PNP lotteries were held in Ontario and BC to choose people with relevant job experience. Saskatchewan streamlines immigration processes by closing the Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot.

Both the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) and the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held their most recent rounds of selections for their respective Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) this week. The selection of the candidates was based on their employment history, professional experience, and language skills.

Ontario PNP Draw – September 5th

Ontario held a draw for its French-speaking skilled worker stream on September 5. In this drawing, candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores between 290 and 393 received 96 Notifications of Interest (NOIs) from the province.

The French-speaking Skilled Worker Stream is intended for those who speak French and want to move to Ontario. In order to be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) in order to be included to the federal Express Entry pool. In addition, they need to have a degree that is recognised, complete certain standards for job experience and language ability, want to live in Ontario, and show that they have enough money for settlement.

In contrast to other streams, candidates must first receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario before submitting an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

British Columbia PNP Draws – September 4th

On September 4, British Columbia held two provincial nominee drawings, each aimed at a distinct stream.

A general selection was made for the Entry Level & Semi-Skilled, International Graduate, and Skilled Worker streams in the first draw. A total of 75 invitations were sent out, with the Entry Level & Semi-Skilled stream requiring a minimum score of 110, and the other streams having minimum scores of 128.

The second draw was a targeted selection process that specifically looked for applicants in the International Graduate and Skilled Worker streams who had prior job experience in important sectors of the British Columbian economy. The following are the outcomes of this targeted draw:

1. Candidates with a minimum score of 83 were invited, and 31 of them had professional childcare experience.
2. 33 applicants with at least an 89 were invited; they all have professional childcare experience.
3. With a minimum score of 99, 19 individuals with childcare-related professional experience were invited.
4. A minimum score of 80 was required for the invitation of at least one candidate with childcare-related professional experience.

You can refer to the in-demand employment list for British Columbia that was taken into consideration for this draw.

Effective August 30, 2024, the Saskatchewan Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot will be closed.

As of August 30, 2024, Saskatchewan’s Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) will be permanently discontinued. This is more news regarding immigration. For this trial, no new employment approval forms or applications will be accepted. Applications that have already been filed and accompanied by a current Candidate-Specific Job Approval Letter will still be handled, though.

The closure is a component of Saskatchewan’s initiative to improve settlement results and streamline its immigration processes. There are still open SINP categories, and those looking to relocate to Saskatchewan have access to alternate immigration routes.

On September 6 and 11, 2024, SINP will hold information sessions on alternate possibilities to help candidates. You can reach SINP through its contact channels or by email for more information and assistance.