In the past two weeks, provinces have invited people to immigrate through their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs): Ontario, British Columbia (B.C.), Prince Edward Island (PEI), and Manitoba. Quebec also released the results of two rounds of invitations it had sent out through its provincial immigration system since February 17.
Local governments run PNPs in all but two of Canada’s provinces and territories* in an effort to draw in foreign people who are most qualified to assist their area in meeting the demands of its labor force and demography.
Results of provincial immigration between February 17 and March 1.
The Ontario
Candidates who met the requirements for the province’s PNP’s Skilled Trades stream were sent 2,583 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) on March 1. The stream’s name implies that candidates in certain skilled trade vocations are the focus of Ontario’s March 1 draw. In Ontario’s March 1 draw, every candidate who was granted a notice of intent (NOI) had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 350 and 424.
British Columbia
Since February 16, 2024, British Columbia has held a number of provincial immigration draws.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) held two draws on February 21st, one for general nomination and another for a series of draws for various occupational categories under its Skilled Worker, International Graduate stream (which includes the Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option). The following are the outcomes of the February 21 BCPNP draws:
All Draw
69 invites were sent out in all during the general draw held on February 21 by the BCPNP. Invitations were distributed between candidates from the following five streams during this draw. The minimum score needed was 126 for all but one of the streams below (“Entry Level and Semi-Skilled” applicants). A minimum score of 99 was necessary for BCPNP applicants who qualified for the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream and were invited to province.
- Expert Laborer
- Option for Skilled Worker in EEBC
- Foreign Alumnus
- Foreign Graduate: EEBC choice
- Beginning and Moderately Skilled
International Graduate Skilled Worker Stream Draw
B.C. sent out 143 invites through its PNP in addition to the invites sent out in the public draw mentioned above. The invites were as follows:
- Candidates for childcare occupations received 70 invites (60)
- Candidates for construction occupations received 32 invites out of a total of 75.
- Candidates for healthcare occupations received 41 invites out of 60.
- Candidates for the veterinary care occupation received less than five invites (60).
Note: The minimum score needed for applicants within an occupational group is shown by the numbers in brackets above.
February 27 Drawing
Invitations were sent out by the BCPNP on February 27th as part of a second draw for applicants from its Skilled Worker: International Graduate Stream (which includes the EEBC option). These outcomes came from this draw:
- Candidates with a minimum score of 65 in childcare vocations received 45 invites.
- Candidates with a minimum score of 80 in construction vocations received 12 invites.
- Candidates with a minimum score of 65 in healthcare jobs received 41 invites.
- Candidates in “tech” vocations with a minimum score of 108 received 90 invites.
- Candidates with a minimum score of 65 in veterinary care vocations received fewer than five invites.
Quebec
The results of two lotteries held under its provincial immigration program—one on February 8 and another on February 22—have been made public by Quebec. Each of these draws attracted a different set of candidates according to distinct qualifying requirements, as detailed below.
It’s crucial to remember that Quebec doesn’t have a PNP. This is so that the local government may continue to have authority over economic immigration in the area thanks to a special agreement the province has with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
February 8
On February 5, the Minister of Immigration, Francization, and Integration invited 1,034 applicants to apply for permanent selection. On February 8, Quebec announced the results of a draw.
Candidates had to fulfill three requirements in order to be invited during this draw:
- Have a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français* or its equivalent
- Having a valid job offer outside the territory of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
- Have a score equal to or greater than 613 points
*The Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français is Québec’s scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants
February 22
Quebec announced the results of its draw on February 22nd, after the draw on February 8th. Another 1,007 individuals were asked to apply for permanent selection in this draw, which made use of invitations that were taken out on February 19.
For this applicant group to be taken into consideration, they needed to fulfill the following qualifying conditions in addition to a minimum score of 608:
- possessing the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (Québec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent, which indicates oral fluency in French at level 7 (or higher).
- possessing a legitimate employment offer from anywhere outside the boundaries of Montréal’s metropolitan area
A Quebec Selection Certificate can then be applied for by those who were invited through one of these Quebec draws. Candidates for immigration to Quebec must complete this stage before submitting an application to the IRCC for permanent status.
Manitoba
New PNP draw results were released by Manitoba on February 28, in line with the province’s particular immigration policies for Ukraine.
Eligible applicants received 155 Letters of Advice to Apply under this exceptional immigration measure from the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) “as part of the Manitoba government’s response to the situation in Ukraine and in line with IRCC’s special immigration measures for those affected.”
Island of Prince Edward
The PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) sent out 24 invites to applicants on February 29 for positions in the construction and healthcare industries. This was the province’s smallest PNP draw (in terms of the quantity of Labour and Express Entry invitations sent out) since October 2023. Since November of previous year, Prince Edward Island has not had three PNP drawings in a single month before.
