The Covid-19 pandemic might have shaken the world’s health and safety status. This has, in turn, led to lockdowns and closing of borders by many countries. But these measures are not sustainable in the long run. For this reason, many countries have embarked into measures that curb the spread of the virus “flattening the curve” as most of us would like to call it while trying to rebuild the economy. The best example is the Canadian federal and provincial governments. The Covid-19 pandemic has not deterred many provincial nominee programs from carrying out their mandates.
If you’ve qualified for permanent residency, the option of getting permanent residence via the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is still open. This program is designed to offer a less bureaucratic pathway to foreign experts in order to fill the gaps in the labor market. It also offers a leeway path for entrepreneurs who have the skills and resources to meet the country’s economic needs.
Have you studied in Canada, completed a college curriculum in a certain field and have some work experience? You also stand a chance of acquiring permanent residency through PNP. The country may have sorted into more stringent international travel restrictions in the spirit of fighting coronavirus, but most PNP streams are still inviting eligible candidates to apply for permeant residency.
The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program
Ontario is not backing down from spearheading the country’s economy due to the global Coronavirus pandemic. Before the end of April, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has held three draws. The recent OINP was geared to attract more Fresh-speaking experts, entrepreneurs with certain skill sets and experienced tradespeople in certain occupations.
As we speak, Notifications of Interest—which most of us like calling “invitations”—is already issued by the government of Ontario. The Human Capital Priorities Stream has targeted 1440 applicants, and the Skilled Trades Stream is looking for 190 principle candidates, where else the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream is aiming for 549 applicants.
According to the 2019 results that were recently released, most nominations were awarded to applicants who already held profiles in the federal express entry system. The same data also showed that the PNP selected more principle applicants than the federal government did. Thanks to PNP, 7,391 principal applicants and 6,340 spouses and dependents are now enjoying their new status across Ontario.
Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
AINP has held more draws this year than any other PNP in the country. So far. The program has held a total of eleven draws. It had held eight draws before the pandemic and three amidst Covid-19. The drop in numbers is due to the measures put in place to fight the virus.
This year’s qualification for the Alberta Express Entry Stream is a little lenient. Even Express Entry candidates who scored as low as 300 points in their Compressive Ranking System (CRS) scores are eligible to apply.
What’s more, any candidate who receives the provincial nomination automatically gets an additional 600 CRS points. With such bumped up in the overall score, securing an Invitation To Apply, commonly known as ITA, and subsequent federal express entry draw won’t be much of a problem.
That said, the AINP is still observing all measures set by national and international health bodies to fight the coronavirus. To that effect, the program is holding draws that target candidates who have so far been working and living in Alberta.
