The provinces and territories of Canada have their own immigration programs which are called Provincial Nominee Programs.
Each Canadian province (except Quebec, which has a different immigration system) and two territories have their own unique Provincial Nominee Programs. These programs allow provinces and territories to select candidates who want to immigrate to Canada and are interested in settling in a particular province.
Provincial immigration programs include:
- Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program
- British Columbia Immigrant Nominee Program
- Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program
- Newfoundland And Labrador Provincial Nominee Program
- New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program
- Northwest Territories Nominee Program
- Nova Scotia Nominee Program
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
- Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program
- Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program
- Yukon Nominee Program
The Canadian territory of Nunavut does not yet have an immigration program.
The Province of Quebec has its own immigration system.
The Atlantic provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) also have a common immigration program called Atlantic Immigration Pilot. The Pilot has relatively softened requirements and is intended for candidates who want to live and work in one of the Atlantic provinces.
There’s also The Rural and Northern Pilot which is intended to attract foreign workers to small communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.
Each provincial program is adapted to the specific economic and labor market needs of the province/territory in order to select candidates who can live and work in the region and effectively contribute to the community.
All provincial programs are divided into so-called “streams” – immigration programs for certain categories of immigrants. For example, there are separate streams for skilled workers, international students, entrepreneurs, etc.
The candidate selected by the province receives a provincial nomination, which gives 600 additional points for immigration through the federal Express Entry system. Each provincial program has at least one stream for immigration through the Express Entry.
How you will apply depends on which Provincial Nominee Program stream you chose. Immigration under the “non-Express Entry” streams is paper-based, while immigration under the Express Entry streams is fully electronic – documents are submitted online through an electronic profile.