Prince Edward Island issued invitations to immigration candidates in a draw held January 16.

This is PEI’s first draw of the year. The PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) issued a total of 123 invitations to candidates in the Express Entry, Labour Impact, and Business Impact categories.

The 110 candidates invited through the Express Entry and Labour Impact categories can now apply for a nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

PEI’s Express Entry Category is linked to 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.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their federal ranking score. These points effectively guarantee an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence from the Government of Canada in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

In order to be considered for a nomination, Express Entry candidates must submit a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) to the PEI PNP.

EOI profiles are awarded a score based on PEI’s unique points grid and the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply through monthly draws.

The PEI PNP did not provide a breakdown of how many Express Entry candidates were invited or the minimum EOI score required.

An unspecified number of Labour Impact Category candidates were also invited in the January 16 draw.

The Labour Impact Category is for foreign nationals with a valid job offer in the province and support from a PEI employer and is divided into three streams: Skilled Worker, Critical Worker and International Graduate.

Submitting an EOI profile is also required in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Labour Impact Category.

Another 13 invitations were issued to candidates with an EOI profile in PEI’s Business Impact: Work Permit Stream.

Those invited had a minimum EOI score of 125.

The Work Permit Stream is for individuals who are interested in owning and operating a business on PEI.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

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