This week, British Columbia (B.C.), Quebec and Alberta have invited provincial immigration candidates to apply for nomination or selection.
All but two Canadian provinces and territories, the exceptions being Nunavut and Quebec, use Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).
Immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial/ territorial governments. PNPs allow the governments of each participating province and territory the opportunity to bring in skilled immigrants who they believe are best suited to help their region accomplish two goals:
- Address its most pressing labour market needs
- Mitigate the region’s most prominent demographic challenges
Note: Quebec does not operate a PNP because the provincial government has an agreement with Canada’s federal government whereby Quebec can maintain authority over local economic immigration.
Provincial immigration results from May 25 to May 31
British Columbia
On May 28, British Columbia conducted two draws through its British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP).
In the government’s first draw, 35 invitations were issued to immigration candidates in a general draw.
This draw, like all general BCPNP draws in 2024, considered candidates from five BCPNP streams. These streams were the following:
- Skilled Worker (minimum score of 131)
- Skilled Worker – Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option (minimum score of 131)
- International Graduate (minimum score of 131)
- International Graduate – EEBC option (minimum score of 131)
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (minimum score of 110)
Note: The numbers in brackets next to each stream denote the minimum score required for candidates in that stream to receive an invitation during this draw.
In addition to the above draw, B.C. also issued invitations in additional draws, each of which targeted candidates in a different occupational category.
Note: All candidates who were considered for an invitation through the following draws were from the Skilled Worker and International Graduate streams (including EEBC option) of the BCPNP.
- Candidates in childcare occupations received a total of 11 invitations (all invitation recipients had a minimum score of 93)
- Candidates in construction occupations received a total of 11 invitations (all invitation recipients had a minimum score of 93)
- Candidates in healthcare occupations received a total of nine invitations (all invitation recipients had a minimum score of 100)
- Candidates in veterinary care occupations received less than five total invitations (all invitation recipients had a minimum score of 80)
Quebec
Quebec has released the results of a draw it conducted on April 25. Like Alberta, the province publishes its draw results retroactively.
Note: The date of extraction from the Arrima bank for this draw was April 22, 2024, three days prior to the draw.
This draw saw Quebec invite 1,415 candidates to apply for permanent selection.
To receive an invitation during this draw, candidates were required to meet the following criteria:
- A level of oral proficiency in French that was scored as level 7 or higher by Québec’s French proficiency level scale for adult immigrants (Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français) or its equivalent
- A score equal to or above 598 points
The government of Quebec also noted that “invitations were also addressed to” candidates who:
- Had a oral proficiency level in French of 7 or above (in accordance with the same scale as noted above)
- Have a valid job offer outside the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
Quebec provincial immigration invitation recipients can now apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate. This is a certificate that Quebec-bound provincial immigration candidates must obtain before applying for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Alberta
Alberta is one of two Canadian provinces that retroactively releases its provincial immigration draw results.
This week, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) posted the results of a provincial draw conducted on May 1, 2024.
The May 1 draw saw Alberta issue 40 Notification of Interest (NOI) letters to candidates in the province’s “dedicated healthcare pathway with Alberta job offer” category. All recipients of an invitation during this AAIP draw had a minimum CRS score of 305.
