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

Interesting Statistics from January 2024’s PNP Draws

• Ontario completed four draws, typically inviting more than 1000 candidates in each draw.
• Ontario’s largest draw was on January 11, when the province invited 2552 candidates in the Express Entry Skilled Trades stream.
• BC completed four draws in January, and it continued it’s trends of completing a general draw and then a tech draw each week.
• BC is currently targeting immigration in childcare, construction, healthcare, and veterinary care occupations.
• Alberta was the first province to issue nominations in 2024, with its first draw on January 23 for Healthcare pathway workers with an Alberta job offer.
• Manitoba completed three draws, including one targeted draw for Ukrainians.
• Prince Edward Island was the only province in the Maritimes to publish its draws in January 2024.
• Saskatchewan invited 13 candidates from the Entrepreneur stream to apply in its first round of invitations for 2024. It will complete Entrepreneur draws on April 11, July 11, and October 10 in 2024.
• Quebec invited 1007 candidates through 2 draws targeted towards individuals outside of Montreal with a job offer. One draw also invited candidates working within targeted occupations. These draws included the requirement for the candidates to have level 7 or higher oral proficiency in French. They are the first draws for candidates outside of Montreal to include this requirement.

Learn more about the January draws using our PNP Tracker.

Key Trends in PNP Draws in January 2024

BC and Ontario Completing Draws Most Often

Ontario and BC completed more draws than the other provinces in January 2024, and tended to invite more people per draw too. Given that Ontario and BC tend to have the highest levels of immigration, this isn’t surprising.

One surprising trend from January was the relatively low number of individuals invited in the Alberta PNP rounds of invitations. The biggest draw in Alberta resulted in 44 invitations. However, the province did seem to be focusing on highly targeted immigration for healthcare and agriculture workers in January 2024.

Draws for Candidates with a Job Offer

One third of the PNP draws in January 2024 targeted candidates with a job offer in Canada. Ontario and Alberta both completed a high number of draws for candidates with a job offer.

This does not mean that you need a valid job offer to succeed in the PNP in Canada. However, this trend does show that having a valid job offer in a Canadian province may increase your chances of being selected.

You also receive additional CRS points for a valid job offer, further showing how a job offer can help you immigrate to Canada via the PNP and Express Entry.

Healthcare Workers Wanted in Western Canada

BC completed a targeted draw for healthcare, childcare, construction, and veterinary care occupations in each draw this month (so, four targeted draws in total). The points required for these candidates were much lower than those invited through BC’s general draws.

Alberta also targeted healthcare workers with a job offer in two (out of three) of its draws.

Healthcare workers are currently in demand in Canada and there are multiple provincial programs directly targeting healthcare workers. There was also the 2023 category-based draws for the federal Express Entry program which targeted healthcare workers, however, these priority categories are under review for 2024.

PNP Policy Updates in January 2024

Canada’s provinces published two policy updates in January 2024.

Ontario: Employer Job Offer International Student Stream Update

Ontario expanded its eligibility for the Employer Job Offer International Student stream. Students who complete a one-year certificate from an Ontario College and who receive an Ontario College Graduate Certificate upon completion may be eligible for this stream.

Quebec: French Language Oral Proficiency Update

On January 3, Quebec expanded its oral proficiency requirements to include the areas outside of of Montreal.

Previously, candidates with a job offer in Montreal must have declared a level of knowledge of level 7 or higher on the Quebec scale of French proficiency to be invited to submit an application for permanent selection. However, outside of this region, candidates did not need to submit any declaration about their oral proficiency in French. This has now changed and all candidates will need to show level 7 oral language skills (or higher) to be invited.

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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