WHAT IS PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM?
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP Canada) is a method for immigration and a means of meeting Canada's critical need for fresh immigrants. PNP Canada is essentially intended to enable the provincial/territorial governments the freedom to admit immigrants based on local discretionary nominations and labor shortages. The end result of candidates' efforts under Canada's PNP schemes is permanent residency.
There are 80 immigration PNP streams in Canada which seek to provide individuals with Canadian permanent residency. Some territories, like Quebec and Nunavut, have their own procedures; for example, Quebec has chosen to control the criteria it uses to choose applicants for economic immigration.
HOW TO APPLY FOR PNP?
You can apply for a PNP program by:
- Applying to a PNP program directly – the province will review your application based on the selection criteria and the points system. If you are found to be a suitable candidate, the province will give you a nomination letter, which you can use to apply for PR;
OR
- Applying through the Express Entry System – your profile will be visible to all provinces and territories in this case. If selected, you will receive an invitation to apply for an Express Entry stream of that province’s or territory’s PNP.
You will receive 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System if your PNP application is accepted for either of the pathways. You will be able to use these points in your Express Entry application. The first piece of advice is to do your absolute best when analyzing the job market and work requirements of the province you wish to immigrate to. Even if the region does not need workers in your field of employment, there is no purpose in applying for a specific position in a province or territory if you cannot match the PNP requirements.
Bearing this in mind, you will then have to decide which province you will apply to in order to be nominated for PNP. You can familiarize yourself with the different streams in this page’s ‘List of Programs’ section below, where you can access each stream’s application guide and forms through the provided links.
COSTS
Prices for PNP Canada vary because of the provinces' discretionary immigration authorities. For commercial PNP streams, this section exclusively refers to application fees paid to the government and related charges; it makes no mention of investment costs or legal fees. With the use of our fee calculator, you may calculate your PNP company immigration charges.
Several PNP programs are offered without charge, while most provinces charge between $250 and $350 for PNPs. These costs are associated with the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program, the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program.
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has a $500 charge, and Quebec schemes have a ceiling of $785; the latter may be increased by $168 apiece for the primary applicant's spouse/partner and kid to immigrate to Canada. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, which can cost up to $2,000 and no less than $1,500, and the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, both of which cost $1,150, are the priciest PNPs.
Due to additional expenditures, PNP fees range between $2,300 to $3,800. To put it another way, it is advised to have enough savings to pay for all expenses, not only the PNP fees.
PROCESSING TIME
The applicant's entry type and the province to which they have applied determine the PNP PR processing period.
A PNP applicant for Express Entry will be given preference in the review of their application, which will take roughly 5 to 6 months. Expect the processing period to range between 12 and 24 months if you apply for PNP through the conventional non-Express Entry route instead of Express Entry.
Prior to choosing to adopt the maximum 6-month processing schedule, Quebec, a province with unique PNP criteria, processed PNP nominations in just 20 days.