Provincial Nomination Program
Provinces and territories in Canada, with the exception of Quebec, can chose to nominate individuals and persons with certain skills and certain qualities to immigrate to Canada through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP). These nominated individuals must have the desired skills, educations, and practical applicable work experience related to the field through which they are applying, a sense that they are going to contribute to the Canadian economy as well as the provincial economy that supported them and the requirement to live in that respective province.
Each province and territory has a special “stream” through which they nominate persons for immigrations. A stream is an immigration program that targets certain groups and that match the criteria for which the applicant applied for. For example, a stream of a program at a provincial and territorial program may target students of certain education, business people specialized in certain sectors, skilled workers or semi-skilled works.
The province of Quebec does not have a Provincial Nomination Program. To learn more about the methods for settling and migrating in Quebec, refer to Quebec’s immigration website.
Determine if you are eligible for the Provincial Nomination Program:
If you are nominated under a non-Express Entry stream:
- You will have to apply though the paper based process application
- If the province or territory finds you eligible for the Provincial Nomination Program, then you will have to send an application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
If you are nominated under a province or territory’s Express Entry stream, and then you must:
- Meet the respective province and territory’s requirements for Provincial Nomination Program
- Meet the minimum requirements for Express Entry eligibility, i.e.: meeting the requirements of at least one of the programs which falls under the Express Entry category
- To determine if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry program, you may wish to use the online application tool on Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website
The Application Process for the Provincial Nomination Program
Applying for the Provincial Nomination Program depends on what stream you are applying for. Likewise, you might be required to apply through the paper based program or the online based application process through the Express Entry. Whatever case you chose to apply for, it will have 2 stages which you must complete:
Firstly, you must decide in which province or territory you want to live in Canada, from there you must apply to that respective province or territory for a provincial nomination. The province or territory will review your application based on the following:
- The immigration needs of the province or territory. This means whether or not your immigration will benefit the provincial or territorial economy or not and if your work experience, education, and occupational skills are coherent with the employment demographics and demand of the province.
- If you truly plan on living in the province in which you applied for
And if you are applying thorough the Express Entry program; if you meet the minimum criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs that fall under the Express Entry immigration categories
When applying for an Express Entry program, you will have to select the provinces and territories you are interested in residing, for example if you are a bilingual Anglophone and Francophone, then you may wish to reside in Quebec as your top priority. The provinces you select while creating your Express Entry profile may contact you and ask you to submit a Provincial Nomination Program application so that they can nominate you. If you already have a nomination from a province or territory, then you must state this in your profile while you are creating it. For successful nominations you must contact each province directly to see if you meet their eligibility requirements.
Secondly, after a province or territory nominates you for immigration, you must apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. CIC will assess you application based Canadian immigration law.
Also as part of the process, you must have passed a medical exam from a suitable and accredited medical practitioner in your city of residence and will also require a police certificate or clearance.
How Should I Submit my PNP Application
The application process through which you will be applying for depends on the Provincial Nomination Program stream that you are going to choose to apply through/for. There is paper based process and an electronic or online process.
The paper based process:
- You apply to the province or territory for nomination under a stream that is not under the Express Entry program
- You must meet the eligibility requirements of the province or territory that nominates you
- Once you have been successfully nominated by a province or territory, you should submit a paper application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Please note that application processing time for a stream not categorised under the Express Entry program and paper based application is longer than Express Entry applications
There are Two Ways through which you can Apply for Express Entry Program:
- You contact the respective province or territory in which you wish to reside in for a nomination under the Express Entry category
- If the province or territory agrees to nominate you, you create an Express Entry profile, or update your existing profile, and show that you have been nominated
OR
- You create an Express Entry profile and show the provinces and territories you are interested in
- If a province or territory sends you a notification of interest to CIC account, you will contact them directly from there
- Then you apply into the Express Entry stream
In both cases
- You must the meet the minimum requirements of the province and territory for you which you wish to reside in, and
- You must submit an express entry profile showing that you meet the requirements for the Express Entry; including you meet the minimum criteria for the specific immigration program
- If you were invited to apply, you should submit an online application to CIC
- Most Express Entry applications are processed in six months or less
Contact Akrami & Associates
A Provincial Nomination Program could very much be the defining chapter of a successful future. Contact us at Akrami and Associates today and book a consultation to determine your best approach for a positive application
With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!