Provincial Nominee Programs

All PNPs have streams and paths. Streams are categories and sub-programs listed under every Provincial Nominee Program. These categories and sub-programs are only available to certain people such as entrepreneurs, businessmen and businesswomen, skilled and semi-skilled workers and students who want to immigrate to Canada.

As you already know, provinces and territories choose nominees based on their specific needs. The streams under a PNP allow provinces and territories to meet their labour market needs. Overall, there are more than 80 Provincial Nominee Programs. Each program has unique requirements that applicants must meet before the province or territory approves their application.

You should know that some Provincial Nominee Programs streams operate on a first-come, first-serve structure. This mode of operation means that once the quota for the program is met, applications will no longer be processed under that stream.

To be eligible for the Provincial Nominee Program, foreign nationals must:

• Have the necessary education, skills, and work experience necessary for contributing to the local economy of the province or territory they are applying to
• Be looking to live in the province or territory that they are applying to
• Be looking to become a permanent residence in Canada

If you obtain approval for your PNP application, you may submit your application for permanent residency in Canada. You will need to do this within the prescribed time frame. Furthermore, the territory or province you are applying to will notify you whether you should apply through the regular or express entry method. For those who have to apply through the express entry process, you will have to create an Express Entry profile. Once you have created a profile, you will enter the Express Entry pool.

The application process for a Provincial Nominee Program is straightforward. First, you must identify which stream under the Provincial Nominee Program suits you. Make sure to research carefully. Some programs have similar streams, so make your choice carefully.

Once you have identified which Provincial Nominee Program stream you are qualified for, you need to submit an application to the appropriate province or territory.

The next step is in the hands of the province or territory. The province will nominate you for permanent residency in Canada if your application is approved. You will also be granted a Provincial nomination certificate at this point. Following your nomination, you may apply for permanent residency to the Canadian government.

The application for permanent residency can be completed online for applicants nominated for Express Entry. Other applicants will have to complete a paper-based application process.

Express Entry is one of Canada’s efforts to improve the permanent residence application process. Several Canadian provinces and territories have adopted the Express Entry process into their Provincial Nominee Programs.

The Express Entry process is mainly used to manage online applications for permanent residence from skilled workers with appropriate educational backgrounds. Applicants must also be moderately fluent in French or English.

To apply for a Provincial Nominee Program through an Express Entry stream, you will have to start your application process by:

• Researching which Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry streams you are qualified for
• Gathering all the necessary documents
• Creating an online Express Entry profile
• Receiving a request to tender an application for permanent residence in Canada.

You will have to provide background information about yourself, including details about your skills and employment history, when you are creating an Express Entry profile. Points will be assigned to you according to a point-based system. The quality, rather than quantity, of the information you provide will determine your points.

Once you amass enough points, you will join the pool of Express Entry applicants.

The Express Entry applicants with the highest points in this pool will receive the invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residency. You must submit your application and all other necessary documents within 60 days of receiving this invitation. Generally, the Express Entry applications for permanent residence are processed in at most 6 months.

Express Entry applicants receive invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residency once their PNP application has been approved. They must then upload all the documents they used to create an Express Entry profile. Asides from these documents, they must also upload and submit the following documents:

• Medical exam certificates
• Police certificates
• Birth Certificate (this document is necessary if you are declaring a dependent child)
• Use of a Representative Form (this document is required when you have hired a representative to assist you with the application process)
• Marriage certificate (If you are already married)
• Common-Law union form (this document is only applicable to applicants declaring their marital status as common-law)
• Spouse’s death certificate (this document is only necessary when the applicant declares their marital status as widowed)
• Legal separation agreement and Divorce certificate (Only if the applicant is divorced)
• Adoption certificate (only if the applicant has a dependent child who is adopted)

You may choose to strengthen your application and improve your chances of approval by including the following documents:

• Evidence of relationship to a relative resident in Canada
• Digital pictures to serve as additional proof of your identity
• Previous names or aliases you had in the past
• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual Form
• Any relevant document that you believe is essential to your application process.

As a skilled worker applying for a Provincial Nominee Program via an Express Entry stream, the documents you will need to gather are:

• A valid travel document or passport
• Proof of Canadian education or a report of your educational credential assessment (this document is necessary if you want to obtain more points for any education you got outside of Canada or are applying via the Federal Skilled Workers Program)
• Provincial Nomination certificate (Only if you already have one)
• An offer for employment from a Canadian employer (Only if you have one)
• Proof that you have the funds for both travelling to and resettling in Canada

You will need to provide specific documents at different stages of the process. Take note that there is no need to upload any of these documents to your Express Entry profile. Instead, you will need to provide information available in these documents.

Those not applying for the Express Entry must complete a paper-based application process when applying for Canadian permanent residency. However, before starting this process, they must have received a nomination certificate from the territory or province they want to immigrate and settle in.

Once nominated, the applicant must tender their application for permanent residency to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The applicant will receive a guide on what to do next, the documents that should be submitted, and all the necessary forms that must be filled out and completed. All this will be provided in the application package with the nomination certificate.

Nominated applicants must also make necessary fee payments online and provide their biometric information online.

Once the application has been approved, the application will be sent to the local visa office of the nominee. Once the application is complete, it will be shipped to the Canadian Centralized Intake Office. This office is responsible for processing the application.

There are specific language proficiency requirements that applicants for PNPs must meet before they are considered eligible. However, the requirement for each Provincial Nominee Program differs from province to province.

According to the Canadian Language Benchmark system, applicants must meet a specified score requirement in writing, listening, reading and speaking. Generally, candidates are expected to meet the minimum proficiency in English, French, or both. However, some Provincial Nominee Programs, such as the National Occupation Classification (NOC) or the Skilled Worker Program, require candidates to undergo compulsory testing.

Applicants must then include a copy of their results in these tests when they submit their application for permanent residence in Canada. This submission should be made to the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) if the applicant is going through the paper-based application process. The test results should be uploaded to their online profile for Express Entry applicants.

PNP applicants must make the payments for the following fees when applying for the PNP and permanent residency in Canada. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

• Provincial Nominee processing fees: $825
• Provincial nominee processing fees for your common-law partner or spouse (only if applicable): $825
• Right of Permanent residency fees: $500
• Biometrics $85
• Biometrics for a family (2 or more family members): $170
• Medical exam fees: The cost varies
• Language Test fees: The cost varies, but on average, applicants should expect to pay about $300 for each test
• Educational Credential Assessments: $300

Applicants will also make payment for other miscellaneous fees such as notaries and certified translations. These costs may vary based on the applicant’s unique circumstances.

Lastly, each province and territory has its application fees for a specific Provincial Nominee Program. The amount you will have to pay will depend on the stream you are applying for, the Provincial Nominee Program it is under and which province or territory you are applying to.