Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry)

Most provinces and territories have agreements in place with the Government of Canada that allows them to nominate and select immigrants based on their own criteria. Each province and territory has their own selection criteria and programs. There are two types of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications: Express Entry or Non-Express Entry.  

Each province and territory has their own selection criteria on which they assess potential immigrants that are in the Express Entry pool. To be selected as a Provincial Nominee under the Express Entry system, a foreign national must: 

1. Qualify under one of the three Federal economic program: Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program;
2. Complete an Express Entry profile and indicate in which province or territory they are interested in immigrating to; and 
3. If invited for nomination by a province or territory, they must submit the required paperwork to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) office that extended the invitation.

Once the PNP application has been processed and approved, the foreign national will be provided with a nomination certificate. The nomination certificate provides the foreign national with an additional 600 points to under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) matrix, which will therefore increase one’s chances of being selected from the pool of applicants.