Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Guide 2026: All Canadian Provinces Compared
Side-by-side comparison of all Canadian Provincial Nominee Programs in 2026, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Atlantic provinces, and more. Stream options, eligibility, processing times, and best-fit profiles.
Updated August 2026. Provincial programs changed substantially during 2026: Ontario closed all nine of its previous OINP streams and replaced them with a single Workforce Priority stream, British Columbia eliminated its International Graduate streams and permanently closed Entry Level and Semi-Skilled, New Brunswick paused two streams, and Nova Scotia consolidated ten pathways into four. Some streams named below no longer exist — see our current PNP page for what is open today.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are the second-largest pathway to Canadian permanent residence, and often the fastest route for candidates who don’t have a high enough CRS for Express Entry alone. Each province has its own streams and priorities.
British Columbia (BC PNP)
Best for: Tech workers, healthcare professionals, recent BC graduates.
Skills Immigration uses the SIRS registration system out of 200 points. Tech occupations and Healthcare have dedicated targeted draws with the lowest thresholds. Entrepreneur Immigration is available for business investors (minimum $600K net worth).
Ontario (OINP)
Best for: Tech professionals, French speakers, in-demand skilled workers.
Streams include Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker, Skilled Trades, Employer Job Offer, Masters Graduate, PhD Graduate, and Entrepreneur. OINP Tech Draws have the largest invitation numbers of any provincial tech program.
Alberta (AAIP)
Best for: Express Entry candidates near the CRS cutoff, candidates with Alberta job offers, agriculture workers.
Streams: Alberta Opportunity Stream, Alberta Express Entry Stream, Rural Renewal Stream, Tourism & Hospitality Stream, Accelerated Tech Pathway, and Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa.
Saskatchewan (SINP)
Best for: Candidates with Saskatchewan ties, OINP-style point-based eligibility.
Streams: International Skilled Worker (Employment Offer, Saskatchewan Experience, Occupation In-Demand, Express Entry), Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot, and Entrepreneur.
Manitoba (MPNP)
Best for: Candidates with Manitoba family connections, employer offers, or recent Manitoba education.
Streams: Skilled Workers in Manitoba, Skilled Workers Overseas, International Education Stream, Business Investor Stream.
Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland)
Best for: Candidates with employer offers in Atlantic provinces.
Includes provincial PNPs plus the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), a federal program for designated Atlantic employers. AIP is often faster than PNP for eligible candidates.
Yukon and Northwest Territories (Territorial Nominee Programs)
Best for: Workers with territorial employer offers and willingness to relocate to the North.
Smaller programs, but with high success rates for genuine local applicants. Yukon holds 282 nominations for 2026 across its Skilled Worker, Critical Impact Worker and Express Entry streams, with two intake windows a year and no carry-over of expressions of interest between them. The Northwest Territories holds 300 and moved its Employer-Driven stream to an expression-of-interest model in February 2026.
Nunavut has no nominee program and never has — IRCC lists only eleven participating provinces and territories, and states plainly that Quebec and Nunavut do not have programs. Anyone offering a "Nunavut PNP" is describing something that does not exist.
How to choose your PNP
The right PNP depends on where you have ties (work, education, family), your occupation, and your CRS score. We help clients identify their highest-probability PNP and structure their applications for approval.
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