Canada and its provinces share immigration, and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada makes the final decision on who immigrates to Canada. This includes the federal Express Entry program and the Provincial Nominee Program or PNP.
The Canadian federal government and provinces of Canada began the Provincial Nominee Program in 1998. The purpose of the Provincial Nominee Program is to help provinces economically through immigration, especially smaller provinces.
The PNP enables provinces to create their own criteria for selecting immigrants to come to their province. They can bring in skilled immigrants that meet the economic needs of their province.
An applicant for immigration can apply to the PNP and Express Entry system at the same time. Express Entry is a points-based system that gives applicants a score used to invite applicants for immigration based on factors such as work experience, education, language ability, and age.
A PNP approval provides an applicant with extra points under the Express Entry system. This can greatly help an applicant with receiving an Express Entry invitation for Permanent Residence.
There are multiple programs to immigrate and gain Permanent Residence in Canada.
