Ontario and Manitoba have issued invitations to apply to candidates through their Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs) this week.
Although provincial nomination is not in itself the same as a permanent residence, it can act as the first step towards gaining permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Most Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut) operate their own Provincial Nomination Programs. Through these programs, interested candidates may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Quebec’s immigration programs are administered by the province and are distinct from Canada’s immigration programs.
The PNP accounts for 105,000 PR admissions per year. It began in 1998 and the annual number of PNP admissions has since increased steadily. Both federal and provincial governments consider it an effective tool to promote economic development outside of urban centers.
Provincial immigration results December 24-December 30
Ontario
On December 21, Ontario issued 725 letters of interest to candidates in the Master’s Graduate stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
To be eligible for this stream, candidates must meet a baseline of eligibility criteria such as the following:
- Must have a master’s degree from an eligible university in Ontario.
- Language requirement: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher (English or French).
- Must have legally lived in Ontario for at least one year in the past two years.
Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and welcomes the highest number of newcomers each year. It also has the largest allocation of invitations to apply available under any PNP in Canada. For 2022, Ontario was able to issue invitations to 9,750 candidates. The province announced on December 22 that it had invited the maximum number of candidates allocated for the year.
The province says new applications, and applications already submitted to the OINP, will continue to be accepted and considered under the program’s 2023 nomination allocation.
Manitoba
Manitoba invited 16 candidates on December 29 through special immigration measures implemented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in response to the situation in Ukraine.
In order to receive a nomination for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), candidates must meet the following criteria:
- are a citizen of Ukraine;
- have a minimum of CLB 4 in each language band;
- have established connection to Manitoba (close relative, family-like, community, previous employment or studies in Manitoba);
- have a valid language test; and
- score at least 60 points according to MPNP assessment criteria.
