This week, applicants are being asked to apply for provincial immigration programs in three Canadian provinces.
Invitations were sent out by Alberta and British Columbia (B.C.) via their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Instead of having a PNP, Quebec has a separate arrangement with the federal government that gives the state the power to choose every candidate for economic immigration.
Provincial immigration figures for August 3–9.
British Columbia
Over 144 individuals were asked by British Columbia this week to submit nomination applications via the BC PNP.
52 applicants were invited by the province in a general draw that took into account applicants from the entry-level, semi-skilled, skilled worker, and international graduate streams. With the exception of Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled candidates, who had to score 110, all candidates needed to receive a minimum score of 132.
Additionally, four occupation-specific drawings were held by British Columbia for applicants in the International Graduate and Skilled Worker streams. Among them were:
- 32 candidates in childcare occupations with a minimum score of 88
- 29 candidates in construction occupations with a minimum score of 90
- 24 candidates in healthcare occupations with a minimum score of 101 and;
- less than five candidates in veterinary care occupations with a minimum score of 80
Alberta
On July 30, Alberta conducted a drawing for applicants in the Alberta job offer stream of its Dedicated Healthcare Pathway. A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300 or above was necessary for the 54 candidates. Alberta shares the outcomes of these draws in retrospect.
Candidates must already have an application in the Express Entry application pool in order to be considered for this stream, which is in line with Canada’s federal Express Entry system. In an upcoming Express Entry draw, applicants who obtain an invitation from the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) will automatically receive an extra 600 CRS points on their application, almost guaranteeing them an ITA.
Alberta is also launching a new expression of interest system on September 30, 2024, for worker streams. This new system will replace the current monthly application intake and allow for an ongoing intake of applications. The AAIP says that applicants will be placed in a selection pool and then be invited to apply based on their “candidate ranking and provincial labour market needs and priorities.”
Quebec
Quebec invited provincial immigration candidates on August 1. Like Alberta, Quebec posts provincial immigration results retroactively.
The province invited 1,490 people to apply. They required a minimum score of 580 to be considered in addition to a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (Quebec’s scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent;
Candidates may also have been considered if they had a job offer outside of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.