Ontario holds second PNP draw in two days

Ontario held a new draw on March 3, inviting French-speaking Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited 126 candidates through the French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) stream. Invited candidates needed to have a profile in the Express Entry system with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 455 and 467.

The province drew from the Express Entry pool of candidates who had created profiles between March 3, 2020, and March 3, 2021.

Invited candidates now have 45 calendar days to send in their application for a provincial nomination from Ontario.

This draw was slightly smaller than the previous FSSW draw on January 13, when the province issued 146 invitations. The new draw brings the total number of invited candidates to 271 in 2021.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration

Check if you're eligible for the program

The first step after receiving an invitation is to check your eligibility, as receiving an invitation does not guarantee that you will be nominated.

Generally speaking, you need to meet the eligibility requirements of the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Worker Program in order to get the nomination. The specific eligibility requirements will depend on whichever program the OINP assesses you against.

You will also need a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of at least 7 in French, and 6 in English. Among other eligibility criteria, the OINP will also want you to demonstrate that you have enough funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario.

What is the benefit of having a PNP?

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow Canadian provinces to invite immigration candidates who may be a good match for their regional labour markets. A recent study suggested that PNPs maybe somewhat responsible for the improved labour market performance of new immigrants.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are effectively guaranteed to get an Invitation to Apply for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent draw at the federal level. With a provincial nomination, candidates get an automatic reward of 600 CRS points. More than enough to receive an ITA in the average all-program Express Entry draw, or a PNP-only draw.

What is Express Entry?

Canada's Express Entry system is not an immigration program, but an application management system for three Federal High Skilled programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Eligible foreign nationals who want to immigrate to Canada can enter their profile into the Express Entry system for a chance to get Canadian permanent residence. Their profiles are ranked based on the Comprehensive Ranking System out of a possible 1,200 points. The majority of candidates fall between 300 and 500 points.

Points are based on human capital factors like age, skilled work experience, education, language ability in English or French, among other factors. Self-employed work does not count as "skilled" work experience.

The highest scoring candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry draws.

In the previous Express Entry draw on February 13, Canada invited every single candidate in the pool who was eligible for the Canadian Experience Class.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration