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Provincial immigration has risen by a third across the board.

In what has been announced this year, the number of nominations for permanent residence allocated to each province and territory by the federal government has increased 31%, relative to the allocation announced for each nominee program at the beginning of 2025.

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ProvinceNomination allocation in 2026Nomination allocation start of 2025Percentage increase compared to last year
Ontario14,11910,75031.3
Alberta6,4034,87531.3
Manitoba6,239475031.3
British Columbia5,254400031.3
Saskatchewan4,7613,62531.3
Yukon28221531.1
Northwest Territories19715031.3

As of March 27, 2026, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island do not appear to have publicly announced their 2026 nomination allocation totals, even though some are already conducting 2026 draws. 

Should this trend continue to hold for the other nominee programs, we would expect to see the following be announced:

Province2025 nomination allocation (baseline)Assumed increaseEstimated 2026 allocation*
New Brunswick2,75031%3,603
Nova Scotia3,15031%4,127
Newfoundland and Labrador1,52531%1,998
Prince Edward Island1,02531%1,343

What this means for newcomers

The nomination allocation determines how many foreign nationals a province can nominate for permanent residence (PR) in a given year.

The higher the allocation, the more newcomers that a province or territory can put forward for Canadian PR through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in that year.

Allocated spots for nomination are different from landing targets under the government’s immigration levels plan.

A nomination takes place when a province or territory issues a certificate to a foreign national, at which point the foreign national becomes a provincial or territorial nominee.

A successful nominee must still apply to the federal government for PR.

PNP landings targets are objectives for the number of permanent residents who “land” in Canada after the success of their applications for permanent residence.

Since an application for PR is likely to take at least six months or perhaps as long as 18 or 24 months, admissions of new permanent residents under the levels plan will often lag nominations by a year or longer.

Note: Over 2025, many provinces and territories received an increase in nomination slots from the federal government. The numbers in the tables above highlight the nomination allocation at the beginning of 2025, not the final nomination allocations in 2025. 

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