Provincial Nominee Programs and the Switch to Expression of Interest Systems

While mentioning that Canada’s immigration system keeps changing may be trite, it cannot be said that it is inaccurate. Even in 2025, immigration programs are being added, removed, and changed, and policy keeps changing. For those interested in immigrating to Canada or those who have a vested interest in Canada’s immigration system, the multitude of changes can be dizzying to keep track of. Recently, these changes have impacted Provincial Nominee Programs across Canada.

Provincial Nominee Programs

The Provincial Nominee Programs are some of the most accessible and flexible immigration options for those who want to come to Canada as permanent residents. The programs are designed to address each participating province and territory’s unique economic and demographic needs. The programs allow the provinces and territories to nominate individuals for permanent residence based on their skills, experience, and potential to contribute to the local economy. All of the provinces and territories have their own Provincial Nominee Programs except for Quebec and Nunavut. As a result of the provinces and territories having their own programs, there are different application streams and criteria for each province, so applicants have to pay particular attention to the requirements for the provincial nominee program they apply to.

Provincial Nominee Programs Candidate Selection Updates

In recent months, some of Canada’s provinces and territories have changed the way that they select candidates for their Provincial Nominee Programs.

Previously, the Provincial Nominee Programs were separated into different streams, and applicants could apply to a specific stream they felt they were best suited for when they applied. Different streams also had different application fees and served different applicants based on their work experience, job offer, educational experience, or language abilities. Specific Provincial Nominee Programs, like the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, use an expression of interest system to manage applications under the program.

Other provinces and territories have also adopted Expression of Interest systems for at least some of their immigration streams. These provinces and territories include: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. The expression of interest systems adopted by many provinces and territories have been adopted as part of their provincial nominee programs.

An example of this can be seen in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program now has five application streams as part of the Expression of Interest System. The streams included under the expression of interest system are the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, Employer Job Offer: International Student stream, Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream, Master’s Graduate stream, and PhD Graduate stream.

Expression of Interest System

The Expression of Interest System has changed how Provincial Nominee Program applicants apply to the programs. In order for a potential applicant to apply under one of the streams mentioned above, they must first register an Expression of Interest in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program to let the Program know they wish to be invited to apply. Only one Expression of Interest per stream can be registered at a time. So an applicant can apply to multiple streams using different Expressions of Interest. Further, each stream has different requirements for registering an Expression of Interest, so applicants should carefully review the requirements to ensure their Expression of Interest has the best chance of leading to an invitation to apply. Factors that are considered under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program are:

• Education level and field of education, and where the education was completed
• Language – English or French
• Regional immigration – intention to settle outside of the Greater Toronto Area
• Skill and work experience level
• Earnings history
• Other factors relevant to employment prospects – job offer in Ontario, Canadian work experience
• Strategic priorities are attributes that would address immediate labour market needs in Ontario or a region of Ontario.

Applicants are ranked and invited to apply from each stream based on one or more of the above factors. If an applicant has new information they wish to add to their Expression of Interest after this is submitted, this can be done at any time until the applicant receives an invitation to apply or the expression of interest is deleted.

The introduction of the Expression of Interest system has also changed the payment of fees. Registering an Expression of Interest with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program requires no fee. Fees are required only once an applicant is invited to apply to the program. The application fees are different depending on the stream.

Expressions of Interest remain valid for up to 12 months until the applicant is invited to apply or withdraw their registration. Expressions of Interest are automatically deleted after 12 months, so a new Expression of Interest must be registered after 12 months if an applicant is still interested in applying to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

Rationale For The Changes

The wide-scale adoption of the Expression of Interest systems throughout Canada’s immigration system, especially in relation to the Provincial Nominee Programs, can be explained through broader trends in Canadian immigration policy. Each year, a fixed number of nominations is assigned to the provinces and territories, which they can use to issue invitations under their respective Provincial Nominee Programs. The federal government sets this fixed number. In the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, the number allotted to the Provincial Nominee Programs was 110,000, with planned increases to 120,000 in 2025 and 2026. However, there was a pivot in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, and the allotted number to the Provincial Nominee Programs was slashed to 55,000 for 2025, 2026, and 2027.

This shift in policy means that far fewer invitations to apply are being issued by the Provincial Nominee Programs. In light of the lower number of allotted permanent residents to the Provincial Nominee Programs, switching to the Expression of Interest system was a logical progression. Expression of Interest systems allow the provinces that are using it to better focus on applicants in their pools to meet market needs and issue invitations to applicants with needed skills. The pool of applicants created by the Expression of Interest systems allows all the applicants to be viewed at the same time, rather than by order of application. Invitations to apply are thus more likely to be issued to more qualified applicants, and they can be considered throughout an applicant’s full year of Expression of Interest eligibility.

Although the trend has been reducing the number of permanent residents admitted to Canada through the Provincial Nominee Programs, the Expression of Interest system may benefit certain applicants in their applications. Further, the lack of cost for applicants to register for the Expression of Interest system could lead to more applications and more qualified applicants applying.

Contact Garson Immigration Law For Expert Guidance on Your PNP & EOI Application

Garson Immigration Law is a Toronto-based law firm that helps people find solutions for their immigration needs, such as obtaining permanent residence in Canada and overcoming inadmissibility. Our focus on immigration allows us to understand the unique concerns and obstacles faced by our clients. Our skilled immigration lawyers have extensive expertise in all immigration matters, including work permits, student visas, and US immigration from Canada. If you have any questions about an immigration matter, do not hesitate to contact us online or call us at 416-321-2860.