Provincial Nominee Program Update — June 1, 2026
Monday, June 1, 2026
Canada's 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan raises the PNP target to 91,500 nominations in 2026, up sharply from 55,000 in the previous plan.
As of March 30, 2026, provinces and territories now have sole authority to assess a candidate's ability to become economically established and their intent to reside in the nominating province — a responsibility previously shared with IRCC.
British Columbia received a federal allocation of only 5,254 nominations for 2026, well below the 9,000 it requested, illustrating that national targets do not guarantee individual provinces receive what they seek.
What You Should Do
- If you have a provincial nomination certificate, note that as of March 30, 2026, it now serves as sufficient proof of economic establishment and intent to reside — no separate IRCC assessment is required. Confirm your nomination certificate is current before submitting your federal PR application.
- Check your target province's PNP portal directly (e.g., BC PNP at welcomebc.ca, Ontario at ontario.ca/pnp) to see their 2026 allocation and whether streams you qualify for are open, since allocations vary significantly by province.
- If applying via Express Entry with a PNP nomination, monitor PNP draws on IRCC's Express Entry draw results page at canada.ca/express-entry — recent PNP draw cutoffs ranged from 742 to 805 in 2026, meaning a provincial nomination is critical to meet these scores.
Sources
Topics Covered
PNP Federal-Provincial Authority Transfer: As of March 30, 2026, provinces and territories are solely responsible for assessing a candidate's ability to become economically established and their intent to reside — a valid provincial nomination certificate now replaces IRCC's separate review of these criteria.
PNP Express Entry Draw Trends: PNP Express Entry draw cutoffs ranged from 742 to 805 in early 2026, reflecting that candidates need a provincial nomination to reach these scores. The overall PNP target for 2026 has been raised to 91,500 under the new Levels Plan.
More Provincial Nominee Program Updates
Provincial Nominee Program Update — June 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — June 8, 2026
Jun 8, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — June 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
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