February 2024 PNP Trends & What They Mean For PNP Draws This Year

Key Statistics from PNP Draws in February 2024

• Ontario completed three draws, heavily targeting healthcare and tech occupations.
• BC is continuing to target immigration in tech, childcare, construction, healthcare, and veterinary care occupations. Interestingly, the score required for construction increased in the most recent BC PNP draw.
• Alberta issued just 124 invitations in February.
• Prince Edward Island completed two draws in one month for the first time since November last year. The draws targeted specific occupations, namely Healthcare, Construction, Manufacturing, Food Processing, Agriculture, and Early Childhood Education, or were for skilled workers with an employer in PEI.
• Quebec completed two draws, each being a general draw with a high points requirement (600+) and in the employer offer outside of Montreal stream. This is the first time Quebec has completed two draws in one month since September last year.

Learn more about the February draws using our PNP Tracker.

February 2024 PNP Program Updates

February saw a flurry of activity in terms of program updates. Here’s what you need to know:

Prince Edward Island Reduced Immigration Via PNP in 2024

PEI announced on February 22 that it will reduce the number of nominations it issues in 2024 by 25%. This measure is an attempt to slow population growth and to promote sustainable growth.

PEI has been one of the fastest growing regions in Canada, and the growth in PEI’s population in 2023 was the largest year-over-year increase on record for the island. It is attempting to slow immigration growth to allow the province to “catch up on what [it] needs”.

The province also announced that the allocated nominations will favour skilled workers in healthcare, trades, childcare, and other key industries. Though, their recent draws also highlight that they will continue to work to attract business immigration and workers with employment offers.

Alberta Announces a New Stream for Tourism & Hospitality Workers

On February 13, Alberta announced the opening, scheduled for March 1, of a new immigration stream under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program specifically for the tourism and hospitality industry to address labour shortages and support sector growth.

We are expecting an announcement for this new stream tomorrow, so keep an eye on our news feed for more information.

Another Alberta Update: Opportunity Stream Intake Paused

Alberta also announced an intake pause on its Opportunity Stream, effective February 15. Applications that were in draft or where the application fee had not yet been paid will not be considered.

The temporary pause will allow Alberta to catch up on the processing of the high volume of applications. We are also expecting further changes to the program to be announced in the future to prevent these high volumes from accumulating again.

Alberta also indicated that it is likely to prioritize nominations through the program to target immigration in priority occupations, including healthcare, technology, construction, agriculture, tourism and hospitality.

Ontario Now Accepting PTE Core English Tests For PNP Purposes

On February 26, Ontario announced that it will be accepting Pearson Test of English (PTE) Core English tests for PNP purposes, effective January 30, 2024. It is the first province to announce the tests eligibility for PNP purposes.

BC Plans to Accept PTE Core Starting This Fall

On that note, BC also indicated this month that it plans to accept the PTE Core English tests, however, not until this fall.

We will provide more updates about PTE Core validity for BC PNP purposes as they’re announced.

We are expecting other provinces to announce timelines for PTE Core validity over the coming months.

Targeted Immigration News in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia saw a surge in healthcare and construction workers immigrating to the province in 2023. In a news release published on February 23, it noted that it saw a staggering 88.9% year-over-year increase in healthcare worker immigration and 85.8% increase in construction professions.

Key Takeaway: Workers in Healthcare, Construction, Tech, and Childcare Occupations in High Demand

Canada’s provinces are heavily reliant on newcomers to fill shortages across these fields. There’s clear demand across the country at the provincial (and federal in the case of healthcare) for workers with skills in the above areas.

We anticipate that we will continue to see lower entry requirements for any candidates with relevant skills or job offers in these occupations.

Immigrate via the PNP Canada

Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow provinces and territories to select immigrants for permanent residence. There are more than 80 different PNP streams across Canada. PNPs target candidates based on criteria like holding a job offer in the province, having work experience in an in-demand occupation, having past work or study experience in the province, or having the resources to start a business in the province.

Canada plans to welcome around 110,000 permanent residents through its PNP program in 2024.

If you’re interested in moving to Canada but not sure which program you may be eligible for, check your eligibility for more than 20 Canadian immigration programs by taking Moving2Canada’s free Canada Immigration Quiz.

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