Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry-aligned)

The Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program path is for candidates who have been nominated by a Canadian province or territory through an Express Entry-linked stream. Canada's provinces and territories run their own immigration programs to attract workers whose skills match local labour market needs, and many of those programs have streams that feed directly into the Express Entry system. A provincial nomination through one of these linked streams adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score — the maximum additional points available — and in practice makes an Invitation to Apply (ITA) all but certain at the next draw.

How it works

The Express Entry-aligned PNP path is a program path, not a category-based selection draw. To use it, a candidate must first be eligible for and enter the Express Entry pool under one of the three federal programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). A candidate then separately applies to a province or territory through that province or territory's Express Entry-linked stream. If the province or territory nominates the candidate, IRCC adds 600 additional CRS points to the candidate's existing score. The candidate is then typically invited in the next general-pool draw. The candidate still applies for and receives permanent residence through the federal Express Entry system — the nomination does not itself grant permanent residence, but it makes an ITA virtually certain. Each province and territory sets its own criteria for its Express Entry-linked streams, which can include factors such as occupation, employer connection, or prior study in that province or territory.

Eligibility basics

• You must first be eligible for and enter the Express Entry pool under at least one of the three federal programs (FSW, FST, or CEC).
• You must separately meet the eligibility criteria of the specific province or territory's Express Entry-linked PNP stream. Each province and territory sets its own criteria; requirements vary widely and include factors such as occupation, prior work in that province or territory, or a letter of support from a Canadian employer.
• Once nominated, IRCC adds 600 additional CRS points to your profile. You cannot receive more than 600 additional CRS points, and the 600 points from a nomination replace (not stack with) other additional-points categories such as a qualifying job offer or Canadian post-secondary study.
• You must accept the nomination by updating your Express Entry profile; IRCC will then typically invite you to apply at the next draw.
• After receiving an ITA, your application is processed as a federal Express Entry application. All standard federal requirements — including language test results, education credentials (if required), admissibility, biometrics, and a medical exam — still apply.
• You and all accompanying family members must be admissible to Canada.