Ontario and British Columbia hold new PNP draws

FILE: Ambassador Bridge, Windsor side (Photo by Andrea_44 from Leamington, Ontario , Canada – Ambassador Bridge, CC BY 2.0)

Ontario and British Columbia released Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw results this week.

Most Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut) operate their own PNPs. Through these programs, interested candidates may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

When the PNP was launched in 1998, it welcomed only 400 immigrants. However, it proved to be very successful, and Canada now welcomes more than 80,000 immigrants per year through PNPs.

The increase in the number of PNP admissions in Canada is due to the fact that the federal and provincial governments consider it an effective tool to promote the economic development of the country.

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PNP draw results August 12-18

Ontario

Ontario held a PNP under the Entrepreneur Stream on August 16. The province issued invitations to apply to 30 candidates with scores that ranged between 138 and 160. This is the first draw in the Entrepreneur stream since 2021.

Like all categories under the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) candidates for this category must submit an EOI, but if they are invited to apply, they are required to attend a mandatory interview and sign a performance agreement.

If they are successful, they will be issued a temporary work permit to move to Canada and then 20 months upon arrival to implement a business plan and submit a final review. If the candidate has met business requirements, they will be asked for documentation that proves they are eligible for permanent residence.

To be eligible for this stream, candidates must also meet specific criteria such as:

• Must have business experience of 24 months in the last 60 months
• Must control at least one-third of the equity in the business.
• Must be actively involved in the management of the business
• The main purpose of investing must be to make profit
• Must create at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, if the business will be in Greater Toronto Area (GTA,) OR one permanent full-time job if the business will be outside the GTA.

British Columbia

On August 16 more than 223 candidates were invited to apply for provincial nomination in British Columbia. BC typically holds a provincial nomination draw each week.

The majority of candidates, 177, were invited in a general draw that included tech occupations. The invitations were issued to candidates in the Skilled Worker and International Graduates categories and included Express Entry candidates. The general draw also included Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates.

The minimum SIRS score for the general draw ranged between 132 for Skilled Workers with Express Entry to 78 for Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates

SIRS acts much like the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) but is only used for British Columbia’s PNP.

The province also held rounds of invitations for candidates working in the following occupations.

• 26 early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) with scores of at least 60 points; and
• 15 healthcare workers with scores of at least 60 points.
• 5 healthcare assistants with scores of at least 60 points

Express Entry and PNP

Express Entry is an application management system that ranks and evaluates candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Candidates in these programs enter a pool and are ranked against each other using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS provides them with a score based on their work experience, language ability, education, and other human capital factors.

Obtaining provincial nomination adds 600 points to an individual’s CRS score and makes it very likely that they will receive an ITA for permanent residency from IRCC.

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