Two provinces hold two PNP draws the first week of March 2021. B.C. held two draws and issued 444 invitations to candidates; Ontario held two back to back draws one targeting specific occupations and the other targeting French-Speaking Skilled Workers. A total of 1,324 immigration candidates received invitations.
444 immigration candidates invited in BC PNP draw
Two PNP draws held in British Columbia result in 444 immigration candidates receiving invitations for provincial nomination.
Two Provincial Nominee Program draws were held by the province of British Columbia on March 2 2021.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued a total of 444 invitations to qualified candidates from the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams.
The candidates were specifically from the Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Entry Level and Semi-Skilled sub categories.
Draw results at a glance (NOC 0621 and 0631 not included)
| CATEGORIES | MINIMUM SCORE |
| SI – Skilled Worker | 97 |
| SI – International Graduate | 94 |
| SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | 83 |
| EEBC – Skilled Worker | 97 |
| EEBC – International Graduate | 94 |
| Total Invitations | 418 |
An additional draw was conducted for NOC 0621 – retail and wholesale trade managers and NOC 0631 – restaurant and food service managers. The minimum score required was 118 and 26 invitations were issued in the draw.
With this newest draw, the total number of immigration candidates who have received invitations from the province this year is 1,831.
11 invitation rounds have been held so far (one for every week of the year).
B.C.’s PNP program has been designed to attract individuals who have in-demand skills and are looking to settle in the province. Interested candidates need to create and register an account under B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Each profile is assigned a score depending on age, work experience etc.
When PNP rounds are held, the highest scoring candidates are issued invitations.
The province of British Columbia holds weekly PNP draws and every second draw is usually a Tech Pilot draw. If the trend continues, the next draw held the week of March 8 2021 will likely be a Tech Pilot draw.
Ontario issues invitations to Express Entry candidates in 10 targeted occupations
754 Express Entry candidates with work experience in ten occupations, including nursing, accounting and human resources received invitations from the province to apply for provincial nomination.
Candidates with profiles in the Express Entry system received invitations by the province of Ontario to apply for a provincial nomination in the latest provincial nominee program draw.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued 754 invitations to candidates who may be eligible for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP). They were required to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores between 463 and 467.
For this draw, the province targeted candidates with work experience in 10 specific occupations:
- NOC 0122 – Banking, credit and other investment managers;
- NOC 0124 – Advertising, marketing and public relations managers;
- NOC 0125 – Other business services managers;
- NOC 0601 – Corporate sales managers;
- NOC 1111 – Financial auditors and accountants;
- NOC 1112 – Financial and investment analysts;
- NOC 1121 – Human resources professionals;
- NOC 1122 – Professional occupations in business management consulting;
- NOC 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses;
- NOC 4163 – Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants.
These same targeted occupations were used as a criteria in Ontario’s HCP draw from February 2 2021.
In order to qualify, candidates need to demonstrate one year or more of work experience in one of these ten occupations.
A provincial nomination goes a long way towards receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residency since candidates who receive a nomination from PNP receive an additional 600 points on their existing CRS score.
This means candidates selected in this round could end up with a final CRS of 1063 and 1067. This is quite a high score given that the maximum is 1200!
Last year, 6,716 Express Entry candidates received a nomination through the HCP stream, it will be interesting to see the final number for 2021 given Canada’s aggressive immigration targets for the year.
Ontario holds new draw for French-Speaking candidates
OINP holds second draw of 2021 targeting French-speaking skilled worker stream and invites 126 immigration candidates.
Following the draw targeting specific occupations, on March 3 2021, Ontario held another Provincial Nominee Program draw and issued 126 invitations to candidates through the French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) stream.
In order to qualify for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) draw, candidates were required to have a valid profile in the Express Entry system and have a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) of between 455 and 467.
Only candidates who created their Express Entry profiles between March 3 2020 and March 3 2021 were selected. Individuals who received an invitation will have 45 calendar days to complete and submit their application for a provincial nomination.
The last FSSW draw Ontario held was on January 13 when a total of 146 invitations were issued.
French-speaking skilled worker:
The FSSW stream is designed to attract bilingual people in the province as they are looking to increase the number of francophones. It is a great stream for people who speak both French and English. One of the advantages of this stream is that a job offer is not required and greater emphasis is placed on language proficiency.
Program eligibility:
Unfortunately an invitation does not guarantee a nomination. Candidates will usually need to meet the eligibility requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class.
Candidates will also need a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 or higher in French and 6 or higher in English.
Applicants who successfully receive their nominations are awarded an additional 600 points on their CRS score.
This draw brings up the total number of invitations issued through the FSSW stream to 271.