New PEI draw more than doubles number of immigration candidates invited last month

Published: February 22, 2019

The province of Prince Edward Island has invited 199 economic immigration candidates to apply in a draw held February 21.

The invitations more than doubled the 91 issued in the province's January draw.

A total of 170 candidates in Prince Edward Island (PEI)'s and categories received invitations in the February 21 draw.

PEI's provincial nominee program, the , did not disclose how many Express Entry candidates were invited to apply.

Another 29 entrepreneur candidates were invited through PEI's Business Impact: .

The PEI PNP is a component of Canada's , which allows participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for permanent residence each year.

The PEI PNP has an Express Entry category that is aligned with the federal , which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada's main economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates who would like to be considered for a provincial nomination from PEI must first complete a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the PEI PNP.

These profiles are given a score based on factors such as education, work experience and proficiency in English or French and the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through monthly draws.

Express Entry candidates who obtain a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their .

PEI welcomes EOIs from candidates in the federal Express Entry pool who do not have a job offer in the province. However, those living and working in PEI have been prioritized.

The PEI PNP’s is not aligned with the Express Entry system and is divided into three EOI-based streams — Skilled Workers (in PEI and outside Canada), International Graduates and Critical Workers.

Candidates for these streams must be working in PEI or have an eligible full-time, long-term job offer from an employer in the province, among other criteria.

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