Provincial Nominee Program

Provincial nomination is an important fast-track option for Canadian permanent residence.

The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and who are interested in settling in a particular province.

Each province and territory has its own streams and criteria for their Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These can change without notice.

Provincial and territorial governments have been using these programs to attract qualified workers and entrepreneurs to their region. Each PNP is tailored to meet the province’s/territory’s specific labour market demands; selecting qualified individuals who may play an important role in the continued prosperity of the province/territory. Since 2015, most PNPs have at least one immigration stream that is aligned with the federal Express Entry Selection System, known as the ‘enhanced’ nominations.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the PNP is different based on whether you apply through the paper-based (non-Express Entry streams) or Express Entry (Express Entry streams) process.

If you are applying through the paper-based process

You must meet the minimum requirements of one of the province or territory’s non-Express Entry streams.
You must be nominated under that stream.

If you are applying through Express Entry

You must meet the minimum requirements of a province or territory’s Express Entry PNP stream.
You must be nominated under that stream.
You must create an Express Entry profile and show that you meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including the requirements of one of the immigration programs it covers.
Note: CIC is updating the Express Entry system:

you can now earn additional points if you studied in Canada
a valid job offer now only needs to be for one year, and some job offers no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
the amount of points you get for a job offer has changed
if you are invited to apply, you now have 90 days instead of 60.

View the Following PNP Programs by Province/Territory

PNP Immigration Streams Currently Available Per Province or Territory

Express Entry

British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland,Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Northwest Territories

Skilled Worker (Professional)

Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Yukon

International Graduates

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan

Business Immigration

British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island

Semi-Skilled Worker

Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon
Before submitting an application to immigrate to Canada, a nominee must first receive a Provincial Nomination Certificate from the province/territory. After a successful nomination by a province/territory, a separate application must be made to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for your Canada Immigration (permanent resident) Visa. Provincial Nominee Program processing times vary from one Canadian immigration visa office to another.

The province of Quebec, where Montreal is located, does not participate in the Provincial Nominee Program. Instead, the Governments of Quebec and Canada have entered into a series of agreements by which Quebec has established its own selection criteria for all economic immigrants with an intention to reside in Quebec.

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Provincial Nominee Program

Eligibility Criteria

View the Following PNP Programs by Province/Territory

PNP Immigration Streams Currently Available Per Province or Territory