PNP Allocations for 2026 by Province: How Many Nominations Can Each Province Grant This Year?

Generally, we see the provinces and territories slowly publish their allocations in the first few months of each year. Since this information can be hard to track, we’re publishing all the federal allocations as they’re announced right here – to help you keep track. We’ll also share insights on what these allocations may mean for candidates hoping to get a provincial or territorial nomination this year.

Key Takeaways

• At the moment, 4 provinces and 1 territory have announced their provincial nomination allocations for 2026.
• We expect more announcements over the coming month(s).
• These allocations are subject to change and adjustments throughout the year.
• This is a developing story. Keep checking back for updates as more provinces release their allocations, or join our newsletter to get updates on immigration and settlement news in your inbox.

PNP Allocation 2026 by Province

As of February 11, 2026, four provinces and one territory have released their allocations for the year. Generally, the allocations are higher than what we saw in 2025, which isn’t surprising – given the broader context.

IRCC plans to admit 91,500 permanent residents to Canada in 2026 through the PNP program, including 10,000 federal spaces for physicians and French-speaking newcomers. This is much higher than the 55,000 target we initially saw in 2025.

It’s important to note that these allocations aren’t split ‘equally’ between the provinces and territories. Some provinces are allocated more PNP spots than others. A lot of this is based on the population of the province or territory. For example, Ontario is the most populous province in Canada and it generally sees the highest number of PNP allocations each year.

Reminder that this is a developing story. Keep checking back for updates as more provinces release their allocations.

Ontario’s 2026 Provincial Nominee Allocation

Ontario has published an allocation of 14,119 for 2026. This is a pretty significant jump up from the 10,750 nominations it was allocated in 2025, but it is much lower than the 2024 allocation of 21,500.

Ontario PNP Priorities for 2026

The province hasn’t yet announced priorities for its 2026 provincial nominee allocation, but there are a few clues as to where it may be headed.

Clue 1: Draws so far.

So far in 2026, we saw targeted draws for physicians and health occupations and early childhood educators and assistants, as well as for workers in regional areas. This aligns generally with what we saw in 2025 and we would guess this will continue throughout 2026. If you’re a newcomer in Ontario looking to qualify for a nomination in 2026, looking to regional areas outside Toronto may be helpful.

Clue 2: Ontario’s proposed changes to the OINP streams for 2026.

In December, Ontario’s government sought feedback about proposed changes to the OINP. It proposed streamlining the program, down from eight streams to four. It would do this in two stages:

1. Stage 1: Update the Employer Job Offer streams so there are just two trackers: TEER 0-3 and TEER 4-5. The TEER 0-3 track would target skilled workers already in Canada who meet wage and other requirements. While the TEER 4-5 track would focus on supporting occupations facing labour shortages.
2. Stage 2: This would decommission all other streams and replace them with three new streams targeting labour market needs, namely: a healthcare stream, an entrepreneur stream, and an exceptional talent stream.

The comment period on the proposed changes is closed and we aren’t yet sure if Ontario will adopt these changes. But it does give us insight as to what the province may target this year.

If you’re a newcomer looking to get a nomination through Ontario’s PNP, it’s worthwhile considering whether your skills align with these new programs. Now may be a good time to start taking some steps towards meeting the requirements, such as negotiating a raise if you’re in a TEER 0-3 role but earning below the median wage. Even if these changes don’t come into effect, aligning with the requirements may offer additional opportunities so it won’t hurt your chances to start planning for them.

British Columbia’s 2026 Provincial Nominee Program Allocation

BC published an allocation of 5,254 nominations for 2026. In 2025, BC was initially allocated 4,000 nominations but received two increases throughout the year to end at 6,214. 

It is interesting that, even in the context of higher overall allocations, British Columbia has received fewer nominations in 2026 than it ultimately was granted in 2025.

BC’s government published a news release in 2025 that highlighted its disappointment with the allocation it received. BC noted that it had asked for 9,000 nominations for 2026 but that it received a much lower allocation than was asked for.

BC’s government highlighted two other important things in its earlier press release:

1. It will continue to work with the federal government to hopefully increase its quota of provincial nominations for 2026; and
2. It will announce its priorities for its limited allocation in the future. Newcomers considering BC’s PNP should keep a careful eye out for that announcement.

While we haven’t yet seen BC’s priorities announced, we did see a skills immigration draw that continued the focus on high earners and highly skilled workers. It will be interesting to see whether this approach, which the province adopted in 2025, will continue throughout 2026. We would guess so based on what we’ve seen so far.

Alberta 

This year the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has been allocated 6,403 spaces. This is actually a drop from last year when the province nominated 6,603 PNP candidates.  

We recently covered Alberta’s provincial nominee program and the 2026 backlog in detail. But, if you’re here for the highlights, the takeaways for newcomers include:

• Most 2026 nominations are still to come 

• Processing timelines remain long across major streams 

• Targeted initiatives (health care, Francophones, priority sectors) may offer stronger prospects 

• Competition within EOI pools remains intense with most pathways having more candidates in the pool than nominations available for 2026.  

If you’re considering immigrating to Alberta through its provincial nominee program, it is worth noting that competition this year is already intense. You may need to work to improve your ranking factors or aligning your profile with targeted sectors, including physicians and French speakers.

Saskatchewan 

Saskatchewan has 4,761 PNP nominations for 2026. The province says it will distribute 2,381 nominations to priority sectors including healthcare, agriculture, skilled trades, mining, manufacturing, energy, and technology. 

Another 1,190 will go to those in occupations within capped sectors. These are accommodation and food Services, trucking and retail trade.  

There are also 750 spots specifically reserved for Saskatchewan post-secondary graduates working in priority sectors. 

Yukon 

The Yukon has received an allocation of 282 for 2026. The territory says it will prioritize regulated health care professionals, employers in rural Yukon and foreign nationals who: 

• have lived and worked in the Yukon for at least one year; 
• are Yukon University graduates; 
• are Francophone or French-speaking; or 
• received a Temporary Measure Letter of Support in 2024 or 2025. 

Provinces and Territories That Haven’t Yet Announced Their PNP Allocations for 2026

These are the provinces and territories that haven’t yet announced their PNP allocations for 2026:

• Manitoba
• Prince Edward Island
• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Northwest Territories
• Newfoundland and Labrador.

What the Numbers Show 

Totalled, the published allocations show just 30,537 nominations as of February 11, and there are still eight provinces and territories that haven’t published their allocations for the year. Considering the overall PNP admissions target for the year, these allocations seem on the low side.   

However, since the Levels Plan works in terms of admissions, not nominations or invitations issued, IRCC will likely still hit admission target for 2026 because there are currently 102,000 non Express Entry PNP applications waiting to be processed. That’s in addition to the 10,800 Express Entry PNP applications that are also in the queue. 

The department estimates it could take up to 13 months to process a non-Express Entry application received today. So, broadly speaking, assuming IRCC grants PR to everyone currently in the backlog (which is not likely), they have technically already hit the target for the year and anyone who applies this year might be in for a long wait. 

Keep checking back and join the Moving2Canada community for more PNP allocation news and updates on all PNP draws as they happen.