In Canada, the Federal government has its own immigration programs, while the provinces and territories have theirs. However, the federal government has the final say about who becomes a permanent Canadian resident. Learning about the programs will help you decide the best way to come to Canada as a skilled professional.
Express Entry
Express Entry is a Canadian Federal Government program. It manages applications sent to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The three immigration programs run by the Canadian Federal government are the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the
Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Express Entry manages them all.
Candidates who want to become permanent Canadian residents will get a score according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The ranking system identifies candidates who will be most successful working and living in Canada.
The CRS ranks candidates based on various criteria, including age, qualifications, education, language skills, human capital, work experience, etc. the government conducts Express Entry draws every couple of weeks and invites candidates with the best CRS scores to become permanent Canadian residents.
The Provincial Nominee Program
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the second immigration program. It is operated by the Canadian provinces and territories.
skilled professionals can apply for the program to immigrate to Canada and become permanent residents. The Provincial Nominee Program seeks to improve the provincial and territory economies by finding skilled professionals who meet the economic needs of these places.
If chosen for the program, candidates get a provincial nomination which they can use to support their bid for immigration into Canada and permanent residency.
Benefits of Applying To Both Programs
Though the two immigration programs are run by different entities, candidates who want to immigrate to Canada can apply to both of them. There are benefits to applying to the programs simultaneously.
A significant benefit of applying to the Express Entry pool is that candidates make themselves visible to Canadian provinces and territories who can evaluate their profiles and award them an invitation to apply (ITA) to their Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Candidates who accept the invitation to apply can hence submit a completed PNP application to the province or territory.
