If you are interested in working or living in a particular province in Canada, the best way to achieve your dream is to migrate to your desired province through the provincial nomination program.
The PNP is one of Canada’s numerous immigration programs but the difference is, that the PNP is designed to allow each province to nominate candidates based on the province’s labor needs.
Your desire here is to be among the candidates who will be nominated by the particular province you want to reside in.
If you are currently applying for the provincial nomination program in a particular province, here is what you need to do to increase your chances of being successful in your PNP application.
Is it difficult to get a PNP nomination?
Yes, it is difficult to get a provincial nomination, the program is competitive, so you have to beat the competition to be nominated, your skills, age, language proficiency, and educational qualification must meet your province of interest’s requirement for you to be nominated.
The level of competitiveness of the PNP depends on the specific province you are applying to, your qualifications, the demand for your skills in that province, and changes in immigration policies.
What you need to look out for in the Provincial Nomination Program
The beauty of the PNP is that each province and territory has its own unique PNP streams and these streams are designed to address each province’s specific labor market and economic needs. So if you do not get selected for stream A, you may be selected for stream B in the same province.
The selection is based on the province’s economic needs and who among the applicants the province finds most qualified to contribute to the local economy.
Each stream caters to different categories of people, there are skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors, and semi-skilled workers. All of this is targeted at attracting only people with specific skills, work experience, or business capacity.
Furthermore, your application process or how you will apply for the PNP is dependent on which PNP stream you are applying to, for this reason, you may apply through the Express Entry or Non-Express Entry process.
Applying through Express Entry
In 2015, some PNPs aligned with the federal Express Entry system after it was introduced to manage permanent residency applications for three economic immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.
What this means is that some PNPs require you to have an Express Entry profile to meet the PNP eligibility requirements.
If you receive a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-aligned stream, you will receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, which will significantly increase your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence when the next Express Entry draw is out.
Applying through Non-Express Entry Streams
In the case of a Non-Express Entry Stream, you are not required to be in the Express Entry pool. These streams are usually employer-driven or cater to specific occupations that are in high demand in a particular province.
If you receive a nomination through the non-Express Entry stream, you must submit a non-Express Entry federal application for permanent residence as a provincial nominee.
If you wish to improve your chances of being successful in a PNP application, take the steps below.
How can I improve my chances of being successful in a PNP application?
You can improve your chances of being successful in a PNP application by choosing the right province, improving your educational qualification, securing a job offer in your desired province, acquiring more skills especially skills needed in the province, improving your language proficiency, and establishing a genuine relationship in the province.
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Understand the needs of your preferred province
Remember when I talked about the reason for the PNP, I said it was established to allow each province or territory to solve its labor needs by bringing in immigrants with the right qualifications, so every province has what it’s looking for, each has a need they wish to resolve.
The first step you need to take to improve your chance of being successful in a PNP application is to choose the right province and choose a province that needs people with your skills and qualifications.
Understand your desired province’s specific requirements, job opportunities, and community dynamics.
What skills are in demand? What is the local culture like? The more you know about the province, the better you can align your application with the province’s needs and expectations. It will help you meet up with what the province needs.
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Polish your skills and education
During every provincial nomination, each province is always looking for skilled workers who can contribute positively to their economy.
To increase your chances, you should consider upgrading your skills or pursuing further education in areas where there is a high demand for professionals.
This will not only make you more appealing but also make you more employable, different provinces will love to have you with them.
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Secure a job offer
Another way to make yourself more desirable is to secure a valid job offer from an employer in your desired province.
When you have a job offer, it shows the authorities that you are already a person of high value and that you are genuinely needed in the province.
How do you secure a job offer? It is simple but you need to be persistent, you can start by reaching out to potential employers, leveraging professional networking platforms, and showcasing your skills and enthusiasm.
You will be surprised, you will secure a job offer if you remain consistent. Before accepting a job offer, make sure your employer is in good standing and is registered with the province you wish to move to.
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Master the language
Another way to improve your chances of being successful in a PNP application is by improving your language proficiency.
If you are not very proficient in any of the two official languages in Canada (English and French), you can take language courses online or offline to improve your abilities in any of the languages.
Demonstrating high proficiency in at least one of these languages will significantly improve your chances of success in a PNP application.
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Show a connection to the province
If you have a close family member or relatives in the province, you should demonstrate it in your application, it will improve your chances.
Immigration authorities will see your family ties as a sign that you are more likely to settle successfully in the province, integrate into the local society, and contribute positively to the community.
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Demonstrate experience in an in-demand job
If you know the area where the province is hiring more professionals or you know the job that is highly needed and you have good experience in the job, you should demonstrate your level of experience.
This particular step is different from securing a job offer, here, you don’t have an offer yet, but you have good experience in the areas the province is looking to nominate candidates for, showing that you have experience in these areas makes you a good fit for nomination.
In some cases, you can earn additional points in the points-based assessment system just because you have the required work experience.
Which PNP is easiest to get?
The easiest PNP to get is the provincial nomination program where you meet all of its requirements and your skill is in high demand in the province. If you meet the requirements for nomination and your skill is highly needed in the province, you will easily be nominated.
Can we apply for PNP and FSWP together?
Yes, you can apply for both the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) at the same time. However, you need to meet the eligibility requirements of both programs and their application process.
How do you get 600 points for provincial nomination?
To get 600 points for a provincial nomination, you need to be nominated through a PNP which is aligned with Express Entry. The 600 points will be added to your already acquired points.
How many times can I reapply to the PNP Canada program if my previous application is unsuccessful?
You can reapply as many times as you wish, especially if you have acquired more skills or recorded any new improvement from your last application.
What are the chances of getting into PNP?
What is the minimum score for the provincial nominee program?
There is no fixed minimum score that applies to the whole country, each province and territory in Canada has its score and streams, and they choose the minimum score.
However, a total score of 900 is excellent and can put you in a good spot to be nominated. Recently, to be selected for Express Entry, you need to score between 400 – 500 points.
If you have a PNP Certificate, you will automatically be granted 600 points which will be added to your Express Entry score of 300-500 points.
If you currently have 900 as your score, do not rejoice yet, it still does not guarantee that you will be nominated.
If you wish to find out the most recent minimum score requirement for a specific PNP stream, you need to visit the official website of the respective province or territory’s immigration program.
Final words
If you want to improve your chances of being successful in a PNP application, you should start making yourself very valuable to the province. Look for what to do to become what the province needs.
Do you need to acquire more skills? or do you need to improve your language proficiency?
Take your time and consider what you need to do, it will help you come up with ideas on how to become a valuable asset to the province, and you know what this will do for you.