Canada’s PNP gives better chances to find a job in Canada

Individuals keen to migrate to Canada on a permanent resident visa on the skilled worker category may lose out of they do not have the required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. The CRS scores for the Express Entry system through lower than earlier, the range is between 462 to 475. This leaves those with a score below 450 doubtful of whether they will receive an invitation to Apply (ITA) for a PR visa.

In such a case they can turn to the Provincial nominee program to get their PR visa. This is because the PNP programs focus on specific industries or certain National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes.

Apart from the Express Entry programs, the PNP form an important part of Canada’s immigration policy. To reinstate this fact, the government plans to give more than 200,000 immigrants a PR visa under this program till 2021.

The PNP has become the fastest growing immigration pathway to Canada PR in recent times. The reason for this is the increase in the number of annual allocations to provinces by the federal government. This underlines the importance of PNP in Canada’s immigration policies.

Apart from this, an applicant who submits his case to a PNP that is linked to the Express Entry program benefits from a PNP nomination. It can help you add 600 CRS points to your Express Entry application and makes you eligible to apply for your PR visa directly to IRCC.

Here are the details of immigration opportunities offered to skilled workers under the various PNP programs. We will look at a few of them.

British Columbia (BC) PNP:

The highlights of this PNP for skilled workers are:

• BC PNP regularly publishes a list of target occupations for the Skilled Workers stream
• List of 105 jobs under NOC in five categories
• A separate category for healthcare professions
• BC PNP Tech Pilot dedicated to 29 technology occupations. Offers priority processing under the existing streams for qualified candidates
• Operates two streams for healthcare professionals one linked to Express Entry and another is its own PNP

Saskatchewan PNP:

Features of this PNP are:

• 200 occupations eligible for immigration
• Many streams targeting skilled workers
• Specific streams for truck drivers, agriculture workers and workers in the hospitality sector

Manitoba PNP:

Manitoba PNP has targeted occupations in six different categories:

• Business, Finance and Administration
• Natural and Applied Sciences and Related
• Health
• Social Science, Education, Government Service and Religion
• Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
• Unique to Primary Industry

The PNP operates two streams -Skilled Workers in Manitoba and Skilled Workers Overseas

Quebec PNP:

Quebec has its own skilled worker immigration system

Quebec Skilled Worker Program has two lists- High Demand Occupation List and an Areas of Training List

For candidates who are either living, working or studying in Quebec, there is a separate program called Quebec Experience Program – PEQ.

Nova Scotia PNP:

 This PNP operates seven streams aimed at different categories of skilled workers:

1. Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry
2. Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry
3. Nova Scotia Labor Market Priorities: Express Entry
4. Nova Scotia Labor Market Priorities for Physicians: Express Entry
5. Skilled Worker
6. Physician
7. Occupations in Demand

The Occupations in Demand publishes a list of 11 targeted occupations, candidates need not have a job offer under this category.

Under the Nova Scotia, Experience category requires candidates should have one year of experience in the province.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) PNP:

This PNP operates an Expression of Interest system for its skilled worker categories.

The PEI Express Entry Category offers two pathways for the PR visa- one for candidates with a job offer and another for those without a job offer.

Apart from the PNP program, skilled workers can find a job in Canada through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP):

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a partnership between Canada’s federal government and the four provinces in the Atlantic region which are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador.

The pilot program led by employers intends to bring immigrants to the above regions to fill positions for which local talent is not available.

Canadian employers need not have a Labor Market Impact Assessment under this program. The AIP has categories that include high-skilled, intermediate-skilled workers, and international graduates.

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP):

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot was started to promote the entry of skilled worker immigrants to smaller communities.

This program intends to help smaller communities with aging populations and labor shortages to find immigrants who can work in these regions.

Individuals wishing to migrate to Canada under the Skilled Worker category no longer need to rely on the Express Entry system. They can choose the PNP program and select a suitable program that matches their needs. They will have better chances to migrate to Canada!