On This Page, You Will Find:
- What the Provincial Nominee Program is
- The 2026 nomination allocation and how it changed
- Base streams versus Express Entry-aligned streams
- Why a nomination is worth 600 CRS points
- The provincial and territorial programs, province by province
- Quebec’s separate system
- How much a PNP application costs in 2026
- What to expect from PNP intake in 2026
- Frequently asked questions
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the mechanism through which Canada’s provinces and territories select economic immigrants for their own labour markets. It is now the second-largest economic immigration channel after Federal High Skilled, and for many candidates it is the most realistic route to permanent residence.
The programme has been through two years of whiplash. The 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan cut PNP admissions sharply, to 55,000. The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan reversed course, setting the 2026 PNP admissions target at 91,500 – a 66 per cent increase on the previous plan’s figure, rising to 92,500 in 2027 and 2028. That is still below the peaks of 2024, but it represents a substantial restoration of provincial capacity.
This page explains how the PNP works in 2026 and where each province currently sits.
What the Provincial Nominee Program Is
Under the PNP, each participating province and territory operates its own streams, sets its own eligibility criteria, and nominates candidates it believes will succeed economically in that jurisdiction. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) then makes the final permanent residence decision, assessing admissibility, medical requirements and security.
The division of responsibility matters when things go wrong: a province decides whether to nominate you, but IRCC decides whether to grant permanent residence. A nomination is not a guarantee.
Most provinces align their streams to labour market demand, and many require a job offer, prior work or study in the province, or an occupation on a current in-demand list. Some run expression-of-interest pools with periodic invitation rounds; others accept applications during defined intake windows.
The 2026 Allocation
Under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan:
- 2026 PNP admissions target: 91,500 (range 82,000–105,000)
- 2027 and 2028: 92,500 each year (range 82,000–106,000)
- Total economic admissions: 239,800 in 2026, rising to 244,700 in 2027 and 2028
- Overall permanent resident admissions stabilised at 380,000 per year through 2028
- The economic category reaches 64 per cent of all admissions in 2027 and 2028
IRCC has stated that the plan “increases admissions under the Federal High Skilled and Provincial Nominee Program,” explicitly to support nation-building projects and respond to distinct provincial labour market needs. Federal High Skilled sits at 109,000 for 2026; the Atlantic Immigration Program at 4,000; and the federal economic pilots – caregivers, agri-food, community immigration pilots and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot – at 8,175 combined.
An important distinction: admissions targets are not nomination certificates. The 91,500 figure counts people landing as permanent residents in 2026, including dependants. Each province receives its own nomination allocation from IRCC, and provinces publish those separately. Candidates should check the specific province’s current allocation and remaining capacity, because a province that has committed most of its allocation early in the year will run tighter intake for the remainder.
Base Streams Versus Express Entry Streams
Nearly every province runs two kinds of stream.
Base streams operate entirely outside Express Entry. You apply to the province, receive a nomination, and then submit a paper-based or portal permanent residence application to IRCC. Processing is slower, but the eligibility criteria are often broader – base streams are where semi-skilled occupations, entrepreneur categories and community-specific pathways generally live.
Express Entry-aligned (or “enhanced”) streams require you to already have a profile in the Express Entry pool and to be eligible for one of the federal programmes behind it. The province issues a nomination through the Express Entry system, which adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score. Processing is considerably faster.
If you are eligible for both, the Express Entry route is almost always preferable on timing alone.
Why 600 Points Changes Everything
A provincial or territorial nomination is worth 600 CRS points – more than every other additional-points factor combined. Since the maximum obtainable from core human capital, spouse factors, skill transferability and the remaining additional points is 600, a nominee’s total sits far above any realistic general-round cut-off.
That makes the PNP the single most reliable strategy for candidates whose CRS score is otherwise uncompetitive: older applicants, those without Canadian experience, and those affected by the removal of arranged-employment points in March 2025. Since that change, provincial nomination has become more important, not less, because the alternative score boost that a job offer used to provide no longer exists.
The Provincial and Territorial Programs
Every province and territory except Quebec and Nunavut operates a nominee program. Nunavut has no PNP. Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada–Quebec Accord.
- Ontario – Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), with employer job offer, human capital and entrepreneur streams. See Ontario immigration.
- British Columbia – BC PNP, including skilled worker, health authority, tech and entrepreneur streams, run through a registration and scoring system. See British Columbia immigration.
- Alberta – Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), with worker, graduate, rural renewal, tourism and hospitality, and entrepreneur streams. See Alberta immigration.
- Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), including an Employer Position Approval process and capped sector intake windows. See Saskatchewan immigration.
- Manitoba – Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), with skilled worker in Manitoba, skilled worker overseas, international education and business investor streams. See Manitoba immigration.
- Nova Scotia – Nova Scotia Nominee Program, alongside participation in the Atlantic Immigration Program. See Nova Scotia immigration.
- New Brunswick – New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program, also an Atlantic Immigration Program participant. See New Brunswick immigration.
- Prince Edward Island – PEI PNP, which runs periodic expression-of-interest draws. See Prince Edward Island immigration.
- Newfoundland and Labrador – NLPNP, plus Atlantic Immigration Program participation. See Newfoundland and Labrador immigration.
- Yukon – Yukon Nominee Program, employer-driven and closely tied to territorial labour shortages. See Yukon immigration.
- Northwest Territories – Northwest Territories Nominee Program, with employer-driven and business streams. See Northwest Territories immigration.
Because streams open, close and change criteria frequently – often with little notice – always confirm current requirements on the province’s own website before preparing an application.
Quebec: A Separate System
Under the Canada–Quebec Accord, Quebec selects its own economic immigrants. It does not run a nominee program; instead it operates the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) and its own business immigration streams, issuing a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) rather than a nomination.
Quebec’s targets are set in its own immigration plan and are shown as “TBD” in the federal Levels Plan pending that tabling. Quebec’s programmes have been unusually unstable, with the PEQ subject to a limited reopening and continuing uncertainty. See our Quebec immigration overview and Quebec Experience Program guide.
What a PNP Application Costs in 2026
Federal fees rose on April 30, 2026. For a Provincial Nominee Program permanent residence application:
- Principal applicant, including the right of permanent residence fee: $1,590
- Principal applicant, without the RPRF: $990
- Accompanying spouse or partner, including the RPRF: $1,590
- Each accompanying dependent child: $270
- Biometrics: $85 per person, or $170 maximum per family
The right of permanent residence fee is now $600, up from $575. Provinces also charge their own application or registration fees, which vary widely and are separate from the federal amounts. Our immigration fee schedule lists every current federal fee.
What To Expect From PNP Intake in 2026
Three dynamics are worth planning around.
Restored but still constrained capacity. The jump from 55,000 to 91,500 admissions is real, but it follows a year in which several provinces sharply tightened criteria and paused streams to manage a halved allocation. Some of those restrictions have not been fully unwound, and provinces have generally kept a tighter focus on priority occupations.
Nominations concentrated on in-Canada candidates. The Levels Plan explicitly prioritises transitioning temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residence, including a one-time initiative to move up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residency across 2026 and 2027. Provinces have followed the same logic, favouring candidates already working in the province.
Timing within the year matters. Provinces that use capped intake windows or sector quotas can exhaust capacity early. Prepare documents in advance so you can submit the moment a window opens rather than assembling paperwork after it does.
For candidates interested in business streams, note that the federal business category has been cut to just 500 admissions per year, and several provincial entrepreneur streams have been reworked in response – see provincial entrepreneur immigration programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many provincial nominations will Canada issue in 2026?
The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets the Provincial Nominee Program admissions target at 91,500 for 2026, with a range of 82,000 to 105,000, rising to 92,500 in 2027 and 2028. That is a 66 per cent increase on the 55,000 figure in the previous plan, though still below 2024 levels.
How many CRS points is a provincial nomination worth?
A provincial or territorial nomination adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score. Because the maximum available from all other factors combined is also 600, a nomination effectively guarantees an invitation to apply in the next relevant Express Entry round.
What is the difference between a base stream and an Express Entry stream?
Base streams operate outside Express Entry: you are nominated by the province and then apply to IRCC separately, with slower processing but often broader eligibility. Express Entry-aligned streams require an existing Express Entry profile and federal programme eligibility, and the nomination adds 600 CRS points with considerably faster processing.
Which provinces do not have a Provincial Nominee Program?
Quebec and Nunavut. Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada–Quebec Accord, issuing a Quebec Selection Certificate rather than a nomination. Nunavut does not operate a nominee program.
Does a provincial nomination guarantee permanent residence?
No. A province decides whether to nominate you, but IRCC makes the final permanent residence decision and independently assesses admissibility, medical requirements and security. A nomination makes selection near-certain but does not remove the federal assessment.
How much does a PNP permanent residence application cost?
As of April 30, 2026, a principal applicant pays $1,590 including the $600 right of permanent residence fee, or $990 if the RPRF is deferred. An accompanying spouse or partner costs the same, and each dependent child $270. Biometrics add $85 per person. Provincial application fees are separate and vary by jurisdiction.