A provincial nomination is the most powerful thing you can add to an Express Entry profile. It is worth 600 CRS points, which is more than any other single factor and enough to clear every PNP draw IRCC has held. In 2026 those draws have needed between 697 and 805 points, so a nominee with a base score of 205 or more would have been invited in every one of them.
The catch is that the 600 points are earned locally. Each province decides who it wants, and in 2026 almost every province wants the same thing: people already working there, or holding a job offer from an employer there. Ontario, the province most applicants look at first, closed every one of its Express Entry streams in June.
This guide covers how the PNP actually works, what each province offers right now, and what happens after you are nominated. The last part is built on the 1,130 timelines in our Express Entry tracker, which includes real applications from provincial nominees.
The short version
- Enhanced nominations go through Express Entry and add 600 CRS points. Base nominations are applied for outside Express Entry and take about twice as long at IRCC.
- Federal PNP targets nearly doubled for 2026: 91,500 admissions, up from 55,000 in the previous levels plan. Provinces received 43,999 nomination spaces, and many got federal top-ups in August.
- A job offer or provincial work history is now required almost everywhere. The routes without one are narrow: New Brunswick's Interest pathway, Nova Scotia's letter of interest route, Alberta inviting candidates from the federal pool, and Manitoba's strategic recruitment.
- Ontario rebuilt its program in 2026. Human Capital Priorities and the other old streams are gone, and the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream requires a job offer.
- After nomination, the federal stage is fast. In our data, nominees who reached eCoPR took a median of 100 days from AOR, across 25 completed timelines.
Enhanced vs base: the choice that sets your timeline
Every province runs two kinds of nomination, and which one you get decides how your PR application is processed.
| Enhanced (Express Entry) | Base (non-Express Entry) | |
|---|---|---|
| Express Entry profile needed | Yes | No |
| CRS points added | 600 | None, there is no CRS |
| How you apply for PR | After an ITA from a PNP draw | Directly to IRCC through the PR Portal |
| IRCC processing estimate | About 7 months | About 13 months |
| People waiting at IRCC | About 13,100 | About 96,500 |
| Typical occupations | TEER 0 to 3 (skilled) | Can include TEER 4 and 5 |
IRCC processing times and queue sizes are from the processing times tool, updated October 9, 2026.
Two things follow from that table.
If you qualify for both, take the enhanced route. It is the same nomination, processed in about half the time, with an IRCC queue a seventh the size. The only reason to go base is that you do not meet Express Entry's minimums, usually because your occupation is TEER 4 or 5.
Base applications are no longer paper. Older guides still describe the base route as a "paper application". IRCC now requires base PNP applications to be submitted online through the PR Portal, with paper only as an accommodation.
How an enhanced nomination works, step by step
- Create an Express Entry profile and get into the pool. You need to meet the minimums for at least one federal program (CEC, FSW or FST).
- Get the province's attention. There are two ways in, according to IRCC:
- Apply to the province's Express Entry stream directly, usually through its own expression of interest (EOI) system, then add the nomination to your profile.
- Or tick the provinces you are interested in on your profile, and wait. A province may send a notification of interest through your IRCC account. This is an invitation to apply to the province, not a nomination.
- Apply to the province and wait for its decision. Provincial fees run from nothing (Northwest Territories) to $2,000 (Ontario, for jobs in the Greater Toronto Area).
- Accept the nomination in your profile within 30 days. IRCC says you have "30 calendar days to accept or reject the nomination". Miss it and the nomination is lost. Decline it and you stay in the pool, but you are no longer eligible for the PNP unless another province nominates you.
- Receive an ITA in the next PNP draw. With 600 extra points this is close to automatic. IRCC has held 21 PNP draws in 2026, roughly every two weeks and usually on a Monday.
- Submit your PR application within 60 days of the ITA. From here it works like any other Express Entry application. Our 60-day ITA checklist covers the documents.
Watch the expiry dates. Each province sets how long its nomination is valid. Ontario's certificate lasts 6 months, for example. Do not let a nomination sit unused while you wait for a better score.
The 600 points in practice
Here is what PNP draws have actually needed. Every figure is from IRCC's rounds data, counted on October 26, 2026.
| 2025 | 2026 so far | |
|---|---|---|
| PNP-only draws | 24 | 21 |
| Invitations issued | 10,898 | 10,814 |
| Lowest cutoff | 667 | 697 |
| Highest cutoff | 855 | 805 |
| Median cutoff | 748 | 749 |
Subtract 600 and the highest 2026 cutoff needed a base score of 205. Almost anyone who meets the Express Entry minimums has that. The federal draw is not the bottleneck. The province is.
The CRS draw history has every round, including the latest PNP cutoffs.
Every province, in one table
All figures as of late October 2026. "Allocation" is the number of nomination spaces the province has for 2026, after any federal top-up.
| Province | Express Entry stream | Job offer or local work needed? | 2026 allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Ontario Workforce Priority (TEER 0 to 3) | Yes, job offer (except self-employed physicians) | 14,119 |
| British Columbia | Express Entry BC: Skilled Worker, Health Authority | Yes, job offer | 6,254 |
| Alberta | Alberta Express Entry Stream | Depends on pathway | 6,603 |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Express Entry | No draws scheduled | 5,261 |
| Manitoba | Skilled Worker streams, with an EE profile | Usually, Manitoba connection | About 8,000 |
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia: Express Entry | Not on the letter of interest route | Not published |
| New Brunswick | NB Express Entry | Not on the Interest pathway | Not published |
| PEI | PEI Express Entry | Not strictly, but locals are prioritised | Not published |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Express Entry Skilled Worker | Yes, job offer | 2,379 |
| Yukon | Yukon Express Entry | Yes, job offer | 282 |
| Northwest Territories | NWT Express Entry | Yes, job offer | 300 |
Quebec does not take part in the PNP. It runs its own selection system and is not covered here.
Province by province
Ontario (OINP)
Ontario's program was redesigned in 2026. On June 25 it removed all eight of its old streams, including the three Express Entry streams: Human Capital Priorities, French-Speaking Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades. Human Capital Priorities was the one that let candidates in the federal pool be selected without a job offer. It no longer exists.
The replacement is the Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Its EOI portal opened on August 4. It can issue enhanced nominations for TEER 0 to 3 jobs, and it needs:
- A job offer from an Ontario employer, unless you are a self-employed physician.
- CLB 6, or CLB 5 for listed trades.
- Experience in the job: 6 months full-time in the last 12, or 3 months for recent Ontario graduates.
Selection is by EOI score, and the score favours jobs outside Toronto. The application fee is $1,500, or $2,000 if the job is in the GTA. No Workforce Priority invitation round had been published by mid-October. Ontario has promised more streams in a second phase but has not given details. We covered the first announcement in new permanent residence pathways.
British Columbia (BC PNP)
BC offers an Express Entry BC option inside its two open Skills Immigration streams:
- Skilled Worker: an indeterminate, full-time job offer in TEER 0 to 3, two years of experience, CLB 4.
- Health Authority: a job offer from a BC health authority, CLB 4.
Both need a job offer. The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream is closed, there are no student or graduate streams, and the dedicated tech draws ended in December 2024. BC's 2026 priorities are grouped as "Care, Build, Innovate", with at least 35% of nominations going outside Metro Vancouver.
Registrations are scored and stay in the pool for 12 months, and you have 30 days to apply after a provincial invitation. The fee rose to $1,750 in January 2026. BC is one of the few provinces that publishes a processing time: 3 months for an application, for 80% of cases. Its 2026 allocation is 6,254, after a 1,000-space federal top-up in August.
Alberta (AAIP)
Alberta is the main exception to the job offer rule. The Alberta Express Entry Stream does not accept direct applications. Instead, Alberta invites candidates from the federal pool. You need a CRS of at least 300 and an Alberta Worker EOI, which has cost $135 since April 2026. Pathways include:
- Dedicated Health Care: job offer and licence.
- Accelerated Tech: a tech job offer.
- Law Enforcement: a police job offer.
- Priority sectors: construction, agriculture, aviation and health care.
Draws are not on a schedule. Recent Express Entry draws invited 386 candidates in priority sectors on October 20, and 100 under Accelerated Tech on September 22, both at EOI scores near 60.
Space is running out. As of October 21, Alberta had issued 5,831 of its 6,603 nominations for 2026, leaving 772. Alberta publishes the date it is assessing up to rather than a processing time. For Accelerated Tech, that was applications received by July 1, 2026.
Saskatchewan (SINP)
Saskatchewan still lists a Saskatchewan Express Entry subcategory, but its EOI page says there are "no scheduled EOI draws at this time". In practice, 2026 nominations come through its employer-driven and in-province categories. At least half of its spaces are reserved for priority sectors, 750 of them for Saskatchewan graduates, and capped sectors such as trucking and retail open only in set windows.
Saskatchewan's processing statistics page shows 4,023 nominations issued out of 5,261 (its FAQ still says 4,761, so treat the exact figure with care). It reports about 2 weeks to process its listed base pathways.
Manitoba (MPNP)
Manitoba has no separate Express Entry stream. Candidates in its Skilled Worker streams who also have a valid Express Entry profile can receive an enhanced nomination. Draws run roughly every two weeks. On October 22, Manitoba issued 1,304 letters of advice to apply, 353 of them to Express Entry profile holders.
Most invitations go to people with a Manitoba connection: graduates of Manitoba schools, workers already in the province, and candidates invited through strategic recruitment. Candidates overseas are only considered if they are invited through those initiatives. The 2026 allocation was reported as about 8,000 after an August top-up. Check immigratemanitoba.com for the current figure.
Nova Scotia (NSNP)
Nova Scotia merged ten streams into four in February 2026. Its single enhanced stream, Nova Scotia: Express Entry, replaced Nova Scotia Experience, Labour Market Priorities and Labour Market Priorities for Physicians. There are two routes in:
- One year of TEER 0 to 3 work in Nova Scotia.
- A letter of interest from the province, sent to your Express Entry profile. This route needs no job offer, but you cannot apply for it. Nova Scotia picks the candidates.
Language is CLB 7, or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3. Healthcare and skilled trades are the 2026 priorities. EOIs stay valid for 12 months, and the fee has been $1,000 since September 1, 2026. Nova Scotia has not published its 2026 allocation.
New Brunswick (NBPNP)
The NB Express Entry stream asks for age 19 to 55, CLB 7, one year of TEER 0 to 3 experience, and 67 points on its selection grid. It has two pathways:
- Employment in New Brunswick: 12 months living and working full-time in the province.
- New Brunswick Interest: a letter of interest sent to your Express Entry profile. No NB job is needed, but you must show federal proof of funds.
The EOI is free and the application fee is $250. All 2026 invitations so far have gone to the employment pathway, so do not plan around a letter of interest.
Prince Edward Island (PEI PNP)
PEI Express Entry needs an Express Entry profile and gives priority to people already living and working on the island. PEI holds EOI draws roughly monthly on a published calendar, with about 1,300 invitations across 10 draws in 2026 so far. The fee is $300. PEI has not published its 2026 allocation.
Newfoundland and Labrador (NLPNP)
The Express Entry Skilled Worker category needs a full-time job or job offer from an NL employer, 67 points on the province's grid, and CLB 4 to 7 depending on the job. The fee is $250. Health care is the top 2026 priority. The province told CIC News that its 2026 allocation is 2,379 after a 1,000-space federal top-up, up from 2,050 in 2025.
Yukon and the Northwest Territories
Both territories run small, employer-driven Express Entry streams.
- Yukon: a TEER 0 to 3 job offer from a Yukon employer at the median wage, 6 months of experience, CLB 5 to 7 depending on the job. Employers apply through EOI windows, and both 2026 windows have closed. Allocation: 282.
- Northwest Territories: a permanent full-time job offer, CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3. No provincial fee. The NWT ran its first EOI draws in 2026, and its September 25 draw was the last of the year. Allocation: 300.
After nomination: what our data shows
Every guide above stops at the nomination. This section is about what comes next, using timelines from nominees in our tracker who recorded each step.
| Step | PNP | CEC | Sample (PNP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AOR to eCoPR, median | 100 days | 120 days | 25 |
| AOR to eCoPR, middle half | 86 to 120 days | 73 to 163 days | |
| AOR to PPR | 76 days | 93 days | 41 |
| PPR to passport sent | 6 days | 13 days | 42 |
Show as a table
| Days | Timelines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 70 to 76 | 2 | 8% |
| 77 to 83 | 3 | 12% |
| 84 to 90 | 4 | 16% |
| 91 to 97 | 1 | 4% |
| 98 to 104 | 4 | 16% |
| 105 to 111 | 2 | 8% |
| 112 to 118 | 2 | 8% |
| 119 to 125 | 4 | 16% |
| 126 to 132 | 1 | 4% |
| 133 to 139 | 0 | 0% |
| 140 to 146 | 1 | 4% |
| 147 to 153 | 0 | 0% |
| 154 to 160 | 0 | 0% |
| 161 to 167 | 0 | 0% |
| 168 to 174 | 1 | 4% |
2 extreme values are excluded as likely data-entry errors, the same as in the median.
Live figures, refreshed hourly from the Express Entry tracker. A timeline is counted once it has both dates; statistical outliers are excluded.
Three findings stand out.
Nominees who finish, finish faster than CEC. Their middle half is also tighter. A likely reason is that the province has already checked the candidate's work history and intent to live there, so IRCC's eligibility review has less to find. A nomination does not skip the security or medical checks, though, and those are what cause the long tail for every stream.
The early steps move quicker too. In a snapshot taken on October 26, 2026, nominees received their biometrics request a median of 31 days after AOR (72 timelines), compared with 57 days for CEC (700). They also submitted their PR application a little faster after the ITA: a median of 28 days against 33.
IRCC's estimate is longer than our median, and both are true. IRCC quotes about 7 months for enhanced PNP applications. Our median covers only the applications that have finished, and fast files finish first. IRCC's figure is the time within which it expects to finish most new applications, slow ones included. Expect something in between, and treat 7 months as the realistic planning number.
Read the PNP column with care. It rests on 25 completed timelines, which is enough to see a pattern but not to promise one, and the figures will move as more nominees finish. The tracker does not record which province nominated someone, so these numbers cover all provinces together. Almost all of the 90 PNP timelines in the tracker are inland applicants.
If you have been nominated, add your timeline. Each one makes these figures more reliable for the next person.
Which province should you target?
Start from where you already are, not from the biggest allocation.
- You work in a province now. That province's experience-based route is your strongest option, often stronger than waiting for a CEC draw. This applies to BC, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI in particular.
- You have a job offer. Check whether the occupation is TEER 0 to 3. If it is, Ontario, BC, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the territories all have enhanced routes built around it. If it is TEER 4 or 5, look at base streams and expect the longer federal processing time.
- You have neither. The options are thin. Keep your Express Entry profile open to all provinces, make sure your occupation and language scores are accurate, and look at Alberta's priority sectors. Letters of interest from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick do happen, but you cannot apply for one.
- You are in health care or the trades. Almost every province lists these as 2026 priorities, and several have dedicated health streams. This is the one profile that is in demand everywhere.
At the same time, keep working on your base CRS. A nomination is never guaranteed, and the same improvements help in CEC and category-based draws. Our guide to improving your CRS score ranks them by points per month of effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CRS points is a provincial nomination worth?
600 points, added to your Express Entry profile once you accept an enhanced nomination. It is the largest single CRS factor, and you can only receive it once. In 2026, PNP draw cutoffs have ranged from 697 to 805, so the nomination makes your base score almost irrelevant.
What is the difference between enhanced and base PNP?
An enhanced nomination is linked to your Express Entry profile, adds 600 CRS points, and leads to a PR application that IRCC estimates at about 7 months. A base nomination is applied for outside Express Entry, through the PR Portal, and IRCC estimates about 13 months. If you qualify for both, enhanced is faster.
Which provinces nominate without a job offer?
Very few in 2026. New Brunswick's Interest pathway and Nova Scotia's letter of interest route need no job offer, but the province picks candidates from the pool and you cannot apply directly. Alberta also invites candidates from the federal pool in some sectors, and Manitoba invites some candidates through strategic recruitment. Ontario's old no-job-offer stream, Human Capital Priorities, closed in June 2026.
How long does PNP processing take after nomination?
There are two stages. The province's own processing varies: BC publishes 3 months for most applications, and most provinces publish nothing. After you accept the nomination and apply for PR, IRCC estimates about 7 months for enhanced applications. In our tracker, nominees who reached eCoPR took a median of 100 days from AOR.
How long do I have to accept a provincial nomination?
30 calendar days, in your Express Entry profile. If you miss the deadline, the nomination is lost. If you decline, you stay in the pool but can no longer use the PNP unless another province nominates you. Each province also sets how long the nomination certificate stays valid, for example 6 months in Ontario.
Can I apply to more than one provincial program?
Yes. You can submit EOIs to several provinces and select more than one province in your Express Entry profile. You can only accept one nomination, and most provinces expect you to intend to live there. Accepting one province's nomination and then settling elsewhere can be raised as a misrepresentation concern later.
Is Ontario's Human Capital Priorities stream still open?
No. Ontario removed all of its previous OINP streams on June 25, 2026, including Human Capital Priorities. The new Ontario Workforce Priority stream can issue enhanced nominations, but it requires a job offer for TEER 0 to 3 occupations, except for self-employed physicians.
Checked against IRCC's PNP, processing times, levels plan and rounds pages, and each province's official program pages, on 26 October 2026. Manitoba, Nova Scotia and PEI details were confirmed from their published guides and announcements where their sites could not be checked directly. Provincial programs change often; confirm the current rules with the province before applying.