Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba, and BC hold PNP immigration draws this week

Results for the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and British Columbia have been made public this week.

With the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, the majority of Canadian provinces and territories run their own PNPs. Through these programs, interested candidates may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Provincial nomination can serve as the first step in obtaining permanent resident status for qualified candidates by increasing your CRS score, even though it is not the same as a permanent residence in and of itself.

For instance, candidates for the PNP with Express Entry profiles who are nominated will see their score increase by 600 points. They also become qualified to be invited to submit an application for a round of invites exclusive to the PNP. The PNP initially only accepted 400 immigrants after it launched in 1998, but thanks to its success, it now accepts more than 80,000 immigrants annually. The surge in PNP admissions in Canada is attributable to the fact that both the federal and provincial

governments see it as a useful tool for advancing the nation's economic development.

Saskatchewan invited a total of 1,703 applicants over two days on September 6 and 7, more than doubling the number of applicants invited on the largest draw of 2022 on September 1's previous day.

On September 6, Saskatchewan held targeted draws using the Express Entry system for a number of in-demand NOC occupations. Due to various minimum scores, there were two draws in each category, totaling 760 contestants. Some targeted NOCs required minimum scores of 61 and others needed a score of 69.

The September 7 draw welcomed 521 candidates through Express Entry and 422 through the Occupations-In-Demand stream for a total of 943 candidates with a minimum score of 70 for both categories.

Saskatchewan's practice of inviting more candidates each week is continued with these most recent draws. Up until July of this year, Saskatchewan held draws roughly every two months, and even before the pandemic, the number of applicants per draw hardly ever exceeded 500.

On September 7, Ontario held a draw for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program's Skilled Trades Stream (OINP). The province invited 1,521 candidates to apply with minimum scores of 320 and above. Due to the alignment of this stream with Express Entry, selected applicants will be given more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence at a later draw from the Express Entry pool.

British Columbia

On September 7, more than 369 candidates were asked by British Columbia to submit applications for provincial nomination. Weekly provincial nomination draws are customary in BC.

The majority of applicants—361—were invited to a targeted regional draw for IT positions. Invitations to this regional draw were only extended to applicants who have received job offers outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. Additionally, candidates can have been invited based on additional standards like:

- Education: level, subject area, and location of completion

- language proficiency

- Occupation

- length of employment and level of expertise

- Occupational pay and/or skill level offered

- want to work, live, and establish oneself in a particular area

Strategic priorities: elements that support government pilot programs and initiatives or specifically meet BC's labor market needs. Candidates in the categories of International Graduates and Skilled Workers received invitations, including Express entry candidates.

- With scores of at least 60, 8 early childhood educators and helpers (NOC 4214).

- healthcare professionals who have at least a 60-point score.

On September 8, Manitoba held its most recent Provincial Nomination Program draw and sent out 278 invitations.

Three different immigration streams received invitations:

- 217 invites were sent out by Manitoba's Skilled Workers, with a minimum score of 616.

- 20 invites were sent out by Skilled Workers Overseas, with a minimum score of 703.

- 41 invitations were sent out by the International Education Stream without a scoring requirement. Out of the total number of applicants invited, 79 had profiles in the Express Entry database.