Almost all the provinces in Canada have an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows them to nominate applicants who wish to settle in the respective provinces.

There are some benefits of this program. Every province has its own selection criteria. In most of the provinces, even applicants working in low skilled and entry level jobs can be eligible for nomination and language testing requirements are not as strict as the federal program.

Temporary foreign workers already working in Canada have a fairly good chance of being nominated in the province where they are working. Programs like BC PNP can be helpful for faster immigration. Once the province nominates the applicant, an application for permanent residence must be filed with IRCC within a specified time.

Some provinces also provide an option to apply for an open work permit to applicants who have been nominated. Being nominated by the province, however, does not guarantee permanent residence. The applicant has to meet all other statutory requirements laid by IRCC including and not limited to the applicants being able to be economically established.

Canada has signed separate agreements with each of the ten provinces and three territories for nomination of skilled workers by those provinces and territories. By virtue of those agreements Canadian provinces and Territories can nominate permanent residents to live in those provinces and meet the labour shortage and demand of skilled workers in those areas. The following provinces and territories are participating in this program:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• New Found land & Labrador
• Nunavut
• Northern Territories
• Ontario
• Prince Edwards Island
• Quebec (Separate agreement)
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon