The Provincial Nomination Programs allow provinces to select immigrants destined to their province. In this way, they can attract and retain those most likely to settle permanently in the province and to contribute to its economic activity. Several of the programs have seen a broadening of scope over the years and a consequential increase in staff. In contrast to the federal programs, there is a much more personalized element to the way PNP officers deal with inquiries. Several PNPs have significantly shorter processing times than the federal programs, which makes them very attractive to clients.
While there are wide variations in the programs, there are also many similarities between them. Most have “employer-driven” skilled worker components. Some have business immigrant components and/or international student graduate streams, and others have connection/family relationship components. A few provinces have self-employed farmer streams. The federal government allows for a wide variation in terms of how provinces design and establish selection criteria for their PNPs.
