PNPs, or Provincial Nominee Programs, are a Canadian immigration stream that leads to permanent residency in Canada. These are very popular immigration streams not only because they result in permanent residency, but because they allow you to choose which province or territory you would like to live in.
Eleven provinces and territories in Canada participate in Provincial Nominee Programs, and each of these Provincial Nominee Programs has several sub-categories that you may apply for. The Provincial Nominee Programs can be very different from province to province.
Requirements for the Provincial Nominee Programs
All of the provinces have different criteria and subcategories for immigration as a provincial nominee. In most cases, you will have to have a certain level of education, work in a certain type of occupation, and have some kind of tie to the province whether your family lives there, you have visited the province recently or you have obtained your relevant Canadian work experience there.
For example, the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program offers several different streams, including Skilled Worker, Critical Worker, International Graduate, Family Connections, 100% Ownership (for business), Partial Ownership (also for business) and Work Permit.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program offers several as well, including the Strategic Occupations Stream (which includes skilled worker, health care professional, international graduates, semi-skilled workers and an international post-graduates pilot project that ends on May 28, 2013) as well as a Business Immigrants Stream that includes a business skills category, a strategic project category and a regional business category.
Because each Provincial Nominee Program or PNP is different, you may want to seek the advice of a licensed immigration lawyer to learn which Provincial Nominee Program and which category will best suit your situation and qualifications.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
