Targeted pathway to settle in a province of choice
Express Entry linked PNP streams don’t ask for job offer
Provincial nomination makes PR process faster
MIGRATING VIA CANADA PNP
Canada is a favorite destination for individuals wanting to migrate to another country. The immigration friendly policies of the country and the many job opportunities available are encouraging migrants to come and settle here.
Permanent residency in Canada allows you to settle in the country on a permanent basis. You might be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship after five years.
Canadian permanent residence offers social security, free education and healthcare, among other benefits. Many Canadian immigration programs are available through which you can apply for permanent residency.
A popular option is the Canadian Provincial Nominee Program or the Canada PNP.
Canada offers nearly 80 different Canada PNP immigration pathways or ‘streams’. Some of the popular Canada PNP programs include:
The PNP programs are designed to meet the individual immigration needs of provinces and meet the labor shortages they are facing.
With this in mind, the Canadian government has continuously increased its targets for the PNP program. It has set a target of 81,500 newcomers through Canada PNP in 2022.
As per the Canada PNP Annual Immigration Targets 2021-2023, of the total 421,000 overall planned permanent resident admissions target for 2023, around 83,000 will get permanent residence in 2023 through Canadian PNP.
Eligibility criteria for the PNP
Most of the Canada immigration programs — including various PNP immigration pathways or ‘streams’ — work on a points-based system.
Generally, an applicant must score a minimum number of points to be able to apply for permanent residence in Canada through Canada PNP.
Here are the various criteria under which you can score points to meet the eligibility requirement:
Age
Education
Work experience
Language ability
Adaptability
Arranged employment
Usually, an application for Canadian permanent residence through the PNP route requires the applicants to have some kinds of a connection to the province. The connection could be either through working in that province or having studied there in the recent past. You can also be considered eligible if you have a job offer from a Canadian employer in that province/territory.
Steps to apply for Canada PNP
For permanent residence in Canada through the Canada PNP Program, you must begin the process by applying to the specific PNP of the province or territory that you intend to settle within.
Provided you meet the specific eligibility requirements, you might be able to able to secure a PNP nomination through them.
You can apply for your permanent residence visa after you are successful in securing a PNP nomination.
The criteria for evaluating the application differ from PNP to PNP.
The PNP is the recommended option if your CRS points score is not high enough and you are thinking of applying for Canadian permanent residence through the federal Express Entry system. When making your PNP application you can choose a province from where it will be easy to get a nomination based on your profile.
Express Entry linked PNPS
A nomination – under any of the Express Entry linked PNP streams – is worth 600 CRS points in itself, thereby guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a subsequent federal draw.
Those wishing to secure such an “enhanced nomination”, with expedited processing and a completely online application process must first create an Express Entry profile and specify an interest in being considered by that province or territory for a nomination.
Canada PNP Draws 2022
IRCC invited 53,057 candidates through Canada PNP draws in 2022. The below table gives information on each province’s participation to meet Canada immigration target in 2022. Quebec Invited 8071 candidates to apply for permanent selection in 2022.
How is the PNP connected to the Express Entry program?
Provinces can nominate a certain number of candidates under the Express Entry system in order to meet their local employment requirements.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who obtain the PNP nomination from a province are awarded 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System, out of a possible total of 1,200.
When these additional points are added to a candidate’s total points it will result in an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency in the next Express Entry draw.
In addition, candidates must meet the eligibility criteria of any one of the following federal economic immigration programs for entry and selection from the Express Entry pool:
· Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
· Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
· Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Provinces and territories can add any additional criteria for their own immigration streams.
Depending on the province, candidates eligible to join the Express Entry pool can either join the pool first, then be nominated by a province or territory, or be nominated by a province or territory before completing an online Express Entry profile and entering the Express Entry pool.
Why do certain immigration candidates try for permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee program?
Some candidates may already be in the Express Entry pool but will not have enough CRS points to get an ITA. However, with a provincial nomination, they will get an additional 600 points added to their CRS score which greatly improves their chances of getting an ITA.
Another reason could be that they already have a job offer from the province or they are already residing in the province and have either finished their studies there or working on a temporary basis in the province and are thus eligible for its nomination streams.
Are there any differences between the various PNP programs?
Some PNP Canada streams are aligned with the Express Entry system, while some are not aligned to the EE system.
Some PNP programs require applicants to have a job offer, while others do not.
Applicants can apply directly to some PNP streams while others issue invitations on an Expression of Interest (EOI) basis, where applicants must first get an ITA before submitting their application.
Is PNP open in Canada 2022?
PNP is a major pathway for Canada immigration. The draws conducted by Canadian provinces are on schedule and meeting the need of bringing in skilled immigrants to fill the increasing job vacancies.
Just in the last week of September 2022, the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Ontario conducted PNP draws. Through these draws themselves, 5,000 invitations were issued.
The history of PNP is interesting. When PNP started in 1998, there were only 400 invitations issued. Since then, this immigration program has come to a point where it currently welcomes over 80,000 immigrants annually.
Here’s a summary of the number of invitations issued through PNP draws so far in 2022:
Month
No. of invitations
January 2022
3,313
February 2022
5,229
March 2022
5,275
April 2022
2,932
May 2022
1,442
June 2022
3,092
July 2022
6,040
August 2022
4,738
September 2022
11,548
So, as you can see, PNP draws are regularly conducted and are contributing to bringing in more skilled immigrants to Canada. Canada is working on its immigration process to achieve its aim of 431,645 newcomers in 2022. PNP is a major contributor as an immigration pathway to reaching this number. What’s more, regional development plans in Canada are also getting a great impetus through consistent PNP immigration draws.
If you are interested in migrating to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.