Provincial Nominee Program Update — July 6, 2026
Monday, July 6, 2026
As of March 30, 2026, provinces and territories are now solely responsible for assessing candidates' intent to reside and economic establishment — IRCC can no longer reassess these criteria once a provincial nomination certificate is issued.
Ontario overhauled its PNP on June 25, 2026 (Phase 1): the existing 8 streams were removed and replaced with a single new 'Ontario Workforce Priority' stream, with an Expression of Interest (EOI) system expected to open later in summer 2026.
Enhanced PNP nominations (linked to Express Entry) still add 600 CRS points and typically process in 6 months or less, while base (paper-based) nominations take 15–18 months.
What You Should Do
- If you are an Ontario PNP applicant, check ontario.ca/page/2026-ontario-immigrant-nominee-program-updates regularly for the launch date of the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream EOI system, which is expected to open in summer 2026.
- If you already hold a provincial nomination certificate, confirm with your province (or a licensed representative) that your intent-to-reside and economic establishment assessments are documented in your provincial file — IRCC will now rely entirely on the province's determination of these factors.
- If you are choosing between the Enhanced (Express Entry-linked) and Base PNP streams, note that Enhanced nominations add 600 CRS points and process in ~6 months, versus 15–18 months for Base nominations. Compare your options at canada.ca/express-entry before applying to a provincial stream.
- If you were in one of Ontario's 8 previous PNP streams that have now been eliminated, visit ontario.ca/page/2026-ontario-immigrant-nominee-program-updates to understand how your application is affected under the Phase 1 redesign that came into force June 25, 2026.
Sources
Topics Covered
PNP Express Entry Draw Trends: Enhanced PNP nominations linked to Express Entry continue to add 600 CRS points and process in approximately 6 months, making them significantly faster than base paper-based nominations at 15–18 months.
PNP Federal-Provincial Authority Transfer: As of March 30, 2026, provinces are solely responsible for assessing intent to reside and economic establishment. IRCC officers can no longer reassess these criteria once a valid provincial nomination certificate is issued.
More Provincial Nominee Program Updates
Provincial Nominee Program Update — July 16, 2026
Jul 16, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — July 13, 2026
Jul 13, 2026
Provincial Nominee Program Update — July 9, 2026
Jul 9, 2026
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