By CIC News |
Perhaps the best news to come out of Canada’s Express Entry system in 2019 was the amount of activity among Express Entry-linked provincial nomination streams.
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of skilled workers and other economic immigration candidates for permanent residence.
Each of the nine provinces and two territories that take part in the PNP has at least one so-called “enhanced” nomination stream that is linked to the Express Entry system and allows them to nominate candidates with a profile in the Express Entry pool.
Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence, or ITA.
Many enhanced nomination streams have a low or even no CRS requirement and, as a result, provide opportunities to selected Express Entry candidates who may not otherwise have the minimum required score to obtain an ITA.
Candidates selected through these streams generally have work experience that is needed in the province, among other requirements.
Some of the most notable activity in 2019 took place in enhanced nomination streams operated by the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.