Ontario, British Columbia (BC), Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Manitoba have issued provincial immigration invitations through their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) over the past two weeks, with Quebec also releasing the results of two rounds of invitations conducted through its provincial immigration system since February 17.
In all but two of Canada’s provinces and territories*, local governments operate PNPs to attract foreign nationals who can best help meet their region’s labour force and demographic needs.
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Provincial immigration results from February 17 to March 1
Ontario
On March 1, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued 2,583 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to qualified candidates for the Skilled Trades stream of the province’s PNP. As the name of the stream suggests, Ontario’s March 1 draw targeted candidates in specific skilled trades occupations. All candidates who received NOIs in Ontario’s March 1 draw had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 350 and 424.
British Columbia
British Columbia will hold several provincial immigration draws starting February 16, 2024.
Starting with two draws on February 21, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) held a general draw and a group of draws for various occupational categories within its Skilled Worker, International Graduate stream (including the Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option). Here are the results of the BCPNP draw on February 21:
Normal Draw
The BCPNP issued a total of 69 invitations in a general draw on February 21. During this draw, the invitations issued were spread among candidates from the following five streams. For all but one stream below (“Entry Level and Semi-Skilled” candidates), the minimum score required was 126. BCPNP candidates who received a provincial invitation through the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream needed a minimum score of 99.
- skilled worker
- Skilled Employees – EEBC Option
- International Graduates
- International Graduates – EEBC Option
- Entry Level & Semi-Skilled
Skilled Worker International Graduate Stream Draw
In addition to the invitations issued in the general draw above, BC issued a final 143 invitations through its PNP, as follows:
- 70 invitations issued to childcare business candidates (60)
- 32 invitations issued to construction trade candidates (75)
- 41 invitations issued to healthcare profession candidates (60)
- Less than five invitations were issued to candidates in the veterinary care profession (60)
Comment: The numbers in brackets above indicate the minimum marks required for candidates in a vocational group
27 February Draw
On February 27, the BCPNP released invitations through another draw held for candidates in its Skilled Worker: International Graduate stream (including EEBC option). This draw produced the following results:
- Invitations were issued to 45 candidates with 65 minimum marks in child care occupations
- Invitations were issued to 12 candidates with a minimum of 80 points in construction trades
- Invitations were issued to 41 candidates with a minimum score of 65 in healthcare professions
- Invitations were issued to 90 candidates with a minimum score of 108 in “technical” professions
- Less than five invitations were issued to candidates with a minimum score of 65 in veterinary care occupations
Quebec
Quebec has recently released the results of two draws conducted through its provincial immigration program, one on February 8 and the other on February 22. As explained below, each of these draws invited a different group of candidates based on different eligibility criteria.
It is important to note that Quebec does not operate a PNP. This is because the province has a unique arrangement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which allows the local government to maintain control over economic immigration in the region.
8 February
On Feb. 8, Quebec released the results of a draw held Feb. 5 by the Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration, inviting 1,034 candidates to apply for permanent selection.
Candidates were required to meet the following three criteria to receive an invitation during this draw:
*Quebec scale of French proficiency levels Quebec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants
22 February
Following the February 8 draw, Quebec released the results of its draw on February 22. This draw (which used invitations sent out on February 19) invited another 1,007 candidates to apply for permanent selection.
This group of candidates was required to achieve a minimum of 608 points to be accepted for consideration, in addition to meeting the following eligibility requirements:
- Have level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise deslevels de compétence en français (Quebec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent
- Having a valid job offer outside the area of the Metropolitan Community of Montreal
Those who received an invitation through any of these Quebec draws are eligible to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate. This is the first step that Quebec-bound immigration candidates must take before applying for permanent residence with IRCC.
Manitoba
On February 28, Manitoba released new results from the recent PNP draw, which coincided with the provincial government’s special immigration measures for Ukraine.
Under this special immigration measure, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) issued 155 Advice Letters to Apply to eligible candidates, “This is part of the Manitoba government’s response to the situation in Ukraine and is consistent with IRCC’s special immigration measures for those affected.”
Prince Edward Island
In the province’s smallest PNP draw (by number of Labour and Express Entry invitations issued) since October 2023, the PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) issued 24 invitations on February 29 to candidates working in two employment sectors: healthcare and construction. This is the first time that Prince Edward Island has held three PNP draws in a month since November last year.
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