Prince Edward Island invites Express Entry candidates in new draw

The province of Prince Edward Island invited 113 candidates in its Express Entry, Labour Impact and Business Impact immigration categories in a new draw held June 20.

Prince Edward Island, or PEI, holds monthly invitation rounds for immigration candidates who meet labour market needs in the province.

Candidates who receive an invitation through PEI's Express Entry or Labour Impact categories can apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

The vast majority of invitations issued on June 20 — 106 — went to candidates in these two categories.

PEI's Express Entry Stream is linked to the federal Express Entry system, which is Canada's principal source of skilled foreign labour.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their ranking score, which effectively guarantees an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence from Canada's federal government.

To be considered for a provincial nomination through either category, the first step is to register an Expression of Interest, or EOI, with PEI's immigrant nominee program, the PEI PNP.

EOIs are given a score out of 100 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.

Business Impact: Work Permit Stream invitations

A total of seven invitations were also issued to candidates in PEI's Business Impact: Work Permit Stream.

This 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.

Business Impact candidates invited through PEI's Work Permit Stream can seek approval for their business proposal.

Those approved receive a letter of support from PEI and can apply for a temporary work permit from Canada's federal government.

The Work Permit Stream also operates on an EOI basis and the lowest-ranked candidate in the March 21 draw had a score of 112.

The PEI PNP is one of the most active in Canada and helped the province achieve a population growth rate of 1.8 per cent in 2018 — tying Ontario for the highest population growth rate in the country.

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