PNP employer support - retain workers through permanent residence

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) often have streams where a Canadian employer offers a job to a foreign worker or graduate; the province may nominate that person for permanent residence. Employers may need to register, be designated, or obtain a job-offer approval (e.g. Saskatchewan's Employer Position Assessment, EPA) depending on the province.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) now operates through a single Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which is job-offer-based. Employers may need to meet registration and job offer requirements. We help with registration, job offer preparation, and supporting the worker's nomination application.

Nova Scotia has no employer designation under the NSNP. Where the employer needs one, the document is the Employer Registration Certificate from the Nova Scotia Director of Labour Standards (the NSNP application also takes the certificate or an exemption letter), and recruiters need a Nova Scotia temporary foreign worker recruiter licence. Employer designation exists in Nova Scotia only under the federal Atlantic Immigration Program. We assist with the NSNP employer declarations, the certificate and AIP designation.

An Employer Position Assessment (EPA, formerly the Job Approval Letter) is the SINP approval of an employer's job offer for nomination purposes. Employers must meet SINP criteria. An approved EPA is valid for 60 days and the candidate validates it within 10 days. EPAs carry no SINP fee. We support employers through the EPA and nomination process.

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a federal pilot, not a PNP: participating communities recommend candidates. The employer is designated by the community's economic development organization (no fee may be charged), the job must be on the community's priority occupation list, and the role must be a permanent position of at least 30 hours a week paid at or above the Job Bank range. Communities also set their own employer limits. We support employer designation and the pathway to PR.

We help with employer registration, designation, Employer Position Assessments (where applicable), job offer compliance, and coordination with the worker's provincial nomination and permanent residence application. We cover OINP, SINP, AIP, RCIP, BC, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.

Most provinces with a PNP have at least one employer-driven stream, including Ontario (OINP Workforce Priority), British Columbia, Alberta (AAIP), Saskatchewan (SINP), Prince Edward Island (the PEI Workforce Application Guide has the employer complete form PEIW-02, confirm two years of continuous operation in PEI, and pay a $230 Employer Compliance Fee where the worker needs a work permit), Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, the Atlantic Immigration Program (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador), and, separately, the federal RCIP in designated rural communities. Requirements differ significantly by province - some require formal employer registration or designation, others assess the job offer directly.

It depends on the province and stream. Some programs require a registration or designation step: the Atlantic Immigration Program needs a designated employer (New Brunswick has paused new designation intake to the end of 2026), New Brunswick's Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams need the employer on the NB Registry of Employers of Foreign Workers, and Nova Scotia needs an Employer Registration Certificate where the employer requires one. Newfoundland and Labrador does not register employers for the PNP (its employer tools are the Job Vacancy Assessment and AIP designation). while others, like Ontario's Workforce Priority stream, assess the job offer itself without a separate employer registration step. We confirm which requirement applies to your province before you make an offer.

Saskatchewan employers first need a Certificate of Registration (COR): the employer must have operated actively in Saskatchewan for 24 consecutive months, the COR is valid for two years, and there is no fee. The employer then obtains an Employer Position Assessment (EPA) for the job, which is valid for 60 days; the candidate validates it within 10 days. The COR and EPA carry no SINP fee. This is a prerequisite step specific to Saskatchewan - most other provinces assess the job offer as part of the worker's nomination application rather than issuing a separate approval first.

The employer's role is usually to provide a genuine, qualifying job offer that meets the province's wage, duration, and occupation requirements, and in some provinces to complete a registration or designation step. Once that's in place, the worker submits the nomination application to the province, which includes the employer's job offer documentation as supporting evidence.

Yes. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score under Express Entry - in recent draws, well above every published cutoff (IRCC sets the cutoff each round). This is separate from job offer points, which IRCC removed from the CRS entirely as of March 25, 2025; the nomination itself, not the job offer, is what generates the points.

Processing time varies by province and by whether the worker applies through the Express Entry-linked stream or a paper-based non-Express Entry stream, and can range from a few weeks to several months. We advise on realistic timelines for your specific province and stream once we know the worker's profile.

Yes, there is generally no fixed limit on how many workers a single employer can support through provincial nomination, though some provinces cap or review the number of nominations tied to one employer relative to the size of the business. We help employers plan multiple nominations in a way that stays consistent with provincial expectations.