Canada Permanent Residency Visa

Ontario

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the economic migration program of the province for foreign workers and international students. Under this program, various categories are aligned with the Federal Express Entry program. There are three categories as below:

Employer Job Offer Category

This is for workers who have a permanent job offer from an Ontario employer. The Employer Job Offer Category has three streams:

• Foreign Worker Stream: This stream is for workers in skilled occupations.
• International Student Stream: This stream is for recent graduates from Ontario.
• In-Demand Skills Stream: This stream is for intermediate skilled workers in specific sectors, like agriculture, construction, logistic transport and personal support workers.

Human Capital Category

The Human Capital category is for workers with work experience, education, language skills, and a profile in Canada’s Express Entry system, or for international graduate students. This category has two streams as below:

International Graduates

This is further divided into Masters Graduate stream and the PhD Graduate stream. To be eligible under the Masters or PhD stream, the applicant must have a graduate degree from the Ontario university and apply within two years of obtaining the degree.

Ontario’s Express Entry

Applicant must have received a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario and maintains a current profile with latest work experience, language exams, education, and so on in the Federal Express Entry system. This is further divided into three streams as below:

• French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream: This is for French-Speaking skilled workers. 
• Human Capital Priorities stream: This is for skilled workers with the required work experience, education and language proficiency in French or English.
• Skilled Trades stream: This is for workers with work experience in Ontario in an eligible trade occupation.

Business Category

The business category has only one stream called Entrepreneur Stream. It encourages entrepreneurs outside Canada who are seeking to start a new business or buy an existing business in Ontario. The applicant must be an entrepreneur from overseas. Under this stream the nomination is done after the business has been established.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan PNP (SNIP)

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has four popular streams for permanent residence in Saskatchewan as below:

International Skilled Worker Category

The International Skilled Worker (ISW) category is for skilled workers who are living overseas and want to work and live in Saskatchewan. This category is divided into three sub-categories as below:

International Skilled Worker: Employment Offer

This sub-category is for skilled workers who hold a job offer for a skilled occupation in Saskatchewan and are living either in Canada or overseas.

International Skilled Worker: Occupation In-Demand

This sub-category is for skilled workers who don’t have a job offer in Saskatchewan but are highly skilled in an in-demand occupation and are living either in Canada or overseas.

International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry

This sub-category is for skilled workers who don’t have a job offer in Saskatchewan, are living in Canada or overseas and are registered with the IRCC Express Entry Pool.

Saskatchewan Experience Category

The Saskatchewan Experience (In-SK) category is for foreigners who are working and living in Saskatchewan. There are further six sub-categories for foreign workers in Saskatchewan, under which they can apply for the SINP. The Saskatchewan Experience (SE) has five main sub-categories as below:

Skilled Worker with Existing Work Permit

This is for the skilled workers who have been working in Saskatchewan for at least six month, and hold a permanent full-time job offer from a Saskatchewan employer.

Semi-skilled Agriculture Worker with Existing Work Permit

This is for the semi-skilled workers who have been working for more than six months for the same employer who is offering the job.

Health Professionals

This is for skilled workers who have been working full-time in Saskatchewan on a temporary work permit for at least six months in certain health occupations.

Hospitality Sector Project

This is for foreign workers who wish to apply for permanent residence and are currently working in Saskatchewan on a temporary work permit through LMIA. 

Students

This is for students who have graduated from an institute in Saskatchewan or a post- secondary educational institution in Canada.

Entrepreneur and Farm Categories

Entrepreneur Category

The Entrepreneur Category is for foreigners who want to do a business or do a partnership in a business in Saskatchewan and get involved in managing it.

International Graduate Entrepreneur Category

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Category is for international students who graduate from Saskatchewan institution and want to become an entrepreneur. 

Farm Owner and Operator Category

This category is for foreigners who want to move to Saskatchewan, can prove experience in farming, have funds to invest in a farming, and to buy and do farming in Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia PNP Program (NSPNP) is an avenue to migrate to Nova Scotia. The program can be used by skilled migrants to travel, work and reside in the province. There are a few popular streams as below:

Skilled Workers Stream

Skilled Worker

The employers can employ the skilled foreign workers and international graduates to fill the gaps of skills in the local labour market. These applicants need to have an occupation under NOC 0, A or B. These highly skilled occupations are given priority by the employers.

Semi-Skilled Workers:

For workers under the NOC C level of skilled occupations, the applicants are given priority depending on the requirements in the local market and conditions.

Low-Skilled Workers:

These employees come under the category of NOC D level and their applications for employment in these positions are considered by the Immigration only if they satisfy other eligibility criteria.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry

This program is for highly skilled workers to work and live in the province with a chance to attain permanent residence. This program is subdivided into two categories as below:

• Category A: This is for applicants with a valid job offer. 
• Category B: This is for applicants who have experience in an opportunity occupation. 

Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry

This program is for applicants who have a minimum one-year work experience in Nova Scotia and wish to settle here and get permanent residence.

International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

This stream is for international graduates who have graduated from an institution in Nova Scotia. For this the applicant must have already either purchased or initiated their own business that has been running for at least one year.

The applicant must intend to settle and spend most of the time in Nova Scotia while operating the business. This stream allows the eligible applicants to apply for the permanent residence on receiving the nomination from the province.

Entrepreneur Stream

The Entrepreneur Stream is for experienced business owners and managers who wish to live in Nova Scotia. You can setup or purchase an existing business and after that you have actively managed the company for more than a year, following that you may be nominated for the permanent residence in the province.

Alberta

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is a permanent residency program in Alberta province of Canada. It aims to fill skill shortages in the province. A successful applicant may apply for permanent residence with their spouse and children. Under this, there are two main streams as below.

Alberta Worker Streams

Alberta Opportunity Stream

Under Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS), the skilled applicant with a valid job offer from an Alberta employer can apply to be nominated. This opportunity is for temporary foreign workers who are already working full-time in Alberta and have a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in an eligible occupation. The applicant must comply  either with the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or have an exemption for it. Also, the applicant needs to meet the qualifying criteria for language, education, job offer, work experience and residency.

Alberta Express Entry Stream

Under Alberta Express Entry Stream, the qualified applicant with an Express Entry profile may be invited by AINP to apply for nomination for permanent residence. The Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate applicants from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry system. International graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions may also be asked to apply under this stream.

International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

Through International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream (IGEIS), Alberta nominates the eligible international graduates from Alberta to setup or operate a business in Alberta to apply for the permanent residence.

Manitoba

Manitoba welcomes applicants to apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) which is for skilled workers, graduates and business persons. Under this program, there are three streams as below:

Skilled Workers Stream

The skilled workers stream requires eligible applicants to submit their profile in the Express Entry pool. The eligibility is decided on the score and the ranking by the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). The skilled worker category is divided into two streams under this program as below:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba

The MPNP is for Skilled Workers in Manitoba and nominates applicants who have a strong connection to Manitoba province through ongoing employment and sufficient skills, education, training, work experience and language proficiency to offer an immediate and ongoing contribution to the economy of Manitoba.

Skilled Workers Overseas

The MPNP for Skilled Workers is to meet the needs of Manitoba employers. They choose internationally trained and experienced workers with skills required in the local labour market and nominate them to get Canadian permanent residence to settle and work in Manitoba.

International Education Stream

The International Education Stream (IES) is for Manitoba Graduates from post-secondary educational institutions. There are three pathways for a quick nomination as below:

Career Employment Pathway

The Career Employment Pathway offers quick nomination for students who graduate from a post-secondary institution and get a long-term employment in Manitoba in an in-demand occupation, as consistent with their education and training. If you meet this criteria, you will be eligible to apply for the MPNP following graduation and receiving the job offer.

Graduate Internship Pathway

The Graduate Internship Pathway offers quick nomination for international students, who are masters and doctoral graduates through internships contributing to industry and innovation in Manitoba. Such graduates who take up   an Accelerate or Elevate internship with Mitacs in Manitoba, can apply for the MPNP following the graduation, with or without a job offer.

International Student Entrepreneur Pilot

The International Student Entrepreneur Pilot offers (up to 20 per calendar year) international students who graduate in Manitoba with the opportunity to seek entrepreneurship rather than job. Once the applicant satisfies the criteria of their Business Performance Agreement, they are nominated for permanent residence.

Business Investor Stream

This renewed Business Investor Stream has replaced the PNP-B business category. This allows Manitoba to nominate the business investors and entrepreneurs from across the world who have the intention and potential to setup or purchase a business in Manitoba. Under this stream, the applicants will not be required to submit a deposit of $100,000 to the Manitoba government. There are two pathways under this stream as below:

• Entrepreneur Pathway: This is for applicants seeking a business in Manitoba.
• Farm Investor Pathway: This is for those seeking to setup and operate a farm operation in rural area of Manitoba.

British Columbia

BC PNP Pathways

The BC PNP offers three streams for permanent residence in British Columbia. Each stream consists of various categories, depending on National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level, job, or international student visa status. Three popular streams are as below:

Skilled Immigration

Skilled migration is for skilled and semi-skilled workers in high-demand occupations in the province. It uses a points-based system for invitation. The process requires the registration and application to be online for the BC PNP and a paper application to be used for permanent residency.

For some categories, you may not need prior work experience. Skilled workers may have work experience from overseas. Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category applicants need BC work experience. Recent international graduates from a Canadian institution may not require any work experience, subject to the job offered.

Express Entry BC

The BC Express Entry is a quick way for eligible skilled workers to migrate to BC. The applicant must also qualify for a federal economic migration program. It uses a points-based system for invitation. Also, the registration and application process for both the BC PNP and permanent residency process are online.

Under this stream, no BC work experience is required. However, the applicant must have relevant work experience as well as meet the other criteria, like education and language.

Entrepreneur Immigration

The Entrepreneur Immigration stream is for experienced business people, who wish to manage a business in BC actively. It follows the points-based system for invitation. The applicants must have the required personal as well as the investment funds.

The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot program is for the business people who wish setup a new business through participation in the regional communities across BC.

There is also an option for companies that need to expand into BC and to get permanent residency for their key employees.