Provincial Nominee Programs

Every province and territory except Quebec runs its own immigration streams, shaped around what that province needs. Some ask for a job offer, others look for particular occupations, or for people who have already studied or worked there.

Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under a separate agreement with the federal government, and does not take part in the Provincial Nominee Program.

Two routes, and the difference matters

Enhanced streams

Aligned with Express Entry. You need an Express Entry profile, and a nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score.

Because that score in practice secures an invitation, these streams tend to move faster.

Base streams

Run outside Express Entry. You apply to the province directly and, if nominated, apply to IRCC for permanent residence separately.

No CRS score is involved, and processing usually takes longer.

Either way there are two applications and two decisions. The province decides whether to nominate you. IRCC decides whether to grant permanent residence. Meeting a province’s criteria does not settle the second question, and the two assessments look at different things.

What a nomination is worth

A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points under the Ministerial Instructions, which in practice secures an invitation to apply.

An invitation is not the decision. The permanent residence application is still assessed on its own merits — admissibility, the accuracy of what was declared, and whether the requirements are met. A nomination removes the ranking problem. It does not remove the rest.

Which route is open to you depends on the stream, not on preference. Some provinces run both an enhanced and a base version of the same stream, with different criteria and different processing times. See how Express Entry and the CRS work →

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

Every province and territory operates immigration streams designed to meet local labour needs. Some require job offers; others target in-demand occupations or international graduates.

A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points, which in practice secures an invitation to apply. An invitation is not the decision — the permanent residence application is still assessed on its own merits.

2026 PNP allocations and selection activity

Information available as of 23 October 2026

Provinces are allocated a set number of nominations each year, and that allocation can be adjusted during the year. As it is used up, draws tend to slow or pause, so the room a province has left is worth checking alongside its eligibility criteria rather than after them.

Province	2026 allocation	Nominations issued	Invitations YTD
Alberta	6,603	5,541 (Oct 7)	~13,550 (Oct 7)
Saskatchewan	5,261	4,023	Not published
British Columbia	6,254	Not published	~6,490 (Oct 20)
Ontario	14,119	Not published	Not tallied
Manitoba	8,000	4,589 (Sep 30)	At least 8,527¹
New Brunswick	Not officially confirmed	Not published	4,233 reported; unverified
Nova Scotia	Not published	Not published	5,400 (Jan–Sep)
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,854 combined²	Not published	~3,072¹
Prince Edward Island	Not published	Not published	1,483 (Oct 16)
Northwest Territories	300	Not published	Not published

Notes on the figures

1Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador totals are provisional calculations using earlier reported figures and subsequent draws. They are not independently reconciled official year‑to‑date totals.
2Newfoundland and Labrador’s reported 2,854 allocation combines 2,379 NLPNP nomination spaces and 475 Atlantic Immigration Program endorsement spaces. It should not be described as a PNP‑only allocation.
3For New Brunswick, no official 2026 allocation could be established, so no figure is given. Its official invitation history is published, but the 4,233 cumulative figure remains unverified.
4Where a province does not disclose a figure, the cell reads Not published rather than being left blank.

This table is Pacific Ways’ own compilation, drawn from provincial program pages and contemporaneous reporting, and updated monthly alongside our immigration brief available to Canadian immigration practitioners. Figures marked as reported, unverified or provisional have not been confirmed against an official source and should be treated accordingly. Allocations and counts change between updates. Do not rely on this table for a filing decision without checking the province’s own page on the day.