New PEI draw more than doubles number of immigration candidates invited last month

The province of Prince Edward Island has invited 199 economic immigration candidates to apply in a draw held February 21.

The invitations more than doubled the 91 issued in the province's January draw.

A total of 170 candidates in Prince Edward Island (PEI)'s Express Entry and Labour Impact categories received invitations in the February 21 draw.

PEI's provincial nominee program, the PEI PNP, did not disclose how many Express Entry candidates were invited to apply.

Another 29 entrepreneur candidates were invited through PEI's Business Impact: Work Permit Stream.

The PEI PNP is a component of Canada's Provincial Nominee Program, which allows participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for permanent residence each year.

The PEI PNP has an Express Entry category that is aligned with the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada's main economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool

Express Entry candidates who would like to be considered for a provincial nomination from PEI must first complete a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the PEI PNP.

These profiles are given a score based on factors such as education, work experience and proficiency in English or French and the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through monthly draws.

Express Entry candidates who obtain a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry ranking score.

PEI welcomes EOIs from candidates in the federal Express Entry pool who do not have a job offer in the province. However, those living and working in PEI have been prioritized.

The PEI PNP’s Labour Impact Category is not aligned with the Express Entry system and is divided into three EOI-based streams — Skilled Workers (in PEI and outside Canada), International Graduates and Critical Workers.

Candidates for these streams must be working in PEI or have an eligible full-time, long-term job offer from an employer in the province, among other criteria.

PEI's Work Permit business stream is for eligible foreign entrepreneurs with business ownership or eligible management experience who would like to invest in and run a business in PEI.

The Work Permit stream also operates on an EOI basis and the lowest-ranked candidate in the February 21 draw had a score of 117.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration