Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a shared federal and provincial program. Each participating province or territory sets its own streams, eligibility rules and yearly number of nominations, and selects people who have the skills, education or business plans its economy needs and who want to live there. Quebec and Nunavut do not have a PNP. Quebec runs its own selection system.

Immigration to Canada through the PNP always has two stages. First, the province or territory assesses you against its stream and issues a nomination certificate. Second, you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence in the provincial nominee class, set out in section 87 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). IRCC checks that your nomination is valid and that you and your family members are admissible (for example, medical, security and criminality checks), and then makes the final decision.

The program is open, but 2025 and 2026 brought large changes. Federal allocations to provinces are limited, so most provinces now select through expressions of interest, target priority sectors, and have closed or paused some streams. Ontario replaced all of its streams with a single Ontario Workforce Priority stream in 2026. Since March 30, 2026, the province alone evaluates your ability to become economically established and your intention to live in the province; IRCC no longer re-assesses those two points.

Likely a good fit if:

• You already work in a province on a valid work permit and your employer will support you with a permanent job offer.
• Your occupation is on a province's priority list, such as health care, skilled trades, construction, education or child care.
• You studied in a province and its graduate pathways still accept candidates like you.
• You are in the Express Entry pool, but your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is too low for federal draws, and you meet a province's Express Entry-aligned stream.
• You genuinely plan to live and work in the province that nominates you.

Look at other options if:

• You want to live in Quebec. Quebec selects its own immigrants and does not use the PNP.
• Your plan depends on an entrepreneur or farm stream that has closed (for example, Saskatchewan closed all of its entrepreneur and farm pathways in 2025).
• Your occupation is in a sector a province currently excludes or caps, such as accommodation and food services in some provinces.
• You qualify for an Express Entry category draw or the Canadian Experience Class with a competitive score, which can be simpler than a two-stage application.
• You have a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada or in a rural or Francophone pilot community. The federal regional programs described below may fit better.

Every PNP stream leads to one of two IRCC application routes. The province tells you which route its stream uses.

Next, read our Express Entry pages if you are in the federal pool, and the business immigration page if you plan to start or buy a business through a provincial entrepreneur stream.

The table summarizes each jurisdiction's main current streams. It is not a full list of sub-streams, and provinces change intake, priorities and draws often, sometimes with no notice. Always check the province's official site before you apply.

Quebec and Nunavut are not in the table because they do not run a PNP. See our Quebec page for Quebec's own selection programs.

There is no single set of PNP requirements. You must meet the rules of the specific provincial stream, and then the federal rules for the provincial nominee class. In general:

Some provinces also exclude certain occupations or sectors, cap the share of nominations for sectors such as accommodation and food services, retail or trucking, or require that work experience was gained in that province. Check the current program guide for your stream before you register.

Each year, IRCC gives each province and territory a number of nominations it may issue (its allocation). The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets a 2026 target of 91,500 provincial nominee admissions (range 82,000 to 105,000), and 92,500 in each of 2027 and 2028. Provinces can receive extra nominations during the year.

Because demand is far higher than these numbers, most provinces now use an expression of interest (EOI) system. You create a profile, the province scores or sorts it, and it invites the candidates who best fit its priorities in periodic draws. Being in a pool or meeting the minimum criteria does not mean you will be invited. Provinces can also send a notification of interest to candidates in the federal Express Entry pool.

Once a province nominates you through an enhanced stream, IRCC awards 600 CRS points. IRCC then holds separate Express Entry draws for provincial nominees. In 2026, IRCC held 21 provincial nominee draws up to October 26, with cut-off scores between 697 and 805.

Three federal programs also lead to permanent residence in a specific region. They are often confused with the PNP, but they have their own rules, targets and IRCC processing.

These programs use an endorsement or a community recommendation, not a provincial nomination, so they do not give the 600 Express Entry points.

1. 1

   1. Pick a province and stream

   Compare streams on official provincial sites. Check whether your occupation is a priority, excluded or capped, and whether the stream is Express Entry-aligned.

2. 2

   2. Prepare your documents

   Most streams need language test results, an educational credential assessment or Canadian credential, proof of work experience and, for employer streams, a job offer and employer documents.

3. 3

   3. Create an Express Entry profile if your stream needs it

   For an enhanced stream, you must be accepted into the federal Express Entry pool first and give the province your profile number and job seeker validation code.

4. 4

   4. Register an expression of interest

   Submit your EOI or registration in the province's portal. Some provinces charge a fee at this step. Keep your information accurate and update it if your situation changes.

5. 5

   5. Apply to the province if invited

   Provinces give a short deadline to submit a complete application, often 30 days or less, and some only a week to pay the fee. Late or incomplete applications can be closed.

6. 6

   6. Receive your nomination

   If approved, the province issues a nomination certificate with instructions. For Express Entry streams, you then update your Express Entry profile to show the nomination.

7. 7

   7. Apply to IRCC

   Enhanced: wait for an invitation in an Express Entry draw, then apply online. Base: apply online for permanent residence outside Express Entry before your certificate expires.

8. 8

   8. Complete IRCC checks

   Give biometrics, do your medical exam and provide police certificates when asked. IRCC decides your application and, if it approves, issues your confirmation of permanent residence.

Provincial fees are usually non-refundable, even if the province refuses your application. Nova Scotia states that the Atlantic Immigration Program has no provincial application fee. You will also pay third-party costs such as language tests, credential assessments, medical exams and police certificates.

Provincial processing times are set by each province. IRCC's current processing times for the second stage are shown below, from IRCC's processing times tool.

A PNP application can fail at the provincial stage or at the IRCC stage, and the reasons are different.

• Provincial refusal: you did not meet a stream requirement on the date you applied, for example work experience in the wrong NOC, a language score below the minimum, or a job offer that does not meet wage or employer rules.
• Provincial refusal: claims in your expression of interest were not supported by documents when you applied. Provinces check the facts behind every point you claimed.
• Missed deadlines: the province closed your invitation because you did not submit a complete application or pay the fee in time.
• Nomination withdrawn or expired: if the province withdraws your nomination (for example, because your job offer ended or the facts changed) or it expires before you apply, you are no longer named in a valid nomination certificate, which IRPR 87(2) requires.
• Express Entry ineligibility: in an enhanced stream, you must still meet the minimum rules of an Express Entry program when you apply to IRCC.
• Misrepresentation: false or missing information, including about your work history, job offer or plans, can lead to refusal and a five-year inadmissibility under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
• Admissibility: medical, criminal or security inadmissibility of you or a family member, which IRCC still assesses for every nominee.
• Intention to live in the province: your nomination is based on your intention to reside in that province. Since March 30, 2026, the province alone evaluates this, so be ready to show it clearly in your provincial application.

Some provinces let you ask for a review or reconsideration of a provincial refusal for a fee (for example, $500 in British Columbia and $250 in Alberta). A challenge to an IRCC refusal in Federal Court (judicial review) requires a lawyer.

• IRCC issues your confirmation of permanent residence. If you are outside Canada, you complete landing when you arrive; if you are in Canada, IRCC confirms your status there.
• After you become a permanent resident, IRCC issues your permanent resident card.
• Business nominees may also have to meet the terms of a business performance agreement with the province, as in Alberta.
• Permanent residents have a right under section 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to move to and live in any province. Your nomination, however, was based on a real intention to live in the nominating province when you applied.
• Keep meeting the residency obligation for permanent residents, and plan ahead for citizenship.