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Recent changes to Saskatchewan鈥檚 list of in-demand occupations are a good reminder of the fact Canada鈥檚 provincial nominee programs are constantly evolving.聽

, or PNPs, allow participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for Canadian permanent residence each year.

PNPs have been playing an increasingly vital role in Canada鈥檚 immigration strategy in recent years and this trend is set to continue under the federal government鈥檚 latest

Over the 2019-2021 period covered by the plan, admissions of new permanent residents admitted through provincial nominee programs are slated to increase each year, from 61,000 in 2019 to 71,300 in 2021.

This article looks at four key PNP developments that have taken place this year:

• The revision of Saskatchewan鈥檚 list of in-demand occupations unveiled April 4;
• Ontario鈥檚 record nomination allocation for 2019;
• Nova Scotia鈥檚 Labour Market Priorities draw targeting financial auditors and accountants;
• The ongoing renewal of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.

Canada has two types of provincial nomination streams 鈥� enhanced nomination streams and base nomination streams.

Enhanced nomination streams are aligned with the federal , which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada鈥檚 main economic immigration categories 鈥� the ,听听补苍诲听

Express Entry candidates with an enhanced provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry and are effectively fast-tracked for an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Base nominations are granted outside the Express Entry system and can also be used to apply for permanent residence.

Saskatchewan

The revisions to Saskatchewan鈥檚 affected its enhanced International Skilled Worker: and its base International Skilled Worker:

Both sub-categories require candidates to have eligible work experience in an occupation on the list, among other eligibility requirements.

A job offer in the occupation is not required in order to be eligible.

The update saw the list of in-demand occupations grow from 20 to 24, with the addition of 13 new occupations and the removal of nine.

The (SINP) updates its In-Demand Occupations List regularly to reflect the province鈥檚 evolving labour market needs.

The revised list will apply to Saskatchewan鈥檚 upcoming (EOI) draws through both its Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories, which are typically conducted by the SINP at least once a month.

Saskatchewan has issued a total of 817 invitations over the course of five draws through these streams so far in 2019.

Ontario

Ontario revealed in March that it will be able to nominate a record 6,900 economic immigration candidates for Canadian permanent residence in 2019.

Ontario is Canada鈥檚 most populous province and is the destination of choice for the majority of immigrants to Canada each year.

The province鈥檚 2019 allocation is an increase of 300 over the year before and consists of a principal allocation of 6,650 nominations plus an additional 250 spaces for intermediate-skilled temporary foreign workers (TFWs) under a new initiative by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The nominations will be issued through the (OINP)鈥檚 various immigration pathways, which include three Express Entry-aligned enhanced nomination streams.

All three streams 鈥� the , and 鈥� allow the OINP to search the Express Entry pool and invite candidates who match their provincial and federal criteria.

A job offer is not required in order to be eligible for these streams.

All three Express Entry-linked streams have been active in 2019 and the Human Capital Priorities Stream alone has issued 1,493 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination so far.

Ontario鈥檚 popular base nomination has also been active, opening on March 5 聽to 1,000 new registrations from individuals with a master鈥檚 degree obtained at .

The opening was cut short by a technical problem, however, and only 333 were submitted successfully before the intake system crashed.

The OINP said it will reopen the Masters Graduate Stream as soon as possible.

Nova Scotia

Another key development in the first quarter of 2019 was the use of Nova Scotia鈥檚 Express Entry-linked to invite Express Entry candidates with work experience as financial auditors or accountants.

Those selected in the January聽24 draw submitted their Express Entry profiles on or after July 1, 2018, and had an聽Express Entry ranking score聽between 400 and 450, among other criteria.

Introduced in August 2018, the enhanced Labour Market Priorities Stream allows the (NSNP) to search the Express Entry pool for candidates with work experience in occupations that are experiencing labour shortages in the province.

Draws conducted so far through Labour Market Priorities Stream have not required candidates to have a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer.

Prior to the January 24 draw for financial auditors and accountants, the NSNP had used the stream to search for and invite Express Entry candidates with work experience as early childhood educators or assistants.

Another Labour Market Priorities draw held on March 20 targeted Express Entry candidates who listed French as their first official language.

Manitoba

The last 17 months have witnessed the gradual rollout of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)鈥檚 .

Two new pathways were added to both the and streams as part of the renewal program, including the enhanced nomination .

The last element of the MPNP鈥檚 renewal program 鈥� the introduction of its renewed Skilled Worker Overseas: criteria 鈥� was scheduled for February but has yet to go into effect.

The Human Capital Pathway is for international skilled worker applicants with work experience in a position that鈥檚 listed as in-demand by the MPNP, among other criteria.

In the meantime, the MPNP has continued to issue invitations under its existing criteria for the Skilled Workers Overseas Stream.

鈥淲ith their increasing targets and ongoing innovation, Canada鈥檚 provincial nominee programs provide a variety of opportunities for pursuing Canadian permanent residence,鈥� said David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.

鈥淲hether you鈥檙e an Express Entry candidate looking to improve your ranking score or someone seeking a nomination through a base stream, it鈥檚 always a good idea to keep up to speed with Canada鈥檚 changing PNP landscape.鈥�

Keep up with the latest Provincial Nominee Program news by subscribing to the 色狐入口 Canada Immigration Newsletter.

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