BC, Saskatchewan, & PEI Invite Applicants In PNP Draws. Under the PNP, all Canadian territories & provinces can invite applicants to apply for nomination to settle within the province. 

PNP Draws Results From October 13-27

  • British Columbia

On October 17, BC invited more than 152 applicants in PNP draws. 

The province held four separate draws & the largest (general) draw included applicants from International Graduate, Entry-level, Semi-skilled, & Skilled worker streams.

The remaining three draws targeted Skilled Workers & International Graduate applicants with relevant work experience in specific professions. All applicants needed a score higher than 60.

  • Healthcare – 17
  • Assistants & Early Childhood Educators – 31   
  • Other Priority Professions – less than 5

BC held four targeted draws on October 24, inviting applicants from the International Graduate & Skilled Worker categories. 

The largest draw was for applicants with a tech profession. There were over 101 applicants invited with a minimum score of 90. 

The other three draws were similar to the previous week & required a minimum score of 60. 

  • Healthcare – 22
  • Assistants & Early Childhood Educators – 34   
  • Other Priority Professions – less than 5 

  • Saskatchewan 

Saskatchewan held its first draw since August on October 23. The province invited over 99 applicants in two categories. Moreover, there were 40 applicants issued to applicants in the Occupations-in-Demand category & 59 in the Express Entry category. 

In both instances, draws were targeted at particular NOC codes & all applicants needed ECAs. All applicants required a minimum score of 84. 

  • Prince Edward Island 

The PEI PNP held a draw on October 19. The province invited over 102 Express Entry & Labor applicants in PNP draws. Moreover, applicants were considered if they were Critical Workers & Express Entry invitations were issued to individuals working for a PEI employer with a minimum EOI score of 55. 

In addition, two applicants were invited via the Business & Entrepreneur stream with a minimum score of 80. 

Over the past 12 months, PEI invited over 2,464 applicants via Labor & Express Stream, representing 97% of overall invitations. 

IRCC Guidelines For PNP Allocations 

IRCC & the provinces share responsibility for immigration. Every year, IRCC allocates a specific number of nominations to provincial governments. They use this allocation in order to nominate the applicants who are likely to establish themselves within the province economically. The PNP only applies to economic-class immigrants. 

IRCC recently released guidelines that explain how it allocates nominations to each province. Essentially, IRCC evaluates a province’s population, the number of immigrants who arrive every year, & retention rate. Then, the department further seeks feedback from the provinces & territories to better understand their economic & immigration needs & adjust the number of nominations as needed.  

Applying these principles has helped immigration levels plans for the PNP. Earlier, provinces were given allocations only a year in advance. This created challenges in planning infrastructure, like settlement services, housing, healthcare, etc. 

Moreover, the Provincial Nominee Program makes up the largest share of economic immigration targets in the Immigration Levels Plan. The plan highlights the number of permanent residents the nation aims to admit over the coming years. In addition, 2023-25 set the highest targets in IRCC history, rising as high as 500,000 overall admissions, including 117,000 PNP admissions, every year by the end of 2025. 

PNP-Only Express Entry Draw 

On October 24, IRCC held an Express Entry draw for over 1,548 applicants with a provincial nomination. The minimum CRS score needed was 776. 

It was the first PNP-only Express Entry draw since May, which was also the last time IRCC held a program-specific draw. 

The CRS score in a PNP-only draw is significantly higher as compared to other draws because Express Entry applicants who obtain provincial nomination automatically get an additional 600 points. This is much higher than the average CRS score for most applicants.