The Provincial Nominee Programs of Canada—a federal immigration program that permits Canadian citizens to live and work in Canada by sponsoring skilled workers from other countries—will be a vital pathway for applicants to apply for and obtain the Canada PR in 2023. Most Canadian provinces run a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in coordination with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Every year, the federal government provides a nomination quota for each province and territory in Canada. The nomination quota assesses and nominates skilled and talented people for Canadian PR (Permanent Resident) visas. A nomination received from a PNP makes it relatively easy for applicants to get a PR visa in Canada.
Top Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in 2023
In 2023, the PNP has a target of admitting 105,500 permanent residents. In fact, this target is higher than the annual Target of the federal Express Entry System (82,880) for the year 2023. Here are the essential Permanent Residence Program (PR) applicants who will be vital to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada:
1. Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
Ontario is a central Canadian province in every aspect. In the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), i.e., the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), skilled and talented candidates are nominated every year and invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through key OINP streams, including Express Entry – Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream; the French-speaking Skilled Worker Stream; and the Above three streams together have invited over 11,961 applicants to apply for a provincial nomination in 2022.
2. Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
Saskatchewan PNP has its own point system through which it assesses applicants and subsequently nominates them for Canadian PR visas. The ISW category is the most active immigration category, with key subcategories including OID (Occupation in Demand), Express Entry, and the OID stream that require CLB 4 language proficiency in English or French, and a score of 140 points or higher.
3. Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP)
Alberta PNP has invited candidates even with an extremely low Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, i.e. as low as just 300 CRS points. If you have a very low CRS score in Express Entry, this is the best Provincial Nominee Program for you to apply for. However, it is not clear what Alberta means by “extremely low CRS score,” so candidates are waiting eagerly for the next AAIP invitation round.
4. Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
Manitoba consistently opens draws for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) and invites candidates through its key immigration streams. The most popular MPNP streams are the Skilled Worker Overseas stream and the Manitoba Experience Class stream. The MPNP held its last draw on 1 December, issuing 305 Letters of Advice (LAAs) to apply for provincial nomination.
5. Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
Nova Scotia is one of the key provinces for the Canadian Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which invites skilled and talented people from overseas and nominates them for permanent residence (PR) visas. The Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program held its last draw on 7 November 2022 to invite candidates under its key immigration stream, i.e., the Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream.
