Candidates were invited by three provinces for provincial nomination in recent draws this week namely Ontario, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island.
With the help of Provincial Nominee Programs, economic immigration candidates who will integrate easily into the provincial economy and labour force are being invited by provinces. Receiving a provincial nomination for permanent residence strengthens the application of a candidate.
For example, receiving a provincial nomination as an Express Entry candidate can provide you with 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. It means that an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence will be received by you in a subsequent Express Entry draw.
First Multi-Year Levels Plan is Advertised by Provinces
The responsibility of immigration is shared by both Provincial and Federal. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI) to discuss shared priorities and move forward on objectives set on July 22.
One of the major outcomes of the recent meeting was that multi-year provincial nomination levels plans are to be endorsed. IRCC will have to inform each province about the number of spaces they have been allocated under the PNP for up to three years in advance as per this plan.
Provincial Governments can plan for future housing and infrastructure accordingly and support newcomers in a better way. It will be easier to retain newly arrived foreign nationals with this support in place for provinces.
The number of allocations has been increased by some provinces, for example, the number of PNP allocations has increased by 3,175 more spaces in Manitoba in 2023 as compared to 2022. Over the next three years, significant increases in allocations have also been reported by Alberta and Saskatchewan, with Alberta’s PNP going as high as 10,849 spaces and Saskatchewan going up to 8,500 spaces.
Results of Provincial Immigration from March 11 to March 17
Ontario
On March 14, two draws were held under the International Student stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). With a score of 70 or above, 606 candidates were invited to the first draw in tech and healthcare occupations and the second draw was for candidates in skilled trades occupations under this stream in which 300 candidates were invited by the province with a score of 74 or above.
On March 16, in the Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Workers stream, there were two targeted draws for candidates. A total of 344 candidates were invited to Ontario in tech and skilled trades, and the health, finance, and education sector invited a total of 271 candidates. 294-489 was the CRS score range for the first draw of this stream and 400-489 was the score range for the second draw.
Ontario is the most populous province of Canada so it typically receives the largest number of allocations under the PNP. The number of allocations has not been released yet which were received by the province under the new multiyear plan.
British Columbia
The province invited more than 230 candidates in the weekly British Columbia draw on March 14. From the International Graduate and International Skilled Worker streams, a targeted tech draw was the largest draw that invited 197 candidates including Express Entry candidates with a minimum SIRS score of 83.
Occupations that were invited by the province are mentioned below:
- From the International Graduate, Skilled Worker, including Express Entry category, 10 healthcare workers were invited with scores of at least 60 points.
- With a minimum of 60 points, 23 early childhood educators and assistants are invited.
- Other priority occupations were invited with at least 60 points.
Prince Edward Island
To apply for a provincial nomination, a total of 144 candidates were invited by Prince Edward Island. Among those 144 candidates, 138 were from the Labour and the Express Entry stream. With a minimum point threshold of 52, 6 invitations were also issued to candidates in the Business Work Permit Entrepreneur category were also issued six invitations. Draws of Prince Edward Island PNP are typically held once a month.
