Canada Provincial Nomination Program- An overview
Canada follows a two tiered immigration policy, under a shared jurisdiction between the provinces and Ottawa. It offers various programs for skilled workers at both federal and provincial levels. Each Canadian province and territory except Quebec and Nunavut has its own provincial nomination program, and these provinces and territories can nominate skilled worker candidates with specific skills required by local economies for admission to Canada.
Each provincial nomination program has at least one immigration stream that is aligned with the Federal Express Entry. Candidates who receive provincial or territorial nomination can apply for Canadian permanent residence through Federal immigration authorities. Provincial Nominations which are issued under the Express Entry Aligned steam are known as enhanced nominations and get additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System points.
In some cases, candidates who find it difficult to qualify for one of the Federal programs may easily qualify for admission to Canada under a provincial nomination program.
The importance of sponsoring employers
Under some provincial programs, candidates are nominated by a prospective employer. When approved by the provinces, are subject to an expedited process. During the initial stages, a temporary and renewable work permit is issued to the applicant to enter Canada while they are being processed for permanent residence. A sponsoring employer to be qualified under provincial nomination programs must demonstrate sufficient efforts to hire local Canadians to hire locals and offer competitive terms and conditions of employment that are relevant to a particular occupation. Whereas to qualify as a sponsored employee, the position being filled must generally conform to a national occupation classification skill type O or level A, B; or alternatively, must meet the terms of a particular pilot project designed for a specific critical skills shortage identified by the province. Provincial Pilot programs are specifically designed for low skilled worker and are limited in scope.