This week, Canadian provinces Saskatchewan, Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba released their PNP draw results. Most Canadian provinces and territories except Quebec and Nunavut manage their PNPs. Through the PNP programs, interested applicants are invited to apply for a provincial nomination. However, a provincial nomination is not similar to a permanent residence, it can act as a first step towards attaining permanent resident status for qualifying applicants by increasing the CRS score.

For example, PNP applicants with Express Entry profiles who receive a nomination get an additional 600 points added to their score. The selected candidates also qualify to be invited to apply for a PNP-specific round of invitations. During its launch in the year 1998, the Provincial Nominee Program welcomed only 400 immigrants, however with its success, it now invites over 80,000 immigrants every year. The rise in the number of PNP admissions in the country is because the federal and provincial governments believe it to be an effective pathway to promote the economic development of Canada.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan welcomed a total of 1703 applicants over two days of draws held on September 6 and 7. This draw saw double the number of applicants as compared to the PNP draw conducted on September 1. On September 6, the province organized a targeted draw for various NOC Occupations-In-Demand and through the Express Entry system. Two draws were held in both categories, inviting 760 candidates. The Targeted NOC required a minimum score of 61 and others required a score of 69.

In the September 7 draw, 521 applicants through Express Entry and 422 through the Occupations-In-Demand stream for a total of 943 applicants with a minimum score of 70 for both categories.

These latest draws continue Saskatchewan’s trend of welcoming more applicants every week. Until July of this year, Saskatchewan held draws nearly every two months, and even before the pandemic, the total number exceeded 500 applicants per draw.

Ontario

On September 7, Ontario held a PNP draw under the Skilled Trades Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). This Canadian province invited 1521 applicants to apply with a minimum score of 320 and above. This stream is associated with Express Entry, meaning welcoming applicants receive additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points and an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence at a future draw from the Express Entry pool.

British Columbia

On September 7, British Columbia conducted a PNP draw and invited more than 369 applicants for provincial nomination. Typically, BC holds a draw every week. Most applicants are welcomed in a regional, targeted draw for tech occupations. In this regional draw, invitations were only issued to applicants with job offers outside Metro Vancouver Regional District. Applicants may also have been welcomed based on the qualifying criteria that include:

• Education level and field of education
• Duration and skill level of work experience
• Wage and/or skill level of job offer
• Intent to live, work and settle in a specific region
• Strategic priorities – factors that address specific labour market needs

The invitations were issued to applicants in the Skilled Worker and International Graduates categories and it also included Express Entry applicants. the PNP draw also involved Entry Level and Semi-Skilled applicants. The minimum SIRS score for the targeted regional draw was calculated between 95 for Skilled Workers with Express Entry to 71 for Entry Level and Semi-Skilled applicants. SIRS is similar to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), however, it is only used for evaluating British Columbia’s PNP. The province also conducted rounds of invitations for applicants working in the following occupations:

• 8 early childhood educators and assistants with scores of at least 60 points.
• Healthcare workers with scores of at least 60 points.

Manitoba 

This Canadian province held its recent Provincial Nominee Program draw on September 8 and welcomed 278 candidates through the Manitoba Provincial Nomination Program. The invitations were distributed across three immigration streams:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba welcomed 217 candidates with a minimum score of 616
• Skilled Workers Overseas welcomed 20 candidates with a minimum score of 703
• International Education Stream welcomed 41 candidates with no score requirement.