Provincial Nominee Program

Are you a skilled worker looking to immigrate to Canada permanently? Do you have a specific province in mind where you would like to live? The provincial nominee program targets workers who have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory. In this blog, we will talk about the application process and eligibility requirements for the Provincial Nominee program. If you are interested in learning more about this type of application, continue to read this blog.

What is the Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program is one of the available pathways to permanent residency in Canada. Under the program, Canadian provinces and territories may nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and who are interested in settling in the province or territory.

How Does the Provincial Nomination Program Work

Under the application, you can either be nominated by the province by submitting your application online through the Express Entry system, or you can apply to the province by paper under the non-Express Entry system.

i. Online Application via Express Entry

There are two ways to apply via the online Express Entry system and both requires you to create an express entry profile. In addition, you must first meet the express entry eligibility criteria including the requirements for at least one of the three federal immigration categories.

The first type of application requires applicants to apply to the province or territory directly for a nomination under its express entry stream. If your application is accepted and the province agrees to nominate you, in the case where you have not already created an express entry profile, you will need to create one and show on your profile that you have a nomination from a province. If you already have an express entry profile, you can update your profile to include the nomination. The province will also need to confirm your nomination electronically with IRCC. Once the province confirms your nomination with the federal government, you will need to either accept or reject the nomination. If you accept the nomination, you will receive 600 additional points to your express entry points that will help you to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. If you do not accept or ignore the nomination

In the second type of application, sometimes the provinces and territories will search the express entry pool and reach out to candidates that they want to nominate. In this case, you will need to have an express entry profile created and when you create your profile, select the province or territory where you are interested in residing. If the province or territory finds you in the pool and they are interested in you, the province or territory will send a “notification of interest” letter to your account. The letter is not the nomination and it will ask you to contact that province or territory to discuss your options. If you want a nomination from that province or territory, you will need to contact the province or territory directly and apply to its provincial express entry stream. If your application is approved, you will receive a message in your federal express entry account asking you to accept or not accept the nomination. If you accept the nomination, you will receive 600 additional points to help you get an invitation to apply for permanent residence under the federal system. If you reject or ignore the nomination, then you will remain in the pool until you are found to meet the eligibility for one of the federal streams.

ii. Paper-based non-Express Entry

In the paper-based process, you may apply to the province or territory to nominate you under a non-express entry system. There are two-stages to this process. First, you will need to decide where you would like to live in Canada and apply to that province or territory for a nomination. Depending on the immigration needs of the province, they may be targeting skilled workers, business people or students. The applications will be assessed to see whether the applicant meets the province’s immigration needs at the time and whether the applicant intends to live in the province. Provinces are usually looking for applicants who have already worked or went to school in that province.

If you receive a nomination from the province, then at the second stage, you may apply to the federal government for permanent residence. At this stage, you must meet the requirements for permanent residence, which includes being criminally and medically admissible to Canada.

What Are the Processing Times for the Provincial Nomination Program

The processing times for the provincial nomination program will vary based on whether you are applying via the online express entry system or paper based. Applications submitted through the online express entry system may take anywhere up to six months whereas paper-based applications may take up to 19 months.

Final Words on the Provincial Nominee Program

When preparing your application, it is very important to provide accurate and truthful information. The consequences of providing false information is a refusal, being found for inadmissibility or a 5-year bar from applying for permanent residence to Canada.

Contact Akrami & Associates

Permanent residence applications through the provincial nominee program can be quite complex. At Akrami & Associates, we have assisted many of our clients with their applications with success. It is important that you have professionals with the expertise and knowledge to address any possible issues that may arise during the process of your application. You can contact at 416-477-2545 to speak with one of our experts who can help to assess your eligibility and provide you advise about your case. At Akrami, we are committed to your matter and ensuring that we do everything possible to increase your chances at success. Contact us today to see how we can help you.

At Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!