Is the best way to get permanent residency in Canada by provincial nomination?

If you are currently in Canada on a temporary visa, we would like to explain a little about how the provincial nomination can help you become a permanent resident.

Under the Canadian constitution, immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments in Canada. This allows each province to be self-sufficient in designing its provincial nomination programs to support the permanent residence of certain immigrants in the country.

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It is important to remember that the vast majority of provincial nomination programs are designed for immigrants who already have a temporary status in the country such as students or workers. With these Canadian studies and/or work experience gained in the country, eligibility for provincial programs is achieved. Note that the common denominator of all provincial work-based permanent residency programs is a permanent offer of employment with the provincial employer.

Which province lets me apply for permanent residency via work?

It should be noted that all provinces will have work-based nomination programs, however, as the vast majority are designed for people within the country, these programs are not a viable option for those who are still abroad. If you are already in Canada as a student or worker, remember that your province will have residency programs based on the offer of employment and/or work experience gained in Canada.

The most suitable provincial residency program is defined based on the skill level of your NOC code now catalogued by the TEER system. If you found a skilled job (NOC at TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3), it is quite likely that your province has a program to accommodate you.

If, on the other hand, you found a semi or unskilled job (NOC in TEER 4 or 5), be very careful that some provinces are quite strict with these codes and do not always sponsor residency to all jobs in these occupations. Of the strictest provinces for residency programs in semi and unskilled codes we have British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

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What if I am outside of Canada?

If you are not already in Canada, please note that you will not be eligible for the vast majority of provincial nomination programs. As mentioned above, these programs are designed for temporary immigrants who are already in the country working or studying. If you are not in Canada, there are some programs that do not require prior study or experience in the province, but the options are definitely more limited. Of those, there are options under the Atlantic Program, or Saskatchewan's Hard to Fill program. So if this is your case and depending on your profile, it is preferable to evaluate the strategy and see if it is better to access Canada first on a temporary basis (outside of these direct residency programs), so that once in the country you can connect with a permanent pathway.

To conclude, all provincial nomination programs are going to have a minimum eligibility and sometimes a points grid afterwards, which candidates must go through. It is important to note that in addition to the job offer and its eligibility, the viability of these pathways will also depend on my language level, previous work experience, age, academic degree, eligibility of my employer in Canada, among other factors.

Tips: Search for provincial nomination information (PNPs) on provincial government websites directly (do not look at websites that are not the primary source), so that you can access more information on these avenues.

With love,

Immiland Canada.

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