Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

It is a two-stage process. First, a province or territory assesses you under one of its own streams and decides whether to nominate you. Second, you use that nomination to apply to IRCC, the federal immigration department, for permanent residence. The province selects you, but IRCC makes the final decision on your permanent residence application.

IRCC describes the people provinces look for as those who have the skills, education and work experience to help the provincial economy, who want to live in that province or territory, and who want to become permanent residents of Canada. Each province writes its own stream rules, so being eligible in one province tells you little about another.

IRCC also warns that processing times depend on the type of application, how complete it is, how quickly your information can be checked, and how fast you respond to requests. Times can grow if applications exceed the spaces set in the federal Immigration Levels Plan.

An enhanced stream is linked to Express Entry: you need an Express Entry profile and must qualify for one of the federal Express Entry programs. A base stream sits outside Express Entry and is meant for people who qualify for a provincial stream but not for a federal Express Entry program. Both lead to permanent residence.

For an enhanced stream, IRCC lists three conditions. You must be eligible for one of the province or territory's PNP streams, the province or territory must nominate you, and you must be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class. If you are not sure you meet a federal program, our Express Entry program guide walks through each one.

With a base stream, you still apply to the province first. Once nominated, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence through the non-Express Entry process, and the 600 Express Entry points do not apply because you are not in the Express Entry pool.

IRCC lists 11 provinces and territories with a PNP: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon. IRCC states that Quebec and Nunavut do not have programs.

If Quebec is where you want to live, a PNP is not the route. IRCC points Quebec applicants to the Quebec government's own immigration pages instead.

Each province publishes its streams, intake rules and application portal on its own government website, and these change often. Streams open, close and get replaced. For example, as of September 2026 the Ontario government says its new Ontario Workforce Priority stream has launched and all other Ontario streams are closed. Always check the province's official page on the day you plan to apply.

An expression of interest (EOI) is a profile you register with a province to say you want to be considered. The province scores or ranks the profiles in its pool and sends invitations to apply to the candidates it chooses. An EOI is not an application and does not give you a nomination.

Ontario is a clear example of how this works. As of September 2026, the Ontario government says you must register an EOI before you can apply, there is no fee to register, and your registration stays valid for 12 months unless you are invited first. After 12 months it is removed from the pool automatically. Ontario ranks candidates using factors such as education, language, work experience, earnings history and where in the province you plan to settle, then invites the highest-ranking candidates.

The EOI system is separate from your federal Express Entry profile. Some provinces also search the federal Express Entry pool directly. IRCC says a province can send a "notification of interest" message to your Express Entry account, and that this message does not guarantee a nomination either.

It depends on the stream, and you need to read each one. Many employer-driven streams require a job offer from an employer in that province, while some Express Entry-linked streams select candidates from the federal pool without one. Check the stream's own requirements page before assuming either way.

Two provinces show the range. In Alberta, the Alberta Opportunity Stream, the Rural Renewal Stream and the Tourism and Hospitality Stream each require a job offer from an Alberta employer, while the Alberta Express Entry Stream does not. Alberta invites candidates whose profiles in IRCC's Express Entry pool meet its minimum requirements. In Ontario, as of September 2026, the Ontario Workforce Priority stream requires a job offer from an Ontario employer, with an exception for self-employed physicians.

If you have no job offer, your realistic options are usually the Express Entry-linked streams that recruit from the federal pool. Your chances in those depend heavily on your base CRS score and occupation. Our PNP and Express Entry eligibility check shows which programs your profile fits.

You have 30 calendar days to accept or decline the nomination in your Express Entry profile. Once you accept, IRCC adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score. If you then receive an invitation to apply, you have 60 calendar days to submit your permanent residence application online.

There are two ways to reach this point. You can apply directly to a province under one of its Express Entry-linked streams, get nominated, and then confirm the nomination in your profile. Or the province can contact you through your Express Entry account with a notification of interest, after which you apply to the province for nomination.

IRCC notes you can only receive the 600 nomination points once. If you are not nominated, you can still be invited under another Express Entry program you qualify for, and you stay in the pool as long as you remain eligible.

To see how 600 extra points would change your position, add them to your score in the CRS calculator and compare the result against recent cut-offs in our Express Entry draw history, including provincial nominee draws.

You are expected to intend to. IRCC says the program is for people who want to live in the province or territory that nominates them. Provinces check this too. Ontario, for example, lists an intention to live and work in Ontario as a requirement of its Ontario Workforce Priority stream.

In practice, this means your choice of province should match where you plan to build your life. Your job offer, study history, family ties and past work in the province are the kind of evidence that make that intention believable. If you are an international student weighing where to study with a future nomination in mind, our study in Canada program match shows programs that fit your background and the path from study to permanent residence.

Be honest in every provincial form about where you intend to settle. If your plans change after you apply or after you are nominated, speak to a licensed consultant or lawyer before you act.

Each province sets its own fees, separate from the federal permanent residence fees you pay to IRCC later. As of September 2026, Ontario charges no fee to register an expression of interest, and its application fees range from $1,500 to $2,000 depending on where the job is located.

Other provinces set their own amounts, so do not assume Ontario's figures apply elsewhere. Budget for both stages: the provincial nomination fee and the federal permanent residence application. Check the fee on the province's official page on the day you apply.