Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia invite immigration candidates through provincial programs

Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have issued invitations to apply to candidates through provincial immigration programs this week.

Most Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut) operate their own Provincial Nomination Programs. Through these programs, interested candidates may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

Quebec’s immigration programs are administered by the province and are distinct from Canada’s immigration programs.

The PNP has grown significantly since its launch in 1998 and now accounts for over 80,000 PR admissions per year. The increase in the number of PNP admissions in Canada is because the federal and provincial governments consider it a useful tool to promote the economic development of the country and fill provincial labour shortages.

Although provincial nomination is not in itself the same as a permanent residence, it can act as a starting point toward gaining permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Provincial immigration results September between 16- 23

Ontario

On September 20, Ontario issued invitations to apply to 823 candidates in the Masters Graduate stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Candidates required a minimum score of 33 or higher to be eligible.

Additionally, candidates in this stream must meet a baseline of eligibility criteria such as the following:

Must have a masters degree from an eligible university in Ontario.
Language requirement: CLB level 7 or higher (English or French)
Must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years

Ontario has the largest allocation of invitations to apply available under any PNP in Canada. For 2022, Ontario is able to issue invitations to 9,750 candidates. It is Canada’s most populous province and welcomes the highest number of newcomers each year.

Quebec

Quebec invited 1,202 skilled workers to apply for permanent selection on September 8, 2022. This is the tenth, and largest, draw in the Arrima Expression of Interest system in 2022. Quebec does not typically release draw results until one to two weeks after draws occur.

The invitations were issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) to immigration candidates applying under the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

Candidates had to have profiles in the Arrima Expression of Interest system with scores of at least 620 points.

Successful, candidates will get a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ or Quebec Selection Certificate) and can then use it to apply to the federal government for permanent residence.

British Columbia

BC typically holds a provincial nomination draw each week and more than 352 candidates were invited to apply for provincial nomination in British Columbia on September 21

The province invited 341 candidates in a draw targeted for tech occupations. The invitations were issued to candidates in the Skilled Worker and International Graduates categories and included Express Entry candidates. The draw also included Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates.

The minimum SIRS score for the targeted regional draw ranged between 91 for Skilled Workers with Express Entry to 70 for Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates.

The province also held rounds of invitations for candidates working in the following occupations.