Four Canadian provinces have invited candidates in the most recently published Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw results.
The PNP is Canada’s most prominent economic immigration pathway. According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025, Canada will welcome 117,500 new permanent residents through the PNP each year by the end of 2025.
The PNP can exist because, while Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has the final say on who becomes a permanent resident, immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments.
By establishing a program that allows the provinces to select the skilled newcomers they feel have the best chance of becoming economically established, the province is also able to target gaps in the provincial labour force. This is seen by both governments as a beneficial tool to strengthen Canada’s economy.
Each year, the number of candidates a province can nominate changes. The overall target of PNP candidates for 2023 is 105,000. This number of available spots is then divided among the 11 provinces and territories that have PNP programs (Quebec and Nunavut do not have PNPs).
For example, in 2023, Ontario has been allocated 16,500 nominations and Newfoundland and Labrador recently announced the province has an allocation of 3,050, which is double the 1,500 it had in 2022.
Provincial immigration results April 29-May 5
British Columbia
On May 2, British Columbia invited more than 171 candidates through the BC PNP. Candidates were invited through four separate draws, three of which were targeted, and one was general.