PNP Targets Slashed In 2025: Here’s What PNP Hopefuls Can Do To Prepare

But, surprisingly, there was some good news for PNP candidates in the numbers announced last week. This article explains the good, the bad, and what’s next for PNP hopefuls in 2025.

Key Takeaways

• The 2025 PNP Target in the Immigration Levels Plan is 55,000. 
• 55,000 is a 50% reduction on 2024 numbers – the 2024 target was 110,000. 
• We have seen many PNPs close for 2024 due to overwhelming demand. 
• But, there is ‘space’ in the 2025 allocation for those living and working in Canada to transition to permanent residence. 

First Things First, Why Have PNPs Been Slashed? 

Canada’s targets for PNPs have steadily increased over the past decade, and in recent years, the admissions through PNPs has roughly hovered around the admission targets for Express Entry. So, why has the federal government slashed targets for PNPs in 2025? (We covered this in more detail here.)

Immigration Minister Marc Miller made it clear that the provinces weren’t collaborating with the federal government to the standard it wants. Here’s what he said: 

“Adjustments will be made to our economic immigration streams to prioritize that transition of workers already here [in Canada] and focus on the labour, and be responsive to the labour market needs. For that we need provinces to move forward and come forward with their data and tell us their needs. The federal government has an understanding of what those needs are — it is a sophisticated one, but it isn’t the only voice in this, and provinces have a responsibility to come to us and tell us what those needs are.” 

We also saw the federal government slash study permit quotes after blaming the provinces for letting approvals and entries get out of hand without the federal government oversight. So, this looks like the federal government is again saying that provinces aren’t ‘doing their job’ well – and the federal government is stepping in to provide additional oversight due to lack of good management. (Though, they didn’t outright state it in this instance.)

What The Numbers From 2023 and 2024 Tell Us About 2025

In 2023, we saw just over 43,000 admissions to Canada through the Express-Entry aligned PNPs. By the end of Q3 in 2024, there were almost 37,000 – so we’re on track for similar levels in 2024. 

Based on that, let’s say that Express-Entry aligned PNPs would average 43,000 admissions – and let’s predict that EE-aligned PNP admissions would sit at 43,000 in 2025. 

Given the target is 55,000, that eats up nearly all of the allocation – right? Well, not quite. 

The In-Canada Focus target is 82,980 for 2025. And given that Canadian Experience Class candidates have been taking up around 42,000 admissions per year, there is close to 40,000 admissions ‘up for grabs’ – and we would guess that a significant chunk of those admissions will go to in-Canada applicants who may have otherwise applied through a Provincial nomination program. 

So, with that extra 40,000 admissions through the In-Canada focus, the 55,000 directed to PNPs isn’t quite as tight as things initially appeared. 

“So, with that extra 40,000 admissions through the In-Canada focus, the 55,000 directed to PNPs isn’t quite as tight as things initially appeared.”

But that’s not to say things are going to be easy for those who planned to take the PNP nomination route. 

Almost 50% of PNP Admissions Already Accounted For In 2025

Since May 2024, we have seen almost 13,000 Express Entry candidates invited via PNP draws.

Plus, we know from 2021 Stats Can data, that around 50% will have an accompanying spouse and/or dependent (who will each take one admission for PR). 

So, let’s say half of the 15,000 applicants via the PNP invitations sent from May of this year have an accompanying family member, this would mean that 22,500 admissions of the 55,000 target have already been spoken for. 

What Should PNP Applicants Do In Preparation For Applying For PR in 2025? 

It’s too early to speculate how the provinces will react to this news. However, based on Ontario’s announcement that it is banning international students from attending its medical schools, we do expect some of the fallout from this announcement to be a little hard to digest. 

So, given you can’t control how the provinces will react – it’s worthwhile focusing on what you can control. 

We suggest taking a look at Express Entry or other federal economic pilot programs and start taking steps to qualify for these programs. If you already qualify, then you should work on your score and the quality of your application to succeed. 

A free Moving2Canada account is a great starting point. You can take our immigration quiz to figure out what options you have or use our CRS calculator to see how competitive your profile would be in the Express Entry pool. From there, you can use our resources and personalized checklists to improve your chances of becoming a permanent resident in 2025. 

Register here for free