Provincial Nominee Program

Most provinces and territories in Canada have agreements with the Federal government of Canada, that allows them to nominate immigrants who want to settle there. In most cases, you must apply directly to a province or a territory to be considered under its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

If you apply under PNP for a semi-or low skilled job (NOC C or D) or under Express Entry for a managerial job (NOC skill level O), professional job (NOC skill type A) or technical job and skilled trade (NOC skill type B), you will need to take a language test. This test will ensure that your ability to listen, speak, read and write in English or French meets a certain standard. Test results are usually valid for two years from the day you take the test.

A PNP application has two stages:

1. First, you must apply to the province or territory where you want to live. It will review your application and make a decision based on its immigration needs and whether you really plan to live there. The criteria may vary and change without notice. You must check the websites of each province or territory for the most updated information.
2. After a province or territory nominates you, you must apply to CIC for permanent residence. A CIC offer will assess your application based on Canadian rules. You will have to pass a medical exam and get a police clearance as part of the process, no matter where you plan to live in Canada.

The Provincial Nominee Program in Ontario is called “Opportunities Ontario.” This is an immigration program through which the province nominates individuals and their families for permanent residence in Canada based on a pre-approved job offer in the province. Opportunities Ontario has a target of 5200 nominations in 2015, including both Opportunities Ontario and Express Entry.

The program allows employers to apply for the approval of permanent, full time positions to be filled by foreign nationals and to recruit foreign nationals to fill those positions. PNP has been designed in part to assist employers having trouble recruiting qualified workers in Ontario.

Approved employers can recruit foreign workers through the General Category and international students through the International Student Category.

This program also allows investors to have key employees obtain permanent resident status. Approved investors can recruit foreign workers through the General Category.

Once an employer has recruited an individual, the employee may be nominated by the province for permanent residence as a Provincial Nominee, if they meet all of the requirements laid out by Opportunities Ontario.

Nominees may then apply to CIC for permanent residence and undergo the required admissibility checks for health and security. Nominees may also apply to CIC for a temporary work permit while their permanent residence applications are being processed.

Please note that each province has different Provincial Nominee Programs with different requirements. You must check the website of the province where you want to live for current information.