Provincial Nominee
Province-backed permanent residence streams that nominate skilled workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs based on local labour market needs. A direct pathway when Express Entry draws are too high.
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Province-backed permanent residence streams nominate individuals for permanent residence based on their local economic and labour market needs. Each province and territory operates its own immigration streams and selection criteria, which may target skilled workers, international graduates, entrepreneurs, or individuals with experience in specific occupations.
Each province in Canada has its own provincial nominee program that operates separately from the federal Express Entry program. Some streams are linked with Express Entry and allow applicants to gain an additional 600 CRS points, effectively increasing chances to receive an invitation to apply.
PNPs offer an opportunity to transition to permanent residence when Express Entry is not feasible due to CRS scoring criteria. The trade-offs are geography and process: you must intend to live in the nominating province, and the processing time of a PR application takes more than 12 months.
Who is it for?
For skilled workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs whose profile matches a specific province's needs, and who are willing to settle there.
Especially applicable to individuals who are not generating a competitive score in Express Entry.
What are the requirements
Ensure Stream Eligibility
Each PNP stream has its own requirements. Whether a skilled worker, a university graduate, or an entrepreneur, make sure to check the specific requirements of each stream.
Language Tests
IRCC only accepts CELPIP, IELTS and PTE for English, and TCF and TEF for French. The general standard is CLB 7 in each category, however specific language benchmarks vary depending on the stream of the program.
Education Credentials
Non-Canadian education credentials must be evaluated with an IRCC-approved organization. The general rule is to evaluate the highest completed education credential, including high school if there is no post-secondary education.
Admissibility
Medical, security, and background admissibility requirements must be met for permanent residence.
Visa Timeline
Concord Processing Time
Premium Processing Time
Standard Processing Time
Profile created for the selected provincial stream.
5 business days from receipt of mandatory information and documents
Dependent on the provincial draws.
Varies
Nomination application prepared and submitted to the province.
5-10 business days upon receipt of all documents and information
12-24 months
12-24 months
Highly dependent on the stream, provincial processing times, and federal IRCC processing times. Concord maintains a 5-10 business day submission standard once all mandatory information and documents are received.
The Concord difference:
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