Government announces 2,000 additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program

News release

March 12, 2019 – Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, delivered today on a commitment to expand pathways for temporary foreign workers by allocating an additional 2,000 spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program.

The Government of Canada is committed to an immigration system that strengthens Canada’s economy and contributes to the growth of good middle-class jobs. We are committed to providing foreign workers, in particular, those filling long-term labour market needs and who have integrated into Canadian society, with more pathways to permanent residency.

These additional spaces will provide more opportunities for existing temporary foreign workers at the intermediate skill level (National Occupation Code C) to transition to permanent residence, and help to address worker vulnerability.

This fulfills the Minister’s mandate commitment to further develop pathways to permanent residency so that eligible applicants are able to fully contribute to Canadian society. It means more opportunities for workers who are well established in Canada to access the economic immigration pathways that are the best fit for their qualifications.

These additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program complement other immigration programs, including the Atlantic Immigration Pilot and the recently launched Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which can also help temporary foreign workers become permanent residents.

Quotes

Temporary foreign workers fill long-term labour market needs and contribute to the growth of our economy. We recognize the need to provide opportunities for them to transition to permanent residence – and these additional spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program will do just that.”

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• The additional 2,000 National Occupation Code C spaces are meant to provide a net increase in the number of Temporary Foreign Workers who transition to permanent residence under the Provincial Nominee Program.
• The additional 2,000 spaces will help meet regional labour market needs in key sectors, as determined by provinces and territories.
• The additional spaces will not impede IRCC’s progress in decreasing processing times overall for the Provincial Nominee Program.
• Under the Provincial Nominee Program, participating provinces and territories nominate foreign nationals whom they believe will meet particular regional labour market and/or economic development needs and who intend to settle in their province.
• Provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the design, management, and evaluation of their respective provincial nominee programs.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada