How do I apply to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee?

If you want to immigrate to Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), a Canadian province or territory has to nominate you.

The first thing you need to do is apply to the PNP in the province or territory where you want to settle. To qualify, you must have the skills, education and work experience you will need to settle in Canada and support yourself and your family.

The province or territory will assess if you will be able to meet their economic or labour market needs, and those of Canada. They can tell you how long it will take to process your application.

After the province or territory approves your application, your next step is to apply for permanent residence within the time period they set out. The province or territory will let you know whether you must apply through the Express Entry system or through regular application process:

• Nomination under an Express Entry PNP stream: If you are not already in the Express Entry pool, you will need to complete an Express Entry profile and be accepted into the pool. You can begin the process by using our Come to Canada tool.

  or

• Nomination under a non-Express Entry PNP stream: Permanent resident applicants who were nominated under a non-Express Entry PNP stream should apply for permanent residence using the regular application process

The selection process and conditions to get a Provincial Nominee Certificate may be different from one province to the next. Check their websites to find out what you need to do before you apply.

Note: The province of Quebec chooses its own immigrants. If you want to live there, contact the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion du Québec.