Canadian Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
Canadian Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are one of the fast-track and significant ways to immigrate to Canada and obtain permanent residency in Canada. Provincial programs (PNPs) allow provinces and territories in Canada to select individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and are interested in settling and living in a specific province.
Each province (except Quebec, which has a different provincial selection system) and Nunavut has its unique provincial nomination programs. Participating provinces and territories sign an agreement with the Canadian immigration department, allowing them to nominate individuals who meet their specified criteria.
What are the requirements for Canada's provincial programs?
Provinces and territories in Canada can nominate applicants intending to settle in that province under the PNP programs. To become a nominee for a province, you must meet the requirements of that province’s immigration program.
Each of Canada’s provincial immigration programs sets its own specific criteria for applicants. For example, a province may target applicants who have work experience in a particular job or nominate candidates who are fluent in French. In fact, the criteria for each province are determined based on the needs of the labor market in that province.
Each of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) consists of several immigration pathways or streams. You can see the requirements for all the pathways of the provincial immigration programs in Canada at a glance below:
| Province | Path/Program | Compliance with Express Entry | Job Offer Requirement | Canadian Work Experience Requirement | Canadian Education Requirement | Need to Reside in Canada | Investment Requirement | Current Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Alberta Express Entry | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Alberta | Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Alberta | Alberta Rural Renewal | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Alberta | Alberta Opportunity | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Alberta | Rural Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Alberta | Alberta Graduate Entrepreneurship | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| Alberta | Foreign Graduate Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Alberta | Farm Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| British Columbia | Skilled Worker – SI | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | Health Professionals - SI No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | |||
| British Columbia | International Graduates – SI | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | International Master’s and PhD Graduates – SI | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | Semi-Skilled Workers – SI | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | Skilled Worker – EEBC | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | Health Professionals – EEBC | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | International Graduates – EEBC | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | International Master’s and PhD Graduates – EEBC | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| British Columbia | British Columbia Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| British Columbia | British Columbia Regional Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Manitoba Skilled Worker Overseas | No | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Foreign Skilled Worker Manitoba - Express Entry | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Foreign Skilled Worker Manitoba - Human Capital | No | No | No | No | No | No | Will be active soon | ||
| Manitoba | Skilled Worker in Manitoba | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Skilled Worker in Manitoba - Work Experience Stream | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Will be active soon | ||
| Manitoba | Skilled Worker in Manitoba - Employer Direct Recruitment Stream | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Will be active soon | ||
| Manitoba | International Education Manitoba - Professional Employment | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Manitoba | International Education Manitoba Graduate Internship | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Manitoba | International Education Manitoba International Entrepreneur | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Investment Manitoba – Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Investment Manitoba - Farm Investment | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Manitoba | Morden City Initiative | No | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Express Entry | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| New Brunswick | Skilled Worker with Employer Support | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Investment - Post-Graduation Entrepreneurship | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Investment – Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| New Brunswick | Strategic Initiative | No | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland Skilled Worker through Express Entry | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland Skilled Worker | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Priority Skills - Needed Occupations Stream | No | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Priority Skills - Education Stream | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | International Graduates | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Investment in Newfoundland - Foreign Entrepreneurs | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Will be active soon | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Investment in Newfoundland - Foreign Graduates Entrepreneurs | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| Ontario | Human Capital Priorities | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | French-Speaking Skilled Workforce | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Skilled Trades Workforce | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Job Offer Ontario - Foreign Workforce | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Job Offer Ontario - International Students | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Job Offer Ontario - In-Demand Occupations | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Foreign Graduates of Master’s and PhD Programs | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Ontario | Entrepreneurship Ontario | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Work Experience Program: Express Entry | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Inactive | ||
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Labor Market Priorities Program | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Skilled Worker | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | In-Demand Graduates | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | In-Demand Occupations | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Labor Market Priorities for Physicians | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Physicians | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Investment in Nova Scotia - Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Nova Scotia | Investment in Nova Scotia - Foreign Graduates Entrepreneurs | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Express Entry | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Skilled Worker Outside Canada - Labor Impact | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Skilled Worker Inside Prince Edward Island - Labor Impact | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Essential Worker - Labor Impact | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Occupations in Demand | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Investment | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Quebec | Quebec Skilled Worker | No | No | No | No | No | No | Inactive | ||
| Quebec | Quebec Experience - Foreign Workers | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Inactive | ||
| Quebec | Quebec Experience - Students and Graduates | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Inactive | ||
| Quebec | Quebec Entrepreneurship | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Inactive | ||
| Quebec | Investment in Quebec | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Quebec | Quebec Self-Employment | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Inactive | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Express Entry | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Occupations in Demand | No | No | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Tech Talent | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Job Offer | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Agricultural Talent | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Skilled Worker - Health Care Talent | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Hard-to-Fill Skills | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Inactive | ||
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Experience | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Entrepreneurship in Saskatchewan | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Entrepreneurship for International Graduates in Saskatchewan | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active | ||
| Saskatchewan | Farming in Saskatchewan | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Northwest | Territories Express Entry | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Northwest | Territories | Skilled | Worker | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active |
| Northwest | Territories Critical Impact | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Active | ||
| Northwest | Territories Northwest Territories Investment | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active | ||
| Northwest | Territories French Speakers | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Yukon | Express Entry | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Yukon | Skilled Worker | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Yukon | Critical Impact Worker | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Active | ||
| Yukon | Yukon Investment | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active |
How do I apply for Canadian provincial programs?
To apply through Canada’s PNP programs, you should follow these steps:
1. Choose the most suitable provincial program based on your situation: Use the table above to evaluate your conditions for each of the provincial programs.
2. Apply for your chosen provincial program: Submit your application directly on the portal of the respective province.
3. Receive your provincial nomination certificate: If your application is accepted, the province will nominate you.
4. Submit your application for permanent residency: Send your application along with all required documents to the immigration office. If your PNP program aligns with Express Entry, this should be done online; otherwise, you must submit it in paper form.
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Frequently asked questions
When we immigrate to Canada through a specific provincial program, do we have to live there permanently?
No, when you immigrate, you can choose where to live freely according to constitutional and federal law. They might indicate that you need to live in that province for a few years. At this stage, federal law takes precedence, and you can move.
How long does it take to process provincial program applications in Canada?
Currently, the response time from the Canadian embassy for provincial applications submitted online through Express Entry is approximately 8 months.