IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS  PNP (Provincial Nominee Programs)
Various provinces have introduced special immigration programs for economic growth and development as also to address the skill shortages faced by them. These programs attract prospective immigrants to come and settle in the respective provinces. All Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) have specified criteria that must be fulfilled in order to succeed. Generally, the provinces look for the ties that the immigrant can demonstrate to the province to improve the possibility of long-term settlement in the province. PNPs do not require a recognized language test like IELTS to be taken by the applicant. The provinces make the selection decision, but the final decision to issue the visa rests with the federal immigration department. The federal government (CIC) issues the PR visa after determining the medical and security admissibility factors. PNPs are attractive as the processing time is significantly lower compared to federal program.
The PNPs have provision for accommodating both the self-employed/ business people and employed persons. A job offer from an employer or a business plan in the province is a requirement in most PNPs. Many PNPs have points system for evaluation and certain no. of points are required to apply. However, scoring the qualifying points does not guarantee success as in the federal program.
At present, the following provinces have PNPs in practice:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
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