Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) surpassed the federal Express Entry system as the primary channel for candidates of the economic class to obtain permanent residence (PR) in Canada.
Canada is welcoming immigrants through PNP than Express Entry Program. This is happening at a time when it’s anticipated that more than 105,000 immigrants will move to Canada over the course of the next three years using the PNP.
As per the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 plan, the number of Canadian immigrants entering the country through the PNP is expected to increase to 105,000 this year and 117,500 by 2025.
What is the Purpose of Provincial Nominee Programs?
The demand for additional qualified immigrants to fill the specific skill shortages in their region contributed to the recent and upcoming rise in PNP immigration to Canada. In other words, Canada is boosting the number of PNP immigrants to support the program’s objective of disseminating the economic, social, and cultural advantages of immigration across the nation.
The objective is achieved through PNP, which allows every province or territory to grant PR to hand-picked immigrants eager to call their province or territory home.
What are the Recent Improvements Made in PNP?
The federal, provincial, and territorial immigration ministers of Canada met in July last year. In that meeting, they decided to develop a new multi-year immigration strategy specifically for the PNP, considering the need to attract more skilled immigrants to each province and territory across Canada. All thanks to this strategy, the two levels of government would now have more control over how immigrants would be attracted to and settled throughout the nation.
As part of the biannual Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI), the immigration ministers from each province and territory met with federal officials again earlier this month. According to the recent meeting, they reiterated their support for the multi-year PNP plan.
Since the meeting, which was held on March 10th, 2023, provinces have begun to announce their revised PNP allocations, starting with Ontario.
The province of Ontario has made it clear that it wanted more control over its economic class immigration program, according to its minister of immigration. In an interview with CIC News in July 2022, Monte McNaughton stated, “In 2022, Ontario chooses less than 5% immigrants from over 211,000”. As a result, the minister declared that he would present the federal government with two main requests.
The first request was for Ontario to have more control over economic immigration, and the second was for the PNP allotment for the province to be doubled to 18,000 people.
On March 18th, Ontario and the federal government stated that the province’s demand had been granted as Ontario’s PNP allocation will see an increase of 18,000 immigrants annually by 2025.
Other provinces have already disclosed their planned PNP allocations. The allocation for Alberta will increase to 10,849 by 2025. Saskatchewan will increase to 8,500. The allotment to Manitoba will increase to 9,500.
Yukon has reported that they allocated around 430 PNP seats for 2023, up from 300 the previous year.
How can you apply for the PNP?
PNPs provide skilled individuals with the chance to immigrate to Canada through base nominations as well as enhanced nominations.
Base PNP nominations are processed more slowly than enhanced ones, which is the main difference between the two types of nominations. As of the date of this writing, the IRCC reports that the processing times for base nominations are typically 20 months long, and for enhanced nominations, it’s 11 months long.
What are the Base PNP Nominations?
Base PNP nominations are submitted outside the Express Entry program through standard PNP streams. Candidates must first meet the eligibility criteria for a base PNP stream made available by a province or territory to apply and successfully come to Canada via a base PNP nomination.
The base PNP application process includes three basic steps. You must receive a provincial nomination, pay the application fees, and submit the online application.
What are the Enhanced PNP Nominations?
However, through the Express Entry system, numerous Canadian provinces and territories can nominate a specific number of immigrants for permanent residency. ‘Enhanced’ nominations are those that include these PNP portions.
Out of a total possible 1,200 points, candidates in the Express Entry pool receiving a PNP nomination are given an additional 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Receiving an Invitation to Apply at a subsequent draw from the Express Entry pool is nearly guaranteed with these 600 extra CRS points.
To apply for a PNP application, immigration applicants must already be in the Express Entry pool. The enhanced PNP application can be completed by using one of these two common procedures:
- Provincial/territorial administrations periodically examine the Express Entry pool and send invitations to applicants who indicate an interest in obtaining permanent residence there.
- Provinces (like Saskatchewan) will instruct those in the pool who are interested in relocating there to get in touch with them via email so they can review their profile.
The enhanced PNP application process includes four basic steps. You need to submit an Express Entry profile with an IRCC account, receive a nomination from Express Entry, get an Invitation to Apply, and fill out the online application with IRCC.
If you wish to immigrate to Canada in 2023, Dynamic Group covers you. You can count on us for your immigration process. In case of any query, you can contact us, be it for guidance, documentation assistance, or consultation regarding the process. We’ll be happy to assist you anytime.
