Provincial Nominee Programs

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)

Streams include:

• NB Skilled Worker Stream
• NB Express Entry Stream
• NB Business Immigration stream

Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)

Streams include:

• Prince Edward Island Express Entry Stream
• Prince Edward Island Critical Workers Stream
• Skilled Worker in Prince Edward Island Stream
• Skilled Workers Outside Canada Stream
• The Atlantic Immigration Pilot
• International Graduate Stream
• Business Start-Up and Entrepreneurship

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)

Streams include:

• Express Entry Skilled Worker
• Skilled Worker
• International Graduate
• International Entrepreneur Category
• International Graduate Entrepreneur Category

Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)

Streams include:

• Business Stream
• Employer-Driven Stream
• Express Entry Stream

Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)

Streams include:

• Yukon Skilled Worker
• Yukon Express Entry
• Yukon Critical Impact Worker
• Yukon Business Nominee
• Yukon Community Pilot

In January 2015, Canada introduced the Express Entry system as a better way to help manage permanent resident applications. Currently, many PNP streams use Express Entry as their nomination programs, particularly for streams targeted at skilled workers with university or college degrees who are also moderately proficient in English and/or French languages. Some of these Express Entry programs include the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Those who are applying a PNP stream aligned with the Express Entry system will need to do the following in order to begin their application:

1. Research available PNP express entry streams in which the applicant meets the eligibility requirements
2. Gather the required documents
3. Create an EE profile online
4. Receive a nomination to apply for Canadian permanent residence (if approved).

When creating an online profile, the applicant will need to submit the necessary information about themselves, their skills, background, education, and work experience. This information will be used to assign the applicant points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS is a point-based system used to help assign value to applicants. Candidates with the highest scores in their EE profile in the candidate pool will most likely be chosen to receive PNP nominations for Canadian permanent residency.

Those who are invited to apply have 60 days to submit their application to the federal government along with the necessary supporting documents. Permanent residence applications are usually processed by the Canadian government within 6 months or less.

British citizens applying for a PNP stream aligned with Express Entry will need to gather the following documents in order to set up their online profile:

• A valid passport or travel document
• Language test results
• Proof of Canadian education or an educational credential assessment report (this is needed if you are applying through the Federal Skilled Workers Program or if you would like to get points for the education you got outside Canada)
• A certificate of nomination from a PNP (if you have already received one)
• A written valid job offer from a Canadian employer (if you already have one)
• Proof of sufficient funds for travel and resettlement

Certain documents will need to be submitted at different stages of the application process. Some documents will not need to be immediately uploaded to the online profile until much later but the applicant will still need the information contained in these documents.

If an Express Entry candidate is successful and receives a permanent residency nomination from a PNP program, the nominee will then need to upload all of the supporting documents to their Express Entry profile. In addition, they will also need to upload the following supporting documents:

• Police certificates
• Medical exams
• Proof of settlement funds
• Birth certificate (this is required if you are declaring dependent children)
• Use of a Representative Form (this is required if you have hired a representative to help with your application)
• Common-law union form (this is required if you have declared your marital status as “common-law”
• Marriage certificate (if you are married)
• Divorce certificate and legal separation agreement (if you are divorced)
• Spouse’s death certificate (if you declared your marital status as “widowed”)
• Adoption certificate (if you have dependent children who are adopted)

To help strengthen the permanent residency application, the applicant may also include the following supporting documents to their Express Entry profile:

• Proof of relationship to any Canadian citizen family members (if applicable)
• Digital photos to confirm your identity
• Any other name you may have had in the past (to confirm aliases)
• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual Form
• Any other documents that you feel are important to your application

Individuals who received a nomination but did not apply through an Express Entry aligned PNP stream will have to apply for permanent residency via a paper-based application process. Instead of applying online for permanent resident status, nominees will instead send off their paper-based application by mail to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Further instructions on how to do this along with the necessary forms and documents to be included in the application will be communicated to the applicant in the application package that they receive when they are given their certificate of nomination.

Although the paper application must be submitted by mail to the IRCC, any fees associated with the application will need to be paid online. In addition to the payment of fees, the applicant will also need to schedule an appointment for the collection of biometric information such as fingerprints and a photo. After the fees are paid and biometrics are submitted, the application will then be transferred to the Centralized Intake Office in Canada where they will process the application. If the nominee is approved for Canadian permanent residency, their case will then be transferred to the nominee’s local visa office abroad.

Foreign nationals looking to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents will need to meet certain language proficiency requirements in English, French, or both.

The exact requirements regarding what language and what degrees of proficiency must be achieved will be specific to each Provincial Nominee Program. For example, PNPs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program or National Occupation Classification (NOC) require the applicant to undergo mandatory testing and achieve a certain score in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) system.

Language abilities such as reading, writing, speaking ability, and listening comprehension will be tested in both English and French.

It should be noted that all applicants applying for permanent residence will need to include a copy of their language results in their application submission to the IRCC (if applying by a paper-based application) or include their language test results in their online Express Entry profile.