A Major Hike in The Express Entry Candidates Applying Through PNP

The recent statistics obtained from the Govt of Canada reveal that the number of people seeking to apply for permanent residence through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) has substantially increased. In the year 2018, between the months of January and September, a total of 62,500 registrations were issued ITA (invitation to apply for PR). Out of the total number of ITAs sent to apply for PR, 12 percent registrations had a provincial nomination whereas last year this ratio was just 9 percent.

One of the major reasons associated with the hike in the number of PNP applicants being selected for PR visa is the benefit of an additional 600 points that the candidates received while applying through this channel. These additional 600 points improve their score in the comprehensive ranking system (CR score) and thus strengthen their chance to receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.

This rise in the number of invitations sent to candidates with provincial nomination also reflects the importance of this particular program to the federal government’s overall strategy of immigration scheme. It is further expected that the number of admissions through PNP will rise by 6000 candidates next year taking the total to 61000.

Such increase in the candidates settling through PNP has also reshaped the settlement patterns in Canada. Now, a mass population of newcomers is settling down in different provinces of the country away from the large, attractive and alluring cities of Canada. Immigrants are now settling down in provinces like Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan which are a part of the Express entry- linked nominee program. If we reflect on the settlement pattern of immigrants back in 1997, only 10 percent of economic immigrants used to settle outside Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, whereas the number has risen up to 34 percent in the year 2017.

If this trend continues, obtaining a provincial nomination may be one of the best ways to acquire the chance to immigrate to Canada over the next few years. In fact, it could be the best decision to make for receiving an ITA for Express Entry candidates with scores below 440.