Guide to Canadian PR: Part 2 – Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

If you are reading this post, then chances are that you have already gone through the detailed post on Step-by-step guide to Canadian PR, and have ruled that perhaps your chances of getting a direct PR through Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program are slim or next to impossible. Well, fear not, because we are now going to talk about Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that opens new doors for you.

Background

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories (click here for a geo-history lesson). As their economies are different, their immigration requirements also vary. The Federal Govt. has allowed these provinces and territories to establish and run their own immigration programs where they each decide the eligibility criteria and can nominate any applicant they see fit to the Federal Govt. for permanent residency in their province. The Federal Govt. will then process these nominations and grant them PR if everything is in order. Note: Quebec and Nunavut do not have a PNP program.

A critical thing to keep in mind is that a PNP-based PR may have residency obligations. Meaning, you will have to spend some time (usually at least 2 years) in the province that has nominated you, before you can move to other provinces. Failure to do so may get you reported by the province, and can lead to cancellation of your PR. There are exceptions though. Read this excellent short analysis for clarification.

PNP Process

STEP 1: Follow STEP 1 and STEP 2 in the previous guide for Canadian PR and check if you will be successful with the direct FSW program. Look at the recent CRS cut-offs and judge for yourself if you are close to (10 points) or far away (20+ points) from the required cut-off.

STEP 2: If PNP is the way forward, then spend a fair bit of time researching the provinces, their PNP programs and eligibility requirements, job prospects, economic outlook, etc. and shortlist 2 to 3 provinces that you want to target. (Note: Ontario and British Columbia are most popular and usually the hardest to get, so look at others as well)

STEP 3: Get your educational credentials assessed, and write your IELTS exam, as per the Step 3 and 4 in the guide.

STEP 4: Apply to the province of your choice through paper or online systems. (Go for online, wherever available). Protip: Use this CanadaVisa PNP tracker to get to the right PNP for you.

1. Paper-based system: You can apply directly to a province under any non-express entry streams. If you receive the nomination, you then submit a paper application for permanent residence and then follow the process. This is bound to take longer than online methods.
2. Online system: The online system is through Express Entry and there are two ways this can be done:
   • You apply directly to the province for a nomination under any express entry stream. For some provinces, this application is called an Expression of Interest (EOI) system, wherein you submit your details, and based on the points you score and the labour market requirement, the province will invite you to apply for a provincial nomination. Sound familiar? It’s almost like a copy of the FSW process, but tuned to the province’s requirements. Whenever you receive your invitation to apply, you then upload pertinent details, and wait for your nomination. Once you receive the nomination, you then create an express entry profile, and continue the regular process.
   • Another way is if you are already in the Express Entry pool, you may receive a Notification of Interest (NoI) directly from the province, since they have access to the profiles of all applicants in the pool. If you meet their criteria they’ll invite you to apply as a nominee from their province. You then apply to their express-entry stream, and will receive the nomination in your express entry account directly. (Detailed Instructions)
     Note: During this step, you are likely to pay a fee to the province for processing your application.

STEP 5: With your nomination in hand, paper-based applicants will continue the longer paper-based application to IRCC for permanent residence, while express-entry applicants will continue the process of accepting the electronic nomination into their express entry application. Once successfully added, you’ll automatically be awarded 600 points to your CRS score, ensuring that you get invited in the next round of cut-offs. From here on, you follow the regular process of gathering the requisite documents, and submitting it before the deadline. You’ll have to pay the application processing fee, as well as the right to permanent residence fee while you submit your application.

STEP 6: Sit tight, and wait for a favorable outcome. If all goes well, you’ll soon be a Canadian Permanent Resident, albeit limited to a province for some time.

Nuances

• Not too long ago, PNP used to be a first-come first-serve basis application process. Provinces would open application intake windows, during which time applicants who would submit their application first were likely to receive a nomination. However, provinces are now beginning to move to an EOI based system, where they can filter and rank the applications, and only invite specific profiles that meet their labour market conditions. In a way, this makes for a controlled and need-specific immigration program.
• The challenge that you may face as an applicant, apart from meeting the eligibility criteria, is hoping that your job falls in the in-demand occupation list so that provinces are more likely to invite you to apply for nomination.
• Another growing trend is provinces increasingly dipping their hands into the express entry pool to invite candidates to apply for nomination, even if these candidates did not apply to these provinces specifically.
• Ontario’s PNP program still has a high CRS requirement of 440+.
• Saskatchewan is favoring PNP applicants with greater ties to the province in terms of relatives, work ex, or education.