Under Canada’s Constitution, the federal government and each province and territory share the authority to administer the country’s immigration system.

As such, Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals wishing to immigrate to Canada who are interested in settling in a particular province. The only exceptions are the Canadian Northern Territory of Nunavut and Quebec. Instead, the province of Quebec has the authority to set its own selection criteria for economic immigration.

The primary purpose of the PNPs is to spread the benefits of immigration throughout Canada.

Provincial nominations issued under these sequences aligned with Express Entry are known as “enhanced nominations.” The benefits of enhanced PNP  draws are that they award Express Entry candidates an additional 600 Comprehensive Classification System (CRS) points, which essentially guarantee that they will receive a permanent residence invitation under Express Entry. Another important benefit is that they can have their application for permanent residence processed by the  federal government faster, usually within six months.

The other way to obtain permanent residence through the PNP is under a “base” stream.