Canadian provincial immigration has whipsawed through 2025
Over the course of 2025, most provinces and territories in Canada saw an increase in the number of permanent residence nomination slots they received from the federal government.
Only Ontario and Prince Edward Island have not received additional nominations, as of the time of writing.
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Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), provinces and territories can nominate foreign nationals for permanent residence. After having received a nomination, a provincial nominee will receive permanent residence upon approval of their application by the federal government.
A nomination allocation is the annual number of nomination certificates the federal government authorizes a province or territory to issue in a given year.
Here’s a look at the provincial immigration allocations in 2025 before and after the increases granted by the federal government.
Province/TerritoryCurrent allocation (post-increase)Last year’s allocation (2024)Allocation at the beginning of 2025 (pre-increase)Additional spots grantedFinal Share of 2024 allocation (%) received for 2025
Alberta6,4039,7504,8751,52865.67%
British Columbia5,2548,0004,0001,25465.68%
Manitoba6,2399,5004,7501,48965.67%
New Brunswick4,2505,5002,7501,50077.27%
Newfoundland and Labrador2,5252,1001,5251,00097.62%
Nova Scotia3,7096,3003,15055958%
Ontario10,75021,50010,750050%
Prince Edward Island1,0252,0501,025051%
Saskatchewan4,7618,0003,6251,13659.51%
The Yukon2823002156794%
The Northwest Territories300300150150100%
Total45,04873,30036,3408,683–
For the Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), each province’s allocation consists of its nominations under the PNP plus its endorsements under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).
Key Takeaways
Many of the provinces and territories have been granted a full or almost full restoration of their 2024 nominee program allocation. This includes the Northwest Territories (100%), the Yukon (94%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (98%).
Alberta got the largest increase in nomination allocation, with the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) receiving an additional 1,528 nomination slots in September. This is followed by New Brunswick’s Provincial Nominee Program (1,500 slots) and Manitoba’s PNP (1,489 slots).
How are nomination allocations calculated, and why have they been changing?
Last year’s Immigration Levels Plan (2025 to 2027) announced that the overall planned admissions targets under the Provincial Nominee Program would effectively be halved, as compared to 2024 numbers.
YearImmigration Levels Plan 2025-2027Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026
202555,000120,000
202655,000120,000
202755,000-
Each year’s Immigration Levels Plan presents the government’s admissions targets for the coming year, along with notional targets for the following two years. These permanent residence targets refer to landings. A landing takes place on the date at which the successful applicant officially becomes a permanent resident in Canada.
The year in which a foreign national receives a nomination under a PNP or an endorsement under the AIP will not necessarily correspond to the year in which they land as a permanent resident, on account of the processing time of a permanent residence application.
The processing time for a PR application can range from a typical six months for enhanced Provincial Nominee Programs, to over a year for base Provincial Nominee programs, and most recently 37 months for the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Accordingly, a nomination under the PNP or endorsement through the AIP will often count toward the landings target for the following year, rather than for the current year.
After cutting in half the 2025 PNP landings targets in Oct of 2024, the federal government halved PNP allocations across the board in January of 2025.
Some provinces also stated that the federal government introduced a new mandate requiring 75% of candidates nominated to be from within Canada.
To adhere to these reduced allocations and specifications, many provinces and territories introduced changes to their PNPs, pausing or discontinuing certain streams or choosing to prioritize only candidates in specific sectors or occupations:
British Columbia suspended the opening of three new graduate streams and waitlisted International Post-Graduate applications received after September 1, 2024.
Nova Scotia announced that it would be prioritizing applicants working in healthcare and social assistance, and construction who have work permits expiring in 2025.
Prince Edward Island announced that they would be prioritizing skilled workers in healthcare, trades, and childcare, as well as other key industries facing labour shortages.
The New Brunswick PNP stated it would prioritize workers in health, education and construction trades. It also stopped accepting new Expressions of Interest for the New Brunswick Strategic Initiative.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) limited the recruitment of workers from overseas, unless they belonged to the healthcare, agriculture or skilled trades sectors. It also introduced a 25% nomination cap for candidates in transportation, retail and accommodation and food service sectors.
That said, as can be seen in the table above, most provinces and territories have since successfully negotiated increases to their PNP allocations over the course of 2025.
Some provinces, such as New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, received this increased economic immigration allocation in return for accepting asylum claimants or humanitarian immigrants.
The increases in allocations over the year, as well as information found through the immigration department’s most recent Minister Transition Binder, indicates that the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan is likely to be adjusted to increase the PNP landing target in 2026 (as compared to the previous levels plan numbers).
About the Provincial Nominee Program
The PNP was launched in 1998 to spread the benefits of immigration to more provinces and territories in Canada. Today, it is the second leading option for skilled workers looking to immigrate to Canada after Express Entry.
Under the PNP, the application process is two-fold, as applicants need be nominated by a province and also apply to the federal government.
There are two ways to get permanent resident through the PNP – through the base stream or enhanced stream.
Base streams require candidates to apply directly to a PNP stream. Once they receive a nomination, they have to submit a separate PR application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Meanwhile, PNP streams that are aligned with Express Entry, the government’s online application management system for skilled workers, are known as enhanced streams. Under this process, Express Entry candidates with certain skills or in certain occupations who want to reside in a specific province or territory, may receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System points. This essentially guarantees them an invitation to apply for PR in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
Every province and territory has a nominee program, except Nunavut and Quebec.
Quebec manages its own immigration system.
