Canada PNP Monthly Roundup: July 2023

PNPs play an essential role in Canadian immigration by allowing each province or territory to nominate individuals they would like to immigrate to their respective territory or province. Here is our roundup of all the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw results for the month of July 2023.

What Are Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)?

Provincial Nominee Programs allow each Canadian province to set their own requirements for their different immigration streams. Each Canadian province, except Quebec and Nunavut, has different nominee programs that operate in different ways. Many have programs that target international graduates, businesspeople, or in-demand work experience. Other targeted factors often depend on the labour market or demographic gaps in the province. For example, Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream targets skilled workers with a strong proficiency in French to help increase their Francophone population.

Immigration through a Provincial Nominee Program makes up a large portion of Canada’s total economic immigration. Of a quarter of a million economic immigrants targeted for 2022, about 83,500 are reserved for those applying under a Provincial Nominee Program.

How Do Provincial Nominee Programs Operate?

Many Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) hold draws in which they invite candidates to apply to be nominated for Canadian permanent residence. Some PNPs require candidates to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile to be considered in these draws. Other programs invite candidates directly from the Express Entry pool that haven’t even applied for consideration.

Alberta

Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Alberta Express Entry stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. This stream is aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration system. In order to be eligible for the stream, a candidate must have an active profile in one of the following three Express Entry programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), or
• Federal Skilled Trades (FST), or
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The program is by invitation only and foreign nationals cannot apply to the program directly. All candidates in the Express Entry pool are automatically considered for the program when they submit their Express Entry profile. The province will send a notification directly to the Express Entry accounts of those candidates it invites to apply.

While the exact selection criteria are unknown, AINP states that it will seek candidates who demonstrate strong ties to Alberta and who can support regional economic development and diversification.

July 2023 Draws:

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) held three Express Entry stream draws this month.

The AAIP issued a total of 1,091 invitations to apply for nomination this month. The lowest-ranking candidate had a CRS score of 302. Draws had a wide range of parameters which included requiring a job offer, Designated Healthcare Pathway candidates, and targeted those with a job offer in the province.

Here are all of the recent draws for the AAIP:

British Columbia

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), is a collection of immigration pathways enabling foreign nationals to become Canadian Permanent Residents in BC. The PNP is strategically designed to attract immigrants in areas which will benefit the province: skilled workers, workers in sectors with labour shortages, entrepreneurs, and investors. The province operates several immigration streams divided into two categories:

• British Columbia Skills Immigration
• British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

July 2023 Draws:

The British Columbia Nominee Program (BCPNP) held a total of 15 nominee draws this month, 13 of which targeted a set of in-demand occupations such as healthcare workers, early childhood educators and assistants and tech occupations.

British Columbia issued more than 734 invitations in Expression of Interest (EOI) draws in July.

A majority of the BCPNP’s nominee draws this month targeted certain in-demand occupations, including:

• Early Childhood Educators and Assistants (NOC 42202)
• Healthcare workers (in 35 healthcare-related occupations)
• Other priority occupations including NOCs 31103, 32104)
• BCPNP tech occupations

Manitoba

Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas includes the following streams:

• Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas Stream
• Manitoba Express Entry Pathway
• Manitoba Human Capital Pathway

Applicants who are successful through any of these Manitoba streams will receive an official provincial nomination from Manitoba. This provincial nomination makes applicants eligible to apply for Canadian permanent resident status.

In order to be eligible for all three streams included in the Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas category, candidates must score a minimum of 60 points on the MPNP Points Assessment Grid.

July 2023 Draws:

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) issued a total of 1,765 invitations through four nominee draws this month.

Manitoba’s draws invited candidates eligible under three nominee streams:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba;
• Skilled Workers Overseas; and
• International Education

This includes a special Ukrainian draw for those affected by the war in Ukraine. A total of 21 Letters of Advice to Apply were issued for this type this month. Expressions of Interest have only been considered for candidates that:

• are a citizen of Ukraine
• have a minimum of CLB 4 in each language band
• have a valid language test
• score at least 60 points according to MPNP assessment criteria

Ontario

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), is a collection of immigration pathways enabling foreign nationals to become Canadian permanent residents. The PNP is strategically designed to attract immigrants in areas which will benefit the province: skilled workers, workers in sectors with labour shortages, entrepreneurs, and investors. The province operates several immigration streams divided into three categories:

• Ontario Human Capital
• Ontario Employer Job Offer
• Ontario Entrepreneur

July 2023 Draws:

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates under four separate draws this month, and invited a total of 1,904 candidates through the following streams:

• Human Capital Priorities stream: Two draws on July 20th invited a total of 1,061 candidates with a CRS range of 458-462. Draws targeted both healthcare and tech workers.
• Human Capital Priorities stream: Draw on July 6th invited 748 candidates with a CRS range of 479-485.
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream: Draw on July 25th invited 95 candidates with a CRS range of 321-374 in a general draw.

To date as of the end of July 2023:

• Human Capital Priorities stream – 9,560
• French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream – 1,127
• Skilled Trades stream – 4,668

Prince Edward Island

The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), is a collection of immigration pathways that target immigrants with business acumen, skilled workers, and young graduates who are fresh from post-secondary education.

The PEI PNP gives prospective newcomers the chance to receive a provincial nomination through one of its many immigration streams, which may fast-track their path to Canadian permanent residence. The province operates several immigration streams divided into three categories:

• PEI Express Entry
• PEI Labour Impact
• PEI Business Impact

July 2023 Draws:

The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) held one nominee draws this month.

The PEI PNP issued a total of 97 invitations through the Express Entry & Labour streams. Invitations to Apply under the Critical Worker Stream for the July 20, 2023 draw were issued to individuals working for a PEI Employer with a minimum EOI score of 50.

An additional 9 candidates were invited under the Business Work Permit Entrepreneur stream.

Quebec

Quebec operates a number of different immigration programs enabling eligible candidates to secure Canadian permanent residence. The federal government has granted the province of Quebec significantly more autonomy in immigration policies and procedures, which is why Quebec’s immigration programs are often treated separately from other provinces.

July 2023 Draw:

There was one draw held this month to apply for Quebec permanent selection. A total of 1633 persons were invited to apply. Applicants had a score equal to or higher than 596.

• They had a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes (PDF 1.88 Mb) (Québec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent;
• they had a score (PDF 290 Kb) equal to or greater than 596 points.

How Can I Increase My Chances of Receiving a Nomination?

Just by submitting an Express Entry profile, you can increase your chances of receiving a provincial nomination. Provinces frequently scan the Express Entry pool and invite profiles that help respond to labour or demographic gaps. Ensuring your profile is strong and indicates your interest in multiple provinces can also help increase your chances of being invited through an Express Entry PNP.

Since many PNPs require candidates to have a connection to the province, studying or working in Canada can also help to increase your chances.

What Is The Ideal PNP Candidate?

The ideal PNP candidate is one that has work experience and skills that help a province respond to the labour market or demographic needs. Other factors that may increase one’s chances include:

• Strong ties to the host province (ex. previous work experience, job offer, previous studies, family)
• Work experience in an in-demand occupation
• Strong English proficiency
• Proficiency in French

Interested in learning more about your options to immigrate to Canada through a Provincial Nominee Program or any other immigration program? Complete our free online assessment form today!