with the federal Express Entry system, a nomination through the NLPNP’s Express Entry Skilled Worker pathway fetches an individual 600 additional points towards their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores, thereby guaranteeing an ITA from IRCC in the next federal draw to be held.

The Comprehensive Ranking System, commonly called the CRS, is the 1,200-point matrix used by IRCC for ranking Express Entry profiles. It is the highest-ranked that are issued invitations to apply in the federal draws held from time to time.

Newfoundland and Labrador is also among the four provinces – NL, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island – that together form Atlantic Canada.

Launched in 2017, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) offers a pathway to Canadian permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates that intend working and living in any of the Atlantic Provinces in Canada.

While the AIP had been launched as a 3-year pilot, it has since been extended until December 2021.

A new Canada immigration program has been launched by the NLPNP on January 2, 2021. As per the NL PNP, the new pathway – Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador – “will attract highly educated, highly skilled newcomers with specialized experience working in sectors such as technology, where a growing demand has outpaced local training and recruitment”.

Priority Skills NL follows an Expression of Interest (EOI) process wherein those with the highest scores as well as the greatest amount of interest from employers are to be invited to submit an application.

On receiving an NLPNP invitation, the candidate would be required to submit their application through the online portal. Those meeting the eligibility criteria for either the NLPNP’s Express Entry Skilled Worker or Skilled Worker category will be issued a nomination certificate.

This NLPNP nomination certificate can be included in the application for Canadian permanent residence.

According to an official publication – The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador – “immigration is a key component of economic and labour market growth and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to do its part to increase immigration to the province.”

Prospective skilled immigrants have many options when selecting a new place in which to work, settle and raise a family in the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador is being positioned to compete as a destination of choice for many immigrating to Canada for a better future.

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