Provincial Nominee Programs operated actively in May

The Provincial Nominee Programs projected an increasingly important role during the coronavirus crisis. May has been an active month for Canadian provinces in terms of the number of invitations issued. More than two thousand candidates were invited through Provincial Nominee Programs to apply for a provincial nomination last month. The provinces issued several of these invitations through the “enhanced” streams that are aligned with the federal express entry system and allow provinces to nominate express entry candidates for permanent residence. Also Read: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Gateway to move to Canada The Express Entry System administers the pool of candidates for three main economy class immigration programs – Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades. Those express entry candidates who get a provincial nomination from a Canadian province are given an additional 600 points in their CRS scores.

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

Alberta invited 191 candidates from the express entry pool to apply for a provincial nomination. The province of Alberta held the AINP draw on May 13. Candidates required a Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300 only in order to receive an invitation. Usually, the CRS score is fixed at 300 in most of the AINP draws. Thus, Alberta offers a good option to immigrate to Canada for candidates with low CRS scores.

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)

In May, British Columbia issued a total of 632 invitations to the BCPNP draws held between May 7 and 26. Two draws were conducted through the Tech Pilot of the BC PNP. The tech pilot helps to fulfill the demand of workers in the technology sector in the province. Around 225 candidates invited in the Tech Draw belonged to Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories. In the other two draws, invitations went to candidates through Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams of the BC PNP.

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)

Manitoba issued 222 Letters of Advice to apply for a provincial nomination in May. It invited candidates through the three major categories of MPNP:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba
Skilled Workers Overseas
International Education streams.

The MPNP was launched in April 2014. It has issued 2,030 LAA’s so far this year.

Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NSPNP)

Nova Scotia issued invitations to nurses through the Labor Market Priorities Stream of the NSPNP. It was essential for invitees to have profiles in the federal express entry system. In addition, work experience of at least three years as a nurse was mandatory.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Ontario invited 703 candidates in May to secure a provincial nomination. These invitations were issued to candidates having work experience in six occupations related to the technology sector. Candidates were issued invitations through the Express Entry aligned pathway. And the CRS scores lied between 421 and 451, which are the lowest for the OINP in the history of the program.

Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)

Prince Edward Island also held a draw on May 15 and invited only 15 candidates who had work experience from essential service industries. In the month of April as well, PEI PNP issued invitations for candidates belonging to essential services occupations only through Express Entry and Labor Impact categories.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)

On May 28, Saskatchewan issued 252 invitations through SINP to apply for a provincial nomination. SINP invited candidates through the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand subcategories of the International Skilled Worker. Thus, there have been numerous activities by the Canadian provinces in the month of May. Despite the travel restrictions, several provinces were able to conduct Provincial Nominee Draws.