Maple News reports that despite the global disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) remained a cornerstone of the country’s immigration strategy in 2020. The provinces and territories stayed actively engaged, maintaining stable nomination levels and launching new immigration streams to address evolving demographic and labour market needs.
Launched in 1998, the PNP is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial, and territorial governments aimed at decentralizing immigration. The program allows provinces and territories to tailor selection criteria to bring in newcomers who can directly support regional economic development and address specific workforce gaps. One of the PNP’s primary goals is to encourage more immigrants to settle beyond major urban centers like Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, helping to distribute immigration benefits more equitably across the country.
Over the years, the program has grown significantly, now playing a critical role in fueling population growth and economic resilience in smaller provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. These provinces increasingly rely on the PNP as a main pipeline to attract skilled workers and entrepreneurs to support local economies and demographic sustainability.
The PNP operates through two main channels: ‘Base’ streams and ‘Enhanced’ streams. Base streams are managed entirely by the provinces or territories and are independent of the federal Express Entry system. Candidates nominated through a Base PNP apply directly for permanent residence via Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Enhanced streams, on the other hand, are aligned with the federal Express Entry system. These allow provinces to search the federal applicant pool and issue provincial nominations to candidates who meet local needs. A provincial nomination through an Enhanced stream adds 600 points to a candidate’s Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, effectively guaranteeing an invitation to apply for permanent residence in an upcoming federal draw.
Importantly, PNP streams are designed to attract talent across all skill levels—from highly skilled professionals to intermediate and lower-skilled workers—depending on individual provincial requirements. This flexibility strengthens the program’s ability to address specific labour shortages and economic challenges unique to each region.
Despite the unprecedented challenges brought by the pandemic, Canada’s continued reliance on its PNPs in 2020 highlights the pivotal role of regional immigration strategies in shaping a more balanced and resilient immigration system.
Maple News continues to monitor provincial immigration trends and will report on how PNPs evolve amid Canada’s shifting economic and demographic landscape.