Provincial Nominee Program
Provincial Nominee Program
One of the goals of Canadian immigration is to help Canadian economy. Hence, in addition to Federal immigration programs like Express Entry, Canadian provinces have the right of creating programs to attract individuals whose skills are in need in the given province.
The way it works is that an individual applies for a provincial nominee program in addition to Express Entry. The Express Entry system assesses individual’s skills and qualifications and assigns points. Those who meet minimum points end up in the Express Entry pool. Every couple of weeks Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada conduct a draw. It means they choose a number of applications with the highest points and process them for permanent residence. Those applications can still be rejected, but they give in-Canada applicants a chance to apply to stay in Canada if their permit is about to expire.
The points fluctuate throughout the year, but they tend to go up, and the programs gets more and more competitive every year. So, even an individual with a university degree, good English, and one year of work experience might not get selected to apply.
However, if the individual is selected by the province, they become a provincial nominee, and get additional points for their express Entry profile. A provincial nominee certificate holder will have so many additional points, that the application will most definitely be pulled for processing under Express Entry.
The benefit to being a provincial nominee is that it can help individuals whose have in-demand skills, but points are not competitive, and it will take them a lot of time and money to improve their Express Entry score.
Provincial Nominee Program
If you’re wondering how to get Canadian provincial nomination certificate, this overview is a good starting point. While every provincial program is different and they get constantly updated based on the labor market demand in the province, they mostly rely on two factors: skills and experience that are in demand in the province, and individual’s connections to the province. Many programs, such as
Alberta provincial nomination program, as well as programs in BC, PEI and Ontario, give special considerations to individuals who worked or studied in those provinces, or have other connections that will demonstrate that the individual will not move elsewhere the moment they get their PR approved. Other provinces focus solely on your skills. Some provinces also require less work experience than, for example, the Federal Skilled Trades Stream of Express Entry. Some provinces even offer programs for individuals who are entrepreneurs and willing to invest in the province’s economy and start a business there.
So overall, if you already study, live in or have connections to a certain province, check their provincial nominee program to see if you could increase your chances of becoming a permanent resident.
If you’re outside of Canada, check out different provincial programs, paying especial attention to provinces that do not normally attract many immigrants, like ON, QC and BC do. For example, you can apply for provincial nomination program in Manitoba and the Atlantic Provinces. Remember that the expectation is that you will stay in the province after you become an immigrant, even though immigration cannot prevent you from moving. At this point, it’s good to retain a lawyer or a registered immigration consultant to get help with your provincial nomination application. Since provincial programs change frequently, you may need the extra help to submit your application without delays and to make sure it is complete. Finding a reliable immigration consultant can be difficult, especially when you’re not in Canada. So make sure they have an active license by looking them up in the consultants’ registry, ask your friends for recommendations, and read online testimonials to get a sense of their work. However, if you’d like to work on your provincial nomination Canada application without any help, you can definitely do so. Check the provincial nominee programs of different provinces to see if any of them would be a good fit for you.
Regards
SmartImmigrant (Provincial Nominee Program)
