Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Overview

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PNP Overview

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is Canada’s another major pathway to become a permanent resident of Canada. Most of the Canadian provinces and territories (except Quebec and Nunavut), manage their own Provincial Nominee Program, by setting eligibility criteria as per demands of their province. They try to attract candidates based on certain factors which might include education, language skills, work experience and more.

PNPs help Canada to meet with provinces population goals, job needs or long term development plans. Once you have a province nomination through PNP, this almost guarantees a permanent residency of Canada, if you meet all other criteria set by IRCC.

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PNP vs Express Entry

Express Entry is a fully online system, managed by the federal government. It has a pool of candidates, each with a calculated Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. IRCC sends invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence, to candidates with the highest score.

PNPs, on the other hand, are run and managed by provinces. Provinces pick candidates with certain criteria like specific work experience, even with the low CRS score. Some PNP streams pick candidates from the Express Entry pool, while other PNP streams have their own pool of candidates.

Factor	PNP	Express Entry
Who selects you	Province or territory	Federal government
CRS score needed	Often lower (if nominated)	Usually higher
Speed	Varies by stream	Around 6 months
Flexibility	Must show intent to live in province	Can live anywhere in Canada

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PNP CRS Score Boost (600 Points Explained)

If you get nominated by a province, through an Express Entry PNP stream, your Express Entry profile will be awarded by an extra 600 CRS points. This almost guarantees Canadian permanent residency.

For example:

• Original CRS score: 425
• After PNP nomination: 1025
• Outcome: Very likely to receive an ITA in next Express Entry draw

This 600 points boost in the CRS score, helps candidates who are not being picked up by IRCC in regular Express Entry draws.

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Top PNP Streams in Canada

Each province has their own unique selection criteria. Here are all PNPs, sorted by popularity:

• Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
• British Columbia PNP (BCPNP)
• Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP)
• Manitoba (MPNP)
• Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
• Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
• New Brunswick (NBPNP)
• Newfoundland and Labrador (NLPNP)
• Prince Edward Island (PEIPNP)
• Yukon (YNP)
• Northwest Territories (NTNP)

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PNP Step-by-Step Process

Option 1: Express Entry PNPs

1. Create an online Express Entry profile with IRCC.
2. While creating a profile, show your interest in provinces (either all or selected ones).
3. Wait for a Notification of Interest (NOI) from a province within your Express Entry profile OR you can directly apply to a province if you are meeting their eligibility criteria.
4. If you get nominated by a province, you will get an additional 600 CRS score under your Express Entry profile.
5. Wait for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency, from IRCC.
6. Apply for permanent residence by paying the fee and submitting all required documents.
7. Wait for processing (usually 6–8 months).

Option 2: Non-Express Entry PNPs

1. You need to directly apply with the province of your choice.
2. If approved, you will get a PNP nomination certificate from the province.
3. Submit your full PR application to IRCC (recommended online for faster processing).
4. Wait for processing (usually 12–18 months).

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PNP Job Offer

Not all PNP streams require a job offer.

Some streams that don’t usually need one:

• OINP Human Capital Priorities
• SINP Occupation In-Demand
• Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities

Some streams that often require a job offer:

• OINP’s Employer Job Offer streams including Foreign Worker, International Student & In-Demand Skills
• BC PNP Skills Immigration
• Nova Scotia Occupations in Demand
• SINP’s Tech Talent Pathway

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PNP vs Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a federal program run by IRCC, and only designed for 4 Atlantic provinces i.e. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Feature	PNP	AIP
Who nominates	Province or territory	Atlantic employer
Job offer needed	Sometimes	Always
Express Entry linked	Some streams	No
Focus	Province-specific goals	Employer-driven, fast processing
Intent to stay required	Yes	Yes

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PNP Fees by Province

Each province sets their own PNP application fee. Here is the general overview:

Province	Fee (CAD)
Alberta	$1,500
British Columbia	$1,475
Manitoba	$500
New Brunswick	$250
Newfoundland & Labrador	Usually No fee
Northwest Territories	Usually No fee
Nova Scotia	Usually No fee
Ontario	$1,500
PEI	$300
Saskatchewan	$500
Yukon	Usually No fee

Once nominated by a province, you also need to pay IRCC’s permanent residence fee, while submitting full PR applications.

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PNP Funds Requirements

Most provinces ask PNP candidates to show proof of enough funds to settle in the province, if they got nominated by province. For Express Entry aligned PNP streams, IRCC’s proof of funds requirement apply.

Usually there are some scenarios where proof of funds are not required, if you are:

• Already legally working in Canada OR
• You have a valid job offer in Canada (or the province you are applying)

How much funds are required is calculated based on your family size (same as of Express Entry).

Number of family members	Funds you need (in Canadian dollar)
1	$14,690
2	$18,288
3	$22,483
4	$27,297
5	$30,690
6	$34,917
7	$38,875
Each additional member, if more than 7	Add $3,958

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PNP Family Sponsorship

While submitting your full application to the province for PNP nomination, you have to include details of all family members including spouse or common-law partner and dependent children, whether they are coming to Canada or not. Even if they are not coming to Canada, you would still be able to sponsor them later, if you have listed them within your application.

Though you need to include details of your family members, only the principal applicant will receive a nomination certificate from the province.

Once you have a nomination certificate from the province, you can apply for permanent residency with IRCC, for all family members. If you all met eligibility criteria, IRCC will grant permanent residency to all your family members listed on the application.

Important: You need to show additional proof of funds for each family member added to the application, regardless if they are coming to Canada or not.

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PNP Past and Future Quota Provinces

IRCC sets an allocation quota for provinces and territories, to nominate candidates through PNP streams. With new immigration plans, IRCC has cut the PNP allocation quota of each province by almost 50%. Candidates now can expect less PNP draws from provinces.

Province	2024	2025 Quota
Ontario	21,500	~10,750
Alberta	9,942	4,875
British Columbia	~8,000	4,000
Manitoba	9,500	4,750
Saskatchewan	7,250	3,625

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PNP Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply to multiple provinces at a time?
You can only apply with multiple provinces to get an invitation of nomination. Once you get an invitation from a province (or from multiple provinces), you only need to submit a full PNP application to one province only. If you try to submit a full application to multiple provinces, it will likely affect your PR application with IRCC.

Can I change my province after getting a nomination from a province?
It is recommended to not change your province right away. This can potentially affect your PR application when you apply with a PNP nomination certificate, because most provinces ask for “Intent to Reside” in the province, and if you change right away after getting PNP nomination, it might be treated as misrepresentation by IRCC.nces expect you to settle there. Changing provinces right away can be seen as misrepresentation.

Can I move to another province after getting PR through PNP?
As a permanent resident of Canada, you have the right to live and work anywhere in Canada. But there should be a solid reason why you are moving your province. IRCC can question you in future while renewing your PR or citizenship application. So it is always recommended to change your province at least after 1-2 years, after getting PR with a PNP nomination.

Can I apply for PNP from outside Canada?
Yes. There are many PNP streams from different provinces which have eligibility criteria for people living outside Canada. If you have work experience in some high demand occupation in Canada, there should be a PNP stream waiting for you. Usually provinces have more allocated quota for inside Canada applicants and less quota to invite people from outside Canada.