How to Get a Canadian Provincial Nomination for Express Entry

Provincial nomination certificates have become a popular route for immigrating to Canada, offering a significant boost in the Express Entry pool. With dozens of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) available, each with unique eligibility criteria, candidates have multiple opportunities to find a program that suits their skills and experience. Securing a nomination can add 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, significantly enhancing your chances of obtaining an ITA.

1. Maximizing Opportunities with In-Demand Occupation Experience

Many provinces have PNP streams dedicated to attracting foreign workers with experience in specific occupations, helping them address labor shortages. The occupations considered “in-demand” vary by province and change over time.

If you have foreign work experience, closely monitor the in-demand job lists of your preferred provinces. Aligning your experience with these in-demand jobs can be one of the best ways to secure a provincial nomination certificate.

Some of the provinces with these types of streams include:

• Saskatchewan Occupations In-Demand
• Ontario Human Capital Priorities
• Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream

2. Securing an Employer Job Offer

If you have a job offer and your employer is located in a province with this type of nominee program, you may be eligible to apply for a provincial nomination certificate. These streams are designed to help employers in the province meet their labour needs. If an employer is unable to fill a position from the local labour market, job offer streams give them access to the international market.

The benefit of job offer streams is that many allow employers to bypass the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. Many provinces have agreements with the federal government that allow them to issue ‘letters of support’ to successful nominees. These letters can be used to apply for a Canadian work permit in lieu of an LMIA. This makes it easier for employers to hire foreign applicants, which can also make it easier to secure a role in Canada.

Many job offer streams don’t require an Express Entry profile to apply. That means, even if you don’t qualify to enter the Express Entry pool, you still may be eligible to secure a nomination certificate.

Examples: Ontario Employer Job Offer  or Nova Scotia Skilled Worker

3. Opportunities for International Graduated Students

Most provinces have a provincial nomination stream for international students in the province. In fact, international student graduates are some of the most sought-after candidates for immigration. If you’ve graduated from a post-secondary institution in Canada, and are in the Express Entry pool, you also may be eligible for up to 30 additional CRS points for your education alone.

If you don’t already have experience as a student in Canada, our International Student program can help you find a school and program in Canada that can help you meet your education, career, and immigration goals.

Examples: British Columbia International Graduate or Manitoba International Education

4. Gaining Experience as a Temporary Worker

Many provinces have streams dedicated to helping temporary workers transition to permanent residence. if you have experience working in a province as a temporary worker, this can help you get a provincial nomination to improve your Express Entry CRS score.

Some of these streams require that you be working in Canada when you apply for a nomination and that your employer gives you a full-time, permanent job offer. Others only require recent experience as a worker in the province.

If you’re not eligible to immigrate to Canada, starting off as a temporary worker can improve your eligibility in a lot of ways. You can improve your language ability and grow your professional network to try to get a permanent job offer.

Examples

• Saskatchewan Experience
• Manitoba Skilled Workers in Manitoba Category

5. Navigating Business Stream Options

Some provinces offer provincial nominations for candidates who are willing to own and operate a business in the province. Usually, you need to have managerial experience and a minimum personal net worth to be eligible for these types of streams.

Examples:

• British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Stream 
• Ontario Entrepreneur Stream

Other ways to get a provincial nomination

Some provinces have other provincial nomination streams to help meet their immigration goals.

For example, Ontario wants to increase the number of francophone newcomers it welcomes each year. So, if you have high French language proficiency, you may be eligible for the Ontario French Speaking Skilled Worker stream.

Saskatchewan has a major agricultural industry. For this reason, they offer a provincial nomination program for candidates who have farming experience, and who are interested in owning, operating, or investing in a farm in Saskatchewan.

Interested in learning more about your options to immigrate to Canada through a PNP? Complete our free online assessment form today!