IRCC will give out the new guiding principles for the PNP, highlighting how the PNP distributes allocation to provinces.

Provinces have a limit on the number of applicants they can invite via the PNP. Every year, the federal government allocates a particular number of nominations to every territory/ province. 

Through the PNP, provinces can select economic immigrants who stand out as having the skills, connections, & other attributes that a province requires to support its workforce & economy. 

Moreover, the provincial & federal governments share responsibility for immigration. All provinces & territories in Canada have a PNP except for Nunavut & Quebec. These two provinces have a separate agreement with the federal government.   

Applicants who obtain a provincial nomination can further submit the PR application to IRCC. For instance, Express Entry applicants who receive provincial nomination can gain an extra 600 points under the CRS system in case they accept the nomination & submit an approved PNP application to the province that invited them. Thus, gaining an additional 600 points virtually guarantees an ITA in an Express Entry draw. 

Moreover, applicants can also apply directly to the provincial government for nomination. 

New Guiding Principles For The PNP 

When IRCC decides the number of nominations a provincial government would allocate, it generally uses the guiding principles. IRCC states that the objective of new guiding principles for the PNP is to: 

  • Establish a systematic, evidence-based framework in order to determine PNP allocations year after year. 
  • Support more transparency with territories & provinces by informing them of IRCC considerations used to notify the minister regarding allocation recommendations. This includes working with them on actions to improve the predictable usage of allocations. 
  • Introduce excellent operational predictability via allocations which reflect past usage & trends, like a more accurate split between based & enhanced spaces. 

IRCC further breaks down the guiding principles into qualitative & quantitative factors. These factors are meant to improve predictability & processing times for base PNP applications. 

The report states that by creating more predictability, IRCC will be better positioned to allocate nominations to provinces, thus reducing the number of requests for changes obtained from provinces & territories (PTs). 

The department says that the quantitative considerations will reflect the objectives & desired outcomes of regional immigration programming. It will show the share of economic immigrants compared to the share of populations & retention rates in each PT. This information will help IRCC determine the number of nominations in its allocation. 

Once IRCC decides on the size of the provincial allocation increase, qualitative considerations are used to adjust the number. Moreover, IRCC seeks feedback from PTs & other stakeholders through consultations to understand their needs & make subsequent changes. This includes accounting for other allocations that support a regional need, like AIP or RNIP. 

Atlantic Immigration Program 

The ATIP makes special reference to the AIP. In its initial year, AIP used a population model based on each province’s percentage of the overall regional population. Moreover, IRCC still applies this approach to the first 2,000 allocations. 

After those allocations are disturbed, IRCC further factors past usage of allocations, provincial nomination growth strategies, & share of economic immigration spaces, like Express Entry or the PNP. 

Multi-Year Allocations For The PNP 

The new guiding principles for the PNP are also being used in the recently endorsed multi-year plan for the Provincial Nominee Program & the AIP. 

The new multi-year plan will act just like the multi-year plan & give PT governments allocations for three years in advance. However, it is vital to note that these allocations can change. 

Earlier, allocations were assigned only one year at a time, which created challenges for the province in planning infrastructure, like housing or ensuring adequate healthcare is in place, along with settlement services for newcomers. 

Moreover, it was also announced that the overall number of PNP allocations had increased by 44% this year. 

Immigration Levels Plan 

A new Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-26 will be released by November 1st. The plan will highlight PR admission targets for the next three years & help shape the immigration strategy of Canada. 

Moreover, in the 2023-25 Plan, the PNP accounted for the highest planned number of permanent resident admissions, with targets beginning at 105,500 in 2023 & rising to 117,500 PNP admissions annually in 2025. 

Marc Miller also stated that he does not anticipate that the targets will decrease in the forthcoming plan. Given the high targets & pressure from provincial governments to raise the number of allocations, it is likely that any revisions to the existing PNP admission targets will be an increase.