The Canadian Federal government has negotiated different provincial and territorial agreements which are aimed at the specific needs of employers and capital investment for each geographic area. Subsequently, most Canadian provinces also have their own nominee programs which are designed to attract skilled migrants to settle in these provinces.
Provincial Nominee Programs are in place in the following provinces and territories:
Under Provincial Nominee Programs, the participating provinces and territories seek to encourage skilled migrants to come to Canada under agreements with the Canadian Government.
Canada is a very popular immigration destination with most immigrants coming to Canada as skilled migrants either as temporary foreign workers, permanent residents or under the Provincial Nomine Program.
Generally, there are two ways that people can immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee program. It is possible as either a skilled worker with a job offer or as a business entrepreneur. Depending on the province or territory, there may be some differences with these basic categories.
For example, as well as the entrepreneur category, the Newfoundland and Labrador nominee applications have an additional Immigrant Partner category which permits up to three migrants to come to Canada under the provincial nominee program if they intend on being partners in a business.
In the case of Ontario, there is an additional Employer category which enables employers who wish to hire foreign skilled workers. There is also the Multinational Investor Category which is designed to help companies planning to make major investments in Ontario by accelerating the work permits and permanent residence visas for key personnel.
The Provincial Nominee Program enables province and territories to nominate migrants so that they can live and work in Canada and be entitled to Canadian permanent residence visas. Provisional Nominee applications are given preference over other skilled visa applicants by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
Generally, an employer who wants to hire someone under the provincial nominee program can put forward their case for hiring foreign workers to the provincial government. Once applicants have been approved, they are entitled to apply for permanent residence under the Provincial Nominee Program.
Advantages
One of the main advantages to the Provincial Nominee Programs is that they provide a way to settled status in Canada and enable approved individuals to live and work in Canada as permanent residents.
In some cases applying as a provincial nominee as opposed to a federal skilled worker can result in a more expedient application process. This is because provincial nominee programs do not have the same level of skills based assessments needed for other types of Canadian visas.
Once applicants have adequately completed the residency requirement for Canadian citizenship, a candidate who is a permanent resident will be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship.
