The Canadian Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) began in 1998 as a way for the federal and provincial governments to promote immigration benefits throughout Canada. Provinces can hand-pick candidates they believe will support their economic growth and advise IRCC to offer them permanent resident status.

There are more than 80 PNP programs designed to attract workers, graduates and entrepreneurs. Every province and territory offers a PNP except for Nunavut and Quebec (which operates its own economic class program). Each program is based on the province's different labor needs.

 Immigration to Canada is a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. However, for most of Canada's history, the provinces have not had much influence. This has resulted in the majority of new arrivals settling in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. The benefits of immigration are lacking in rural Canada, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada.

The PNP was introduced to give jurisdictions across Canada a tool to attract and retain more newcomers. It has proven successful and is Canada's main economic class pathway for 2022 and 2023. There are two ways to obtain permanent residency through the PNP.

-The first is through the so-called Foundation PNP program. This refers to candidates applying directly to the PNP program. The province will evaluate applications to ensure that all eligibility criteria for the PNP program are met, and if so, will issue a nomination letter to the candidate. From here, candidates must apply to IRCC for permanent residency. Currently, candidates who choose the PNP to immigrate to Canada can expect the process of applying for permanent residence to take an average of 27 months, according to IRCC.

-The second way to obtain permanent residency through the PNP is through enhanced nomination. The Enhanced PNP program is aligned with the federal Express Entry application management system.

Candidates eligible for Express Entry programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and Canadian Experience Category (CEC) can increase their likelihood of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) by obtaining a provincial nomination .

When candidates create their Express Entry profiles online, provincial governments can review and decide if the candidate is a good fit for the province. Express Entry candidates will also be able to indicate in their profile whether they wish to settle in a particular province. This could result in a province issuing a notice of interest to the candidate, which means the candidate is invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

If the candidate accepts, they submit an application to the province. If they meet all program criteria, they receive a letter of nomination and automatically receive a score of 600 in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). This almost guarantees an ITA from IRCC and increases your chances of obtaining permanent residency. The processing standard for Express Entry applications is 6 months.

More than 80 PNP programs in Canada offer candidates more options than ever before to obtain permanent residency. Eligibility criteria are broad and there are many options to suit candidates with different human capital characteristics such as age, education, language skills or work experience. Research also shows that the PNP helps facilitate the economic establishment of newcomers.

The PNP has proven to be a successful method of attracting skilled workers to provinces that have historically not had large immigrant populations, such as the Prairie and Atlantic provinces. By offering dedicated provincial pathways, such as the recently announced Saskatchewan Healthcare Worker Program, provinces are able to fill gaps in the workforce while providing newcomers with skilled careers.

In larger provinces such as Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia, where immigration levels are already high, the PNP helps target specific provincial labor market needs in industries such as technology and healthcare.