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Canada
Provincial Nominee Program/ Labour Market Impact Assessment
The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow Canadian Province and territories to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada and who are interested to settle in a particular province.
Each Canadian province and territory (except Nunavut and Quebec) has own unique Provincial Nominee Program. Each PNP has at least one immigration stream that is aligned with the federal Express Entry Immigration selection system.
Provincial nominations issued under Express Entry-aligned streams are known as ‘enhanced nomination’ and award Express Entry candidates an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.
Applying for Canadian Permanent Residence with a Provincial Nomination
Provincial Nominee Program across Canada are actively seeking and retaining eligible foreign nationals by making the process of applying for Canadian permanent residence more accessible.
Whether a provincial nomination certificate is issued via Express Entry or outside the selection system, a nominee is still required to submit a separate application for Permanent Residence (PR) status to IRCC.
The Northern Canada territory of Nunavut does not currently have a PNP and Quebec does not participate in the federal governments PNP. Instead, the governments of Quebec and Canada have entered into a series of agreements which enables the province of Quebec to establish its own selection criteria for economic immigration.
List of Territories and Provinces of Canada:
There are 10 Canadian Provinces, with 3 territories to the north. The difference between a province and a territory has to do with their governance. Basically, the territories have delegated power under the authority of the Parliament of Canada; they are grouped together and ruled by the federal government. The provinces, on the other hand, exercise constitutional powers in their own right. This imbalance of power is gradually being rectified, with local decision-making powers being granted to the territories.
- Provinces of Canada:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Territories of Canada:
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Yukon
Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
Generally, a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is required before a Canadian employer can hire a temporary foreign worker (known as a Labour Market Opinion-LMO).
An LMIA is a form of labour market verification designed to protect Canada’s domestic job marketplace, as well as protect foreign workers employed in Canada temporary. Only under selected circumstances can LMIA-exempt work permit be obtained.
Assessing the Merits of an LMIA Application
Obtaining a Canada work permit is typically a two-step process. First, the Canadian employer must submit a qualifying LMIA application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). It is incumbent on the Canadian employers to also submit a detailed list of Canadians who applied for the position; the number of Canadians interviewed for the position, and detailed explanations for why the Canadian candidates considered were not hired.