This comprehensive Bangladesh Immigration Consultation and Visa Solutions (BICAVS) page provide you with everything you need to know on the Provincial Nominee Program.
Launched in 1998, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the second leading way to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker after Express Entry. Nearly every province and territory operates the PNP to welcome skilled workers from all over the world to help strengthen their economies. Scroll down to learn more on the PNP.
Overview
Under Canada’s Constitution, the federal government and each province and territory share the authority to manage the country’s immigration system.
As such, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and who are interested in settling in a particular province. The only exceptions are the Northern Canada territory of Nunavut and Quebec. Instead, the province of Quebec has the authority to establish its own selection criteria for economic immigration.
The main purpose of the PNP is to spread the benefits of immigration across Canada. Prior to the launch of the PNP in 1998, most of Canada’s immigrants settled in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Since 1998, however, Canada has seen a broader distribution of immigration across the country since the Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) and Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) have enjoyed more success attracting immigrants thanks in large part to the PNP.
Each PNP has at least one immigration stream that is aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system. Provincial nominations issued under these Express Entry-aligned streams are known as ‘enhanced nominations’. The benefits of enhanced PNP streams are that they award Express Entry candidates an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, which essentially guarantee they will receive a permanent residence invitation under Express Entry. Another major benefit is they can have their permanent residence application processed by the federal government quicker, typically within six months. The other way to obtain permanent residence through the PNP is under a ‘base’ stream. Here, you apply to a PNP stream directly and once you obtain a provincial nomination, the federal government will process your permanent residence application.
COVID-19
Canada’s provinces and territories have continued to operate their respective PNP streams throughout the corona virus pandemic. This includes accepting new applications, issuing PNP invitations, and processing applications. Click here for the latest updates on how COVID-19 is affecting Canada’s immigration system.
Which PNP Streams Am I Eligible For?
With more than 80 provincial immigration streams, discovering the Canadian immigration pathway that best suits you may be challenging. The Canada PNP Finder is designed to help you discover the right immigration pathway to Canadian permanent residence, and track the latest Canada PNP updates.
How does the PNP process work?
The process depends on which PNP stream you are applying to. PNP streams either have a paper-based process or an online process through Express Entry.
The biggest benefit of going through an Express Entry stream is you can have your permanent residence application processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada within 6 months, compared with longer processing times for paper-based applications.
When you reach the permanent residence application phase of the process, everyone needs to complete medical and police checks.
Paper-based process:
Step 1: Find out if you are eligible for the PNP.
Step 2: Apply to a given PNP stream.
Step 3: If you are nominated (approved) by the province or territory, submit a paper application for permanent residence to IRCC.
Step 4: Pass a medical exam and get a police check.
Step 5: Once you are approved by IRCC, you can complete your permanent residence landing in Canada.
Express Entry process:
Step 1: Find out if you are eligible for the PNP.
Step 2: Apply to a given PNP stream.
Step 3: If you receive a provincial nomination, create an Express Entry profile on IRCC’s website and indicate you have been nominated.
Step 4: Once you receive an Express Entry invitation to apply for permanent residence from IRCC, submit your permanent residence application to IRCC.
Step 5: Pass a medical exam and get a police check.
Step 6: Once you are approved by IRCC, you can complete your permanent residence landing in Canada.
Alternatively, you can submit an Express Entry profile to IRCC and then indicate to provinces and territories which jurisdictions you are interested in. A province or territory can then send you a “notification of interest”. You can then contact the province or territory to go through the provincial nomination process. Once you obtain the provincial nomination certificate, you will receive 600 additional Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points which will essentially guarantee that you will get a permanent residence invitation from IRCC. Once you get this invitation, you go ahead and submit your permanent residence application to IRCC, pass a medical exam and get a police check, and then eventually complete your permanent residence landing in Canada.
