The Provincial Nominee Program: Its expansion in Canada

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was introduced in all provinces, excluding Quebec, and most territories in Canada between 1998 and 2009. Its primary goal was to increase the settlement of economic immigrants outside major Canadian cities and to address the workforce needs of employers, as perceived by the province or territory. Over the years, the number of programs within the PNP has continuously expanded, resulting in 68,000 provincial nominees landing in Canada in 2019. That year, the PNP was the largest selection program for economic immigrants, accounting for 35% of all new economic immigrants in Canada, up from 1% in 2000. This article focuses on the expansion of the PNP in Canada and is part of a series that examines various aspects of the program. The findings show that the program has contributed to a substantial regional decentralization of economic immigrants. Additionally, the characteristics of provincial nominees have changed significantly since the program’s inception, including rising shares with pre-immigration Canadian work and study experience, and improved knowledge of official languages. Provincial nominees now tend to be younger, have higher levels of education and are more likely to be principal applicants rather than spouses or dependants, compared with earlier provincial nominees. These changes would tend to improve economic outcomes. The source regions of nominees have shifted, with an increasing share originating from Southern Asia. Provincial nominees are more likely to intend to work in skilled and technical occupations and less likely to be professionals, compared with immigrants in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). The shift from the FSWP to the PNP, along with other changes, has resulted in a significant shift in intended occupations among new economic immigrants. In 2019, there were almost as many skilled and technical new economic immigrants as professionals; this was a significant change from 2005, when professionals dominated.