PNP (Provincial Nominee Program)

A Canadian immigration pathway in which individual provinces and territories (every one except Quebec and Nunavut, which run their own separate systems) nominate candidates for permanent residence who match their specific labour-market or economic needs. Each province runs its own streams — skilled worker, international graduate, entrepreneur, or employer-driven job-offer streams are common — with its own eligibility rules, occupation lists and intake process; there are over 80 distinct streams nationally. Most provinces run two kinds of stream: an 'enhanced' stream aligned with federal Express Entry, where a provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score — enough to make an invitation to apply for permanent residence close to guaranteed at the next draw — and a 'base' (paper-based) stream that operates entirely outside Express Entry with its own, often slower, application process. A nomination is not permanent residence itself; nominees still need to apply to IRCC (through Express Entry or directly, depending on the stream) and pass the standard admissibility, medical and security checks. Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets a PNP admissions target of 91,500 for 2026, a large increase over prior plans, making it one of the fastest-growing routes to Canadian PR.