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Western Canadian Provinces Welcome New Applications Through Provincial Nominee Programs

posted on September 7, 2016

By Canada Immigration Newsletter |

Late August was a busy period for PNPs in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia (BC)

By Canada Immigration Newsletter |

Late August was a busy period for PNPs in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia (BC)

The Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and BC were each active in their drive to welcome new immigrants over the past couple of weeks, as more than 2,000 potential newcomers either submitted an application to one of these provinces’ Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) or were invited to do so.

On August 24, a total of 714 candidates for immigration to Canada through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) were issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) under the MPNP Expression of Interest (EOI) immigration system. These LAAs were issued to a range of candidates who had previously expressed an interest in immigrating to the province.

The same day, a total of 598 candidates for immigration to BC were issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).

Just a few days later, on August 30, the International Skilled Worker: Occupations In-Demand sub-category of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) reopened for up to 700 new applications. This intake cap was subsequently reached very quickly, and the sub-category is now closed at the time of writing.

The exact details of these developments are outlined below.

SINP International Skilled Worker: Occupations In-Demand

This SINP sub-category allows skilled workers with experience in an in-demand occupation to make an application for a SINP provincial nomination certificate, which is then followed by an application for Canadian permanent residence. Interestingly, applicants do not require a job offer in order to make an application.

The current occupations list contains 21 occupations across a range of industries, notably in engineering, trades, agriculture, health care, and IT. To view the full list of in-demand occupations, as well as full eligibility requirements, click here.

This SINP sub-category is a ‘base’ sub-category, meaning that it is not aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system. It is possible that individuals who are not eligible for Express Entry (for example, because of language ability) may be eligible for this SINP sub-category.

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