Summary of the Canada PNP immigration results for August 2021

The monthly summary of PNP activities in Canada is shown below

In August, approximately 3,400 invitations were made to apply for provincial nomination under Canada's Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). Except for Quebec and Nunavut, nearly every Canadian province and territory has its own Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Having their own immigration programs allows provincial governments to choose the best candidates to satisfy their local labour market demands and to regulate the regional setting of the immigrant population within their jurisdiction. Each Canadian province has its own standards for determining whether foreign employees are eligible for Canadian PR under its own PNP or not.

Since its inception in 1998, the PNP has grown to become the second most significant pathway to permanent residence in Canada. PNPs alone are anticipated to result in more than 80,000 immigrants being accepted as permanent residents each year between 2021 and 2023.

Highlights of the August 2021 PNP-Focused Express Entry

Almost all of the territories and provinces have at least one PNP stream (that is primarily linked to the federal Express Entry system). Federal express entry system is the primary source of economic immigration in Canada. So far in 2021, IRCC has held PNP-specific Express Entry draws every two weeks on average.

In August, the IRCC granted 512 and 463 ITAs under the two Express Entry draws for PNP applicants held on August 4 and August 18. Despite the fact that the number of Express Entry invites given this month was lower than in June and July, the total number of invitations made under the Express Entry program is at an all-time high. In this year itself, IRCC has issued over 1 lac ITAs. 

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) hosted four invitation rounds in August, issuing 948 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination under the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-categories of the International Skilled Worker Category. This is substantially higher than the province's 575 invites given in July.

British Columbia

Over the past month, British Columbia has invited nearly more than 900 candidates under its express entry program, to apply for a provincial nomination. In the last month itself, the number of invitations made were almost on the lines of the skills Immigration streams.

Ontario

This month, the government staged five drawings under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The province issued two invitations to apply under the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker and Employer Job Offer: International Student streams on August 6. These were chosen as part of the Economic Mobility Pathways Project.

On August 11, Ontario welcomed 48 candidates with its new intake method, under its second-ever In-Demand Skills stream draw. Candidates had to be eligible for the required to have employment offers in the targeted sectors.

Ontario conducted its first round of invites for the Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate programs on August 18, 2021. The province asked 479 international student graduates to compete for a provincial scholarship in two drawings. More precisely, Ontario invited 402 applicants with Expressions of Interest (EOI) scores of 17 or higher to apply for the Masters Graduate stream and 77 candidates with EOI scores of 17 or higher to apply for the PhD Graduate stream.

On August 25, Ontario invited 326 applicants with at least 37 points under the second Masters Graduate stream draw. Again on August 26, under the Entrepreneur Stream, OINP invited 20 candidates with a score ranging from 142 to 200. In all, 875 immigrant applicants were asked to seek provincial nomination by the province of Ontario.

Alberta

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program Entry Stream had the largest draw of 2021 in August. The draw was place on August 10th, and 396 applicants with CRS scores of at least 300 were invited.

Manitoba

On August 2021, Manitoba released one draw under the three streams i.e., Skilled Workers in Manitoba, Skilled Workers Overseas and International Education Stream. On August 12, 275 Letters of Advice to Apply were issued, with 36 of them going to individuals who claimed a valid Express Entry profile.

The province of Prince Edward Island

On August 19, Prince Edward Island held a pre-scheduled draw and awarded a total of 161 invitations to immigration aspirants. The majority of the invites, 152, went to Express Entry and Labour Impact applicants. The remaining nine invites were given to Business Impact applicants who scored at least 75 points.

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What exactly are PNPs?

PNPs allow Canadian provinces and territories to nominate people for permanent residency wherein PNPs are categorized into two categories i.e., basic and enhanced.

Since they are administered by the provinces, base nomination streams operate independently of the Express Entry system. Specific PNP streams and processing rules apply to these sorts of nominations. Candidates will often have to go through a two-step process to get from a successful base nomination to permanent residency.

Candidates must first establish if they fit the criteria for a PNP pathway, then apply and, if successful, get a nomination certificate. They will be able to seek permanent resident status with the federal government once they receive this certificate.

In contrast, enhanced nomination streams are linked to the Express Entry system. They enable provincial immigration officers to scan the Express Entry candidate pool for primary applicants who meet specified requirements. These individuals are then invited to seek a provincial nomination by the provinces.

The Express Entry system handles the applicant pool for Canada's three major federal-level economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates that receive a provincial nomination through upgraded provincial streams receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. This almost ensures them an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a later Express Entry draw.