Family Stream-Provincial Nomination Program

Published

family and community - your ticket to provincial nomination

printbutton.png emailbutton.png wednesday, 21 march 2007

the number of options is on the rise for canadian immigration applicants who do not want to wait out the lengthy application processing times associated with a federal skilled worker application. applicants who have relatives or can become part of a community group in canada may be able to benefit from provincially-sponsored programs, aimed at increasing province-specific immigration.

the recent census was a wake-up call for a number of canadian provinces where populations are stagnating or even dropping off. these provincial governments are realizing that they need to shape up in terms of immigration attractiveness in order to sustain their provincial and economic growth. provincial nomination programs, which fast-track canadian immigration applications, have introduced initiatives not only to attract newcomers to a province, but keep them there: the programs aim to make them feel at home with family and community support.

the thinking is that, if new immigrants can settle in areas where they have family and/or a community support group, their transition into the canadian workforce and canadian society will be smoother. the manitoba, nova scotia, prince edward island, and saskatchewan pnp's have programs to incite immigrants to settle in the provinces where they have close family relatives.

  • the manitoba provincial nomination program (mpnp) family support stream is aimed at skilled workers who can demonstrate the support of a close family member, who is successfully established in manitoba. to be eligible for the family support stream, a signed affidavit of support form is required to confirm that the relative will take responsibility for the applicant's settlement. the applicant must meet the minimum requirements for age, education, and work experience and the manitoba relative must be prepared to be involved in the application process.
  • the nova scotia nominee program (nsnp) family business worker stream is designed to assist nova scotia employers in hiring family members from abroad for positions that they have been unable to fill with canadian permanent resident or citizens. established nova scotia employers must offer the applicant a permanent full-time position, which meets provincial employment standards and wage rates. the applicant must be qualified for the employment position, must have legal status in his/her country of residence, and must meet the minimum requirements for age, education, work experience, and language ability. additionally, sufficient settlement support and a desire to settle permanently in nova scotia must be demonstrated.
  • the prince edward island provincial nominee program (peipnp) immigrant connections category asks canadian citizens or permanent residents who are residing in pei to nominate their family connections abroad to join them in pei to live and work together. 'champions,' as the pei residents are called, must have lived in the province for over two years. they must have a regular source of income and a clean personal history. nominees must be eligible family members, intending to reside on prince edward island, and must be in good health with no criminal record. unless the applicant is an older parent, he/she must have a job offer in pei, or the capacity to work in the province, as deemed by provincial officials.
  • the saskatchewan immigrant nominee program (sinp) family members category was created for saskatchewan-residing immigrant families who wish to have their family members from abroad join them to work and live in the province. the applicant's supporting family member must have lived in saskatchewan for at least one year and be willing to assist the applicant both during the sinp application process and after the applicant has arrived in saskatchewan. a signed affidavit of support is required. applicants must either have a full-time, permanent offer of employment from a saskatchewan employer, or the intention to find full-time, permanent work in saskatchewan and have the required settlement funds. in addition, applicants must meet minimum requirements for age, education, work experience, and language ability to qualify for this category of the sinp. spouse and common-law partners are not eligible for this category and must apply under the federal family class

even those applicants who do not have family members in canada may find a strong community group in their canadian destination that unites local residents from similar countries of origin. canadians have become adept at celebrating culture and maintaining ties with their country of origin - even those whose families have been in canada for many generations.

  • recognizing the power of these community support groups, the manitoba provincial nominee program (mpnp) has created the community support stream for skilled workers who can demonstrate the support of an established community organization. among manitoba's prominent cultural groups are the indochina chinese association of manitoba, the portuguese association of manitoba, the manitoba african community, the vietnamese association of manitoba, and the western icelanders of manitoba. websites for these manitoba cultural groups and others are available on the government of manitoba website. organizations must have signed a community support agreement (csa) with the mpnp in order to qualify as a hosting group for the community support stream. canadian immigration applicants are eligible for this stream if they can obtain a letter of support from an organization with a csa, and if they meet the minimum requirements for age, education, work experience, and language ability.

conventional wisdom states that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six degrees of separation. given global migration and the worldwide reach of the internet, the world has shrunk significantly over the past few decades. finding your way to priority processing for canadian immigration involves locating people in canada who are willing to help you with job offers and community support. online, these connections - and possibilities - are at your fingertips.

look for more detail on individual provincial nomination programs in upcoming issues of the cic newsletter.

and now, alberta joined the family stream category on provincial nomination program

alberta immigrant nominee program (ainp)

printbutton.png[color=#004c80] [color=#004c80]emailbutton.png if you are thinking about immigration to calgary, edmonton or any other city in alberta, consider the alberta immigrant nominee program (ainp).

successful applicants will receive an alberta provincial nomination certificate, which will speed-up the canada immigration (permanent resident) visa application process.

under the alberta immigrant nominee program (ainp), you may qualify under one of the following streams:

alberta pnp employer driven stream

to qualify under the employer driven stream of the alberta immigrant nominee program, the applicant must have a valid job offer from an employer in alberta and must qualify under one of the following three subcategories.

  • skilled worker category
    • the job offer must be in a skilled occupation;
    • the applicant must have the formal education and/or specialized training required for the position.

    [*]international graduate category

    • the international graduate must have completed a degree, diploma, or graduate level credential from an approved alberta educational institution;
    • the job offer must be in a skilled occupation;
    • the applicant must have the formal education and/or specialized training required for the position.

    [*]semi-skilled worker category

    the applicant must possess the qualifications necessary for the job offer in one of the following industries:

    • food and beverage;
    • hospitality;
    • manufacturing;
    • trucking - transportation;
    • foodservices (pilot project).

alberta pnp self employed farmer stream

to qualify under the self employed farmer stream, the applicant must have:

  • prior managerial experience with an existing farm enterprise;
  • education, training and work experience necessary to develop a sustainable farming business in alberta;
  • a business plan for the farming enterprise to be developed in alberta;
  • evidence that a canadian financial institution is willing to finance the proposed farming enterprise;
  • a minimum of $500,000 cad of equity to invest in the farming enterprise;
  • a minimum net worth of $500,000 cad or confirmation of access to these funds from other sources.

alberta pnp family stream

to qualify under the family stream, applicants must have a close family member in alberta (defined as a mother/father, son/daughter, sister/ brother, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew) who is willing to sign a sponsorship affidavit of support.

the canadian sponsor must be at least 21 years of age and be able to demonstrate financial ability to support the applicant. he/she must be a canadian citizen or permanent

the applicant must:

  • be between 21 and 45;
  • be able to demonstrate strong english language abilities;
  • have completed post-secondary education or training;
  • be able to demonstrate work experience; and
  • have at least cad $10,000 and cad $2,000 for each accompanying dependent of settlement funds to demonstrate ability to become successfully established in alberta.

alberta pnp strategic recruitment stream

this stream was designed for workers who are currently in the united states on temporary work visas (h1b, h1b1, h1c and e3). the applicant must have at least one year of work experience in the united states on one of these temporary work visas in an occupation that is listed as one of [color=#004c80]alberta's regional occupations under pressure. a job offer is not needed to qualify. alberta will nominate successful applicants for canadian permanent residency, thereby fast-tracking the immigration process.

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