Ontario and British Columbia invite candidates to apply for provincial nomination

Two provinces have invited candidates in the latest round of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws.

All Canadian provinces and territories (except Nunavut and Quebec) have PNPs to allow provincial governments to select immigration candidates that will successfully integrate into the local economy and fill gaps in the labour force.

When a province nominates a candidate, the candidate then has a much stronger application when they apply to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Not all PNPs are operated the same way. For example, Alberta recently developed new guidelines for the Alberta Opportunity Steam, the Rural Renewal Stream, and the Accelerated Tech Pathway. The province sets a deadline to accept a specific number of applications by a certain date each month to allow for more efficient processing.

The latest results show that as of July 9, application targets have been met for Rural Renewal Stream (160 applications) and the Tourism and Hospitality Stream (143 applications).

As of July 11, the province also hit its application target for the Alberta Opportunity Stream (444 applications).

Provincial immigration results July 6-12

Ontario

On July 9 Ontario issued 1,556 invitations to candidates in the Masters Graduate Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Candidates needed a minimum score of 54. It was a general draw, meaning all occupations were considered.

The same day the province also invited 110 candidates from the PhD Graduate Stream with a minimum score of 50. It was a general draw as well.

Another OINP draw took place on July 11, inviting 1277 candidates in the Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream. All candidates had a minimum score in the range of 408-435. The draw targeted candidates in specific skilled trades occupations.

When an Express Entry candidate is nominated by a province, they receive an additional 600 points in the federal Comprehensive Ranking System, meaning they are virtually guaranteed to receive an Invitation to Apply from IRCC in an upcoming Express Entry draw.

British Columbia

On July 9 British Columbia invited candidates more than 66 candidates in five draws for candidates in the Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled streams of the BCPNP.

The largest draw was general (meaning no occupations were targeted) for candidates in all streams. All candidates needed a minimum score of 134 except Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled candidates who required a score of 110 to be considered.

The remaining four draws targeted candidates in specific occupations and considered only Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates.