How to use this page
Provincial programs changed more in 2026 than in any recent year: Ontario replaced eight streams with one, Nova Scotia merged ten streams into four, and several business streams closed. The previous interactive finder compared your answers with more than 55 current and historical routes. A list that size cannot be re-checked route by route, so this page replaces it with a decision guide that keeps only what official pages confirm. It shows which programs to review. It does not decide eligibility, and it is not a forecast of a nomination.
Five questions to answer first
- Where do you want to live and work?Each province or territory sets its own criteria and its own nomination numbers, and nominees must intend to live in the province. Quebec and Nunavut have no nominee program; Quebec runs its own immigration programs.
- Do you have a job offer from an employer there?Most worker streams need one, and many need the employer to act first, for example by registering or by submitting the offer. Check the stream before you rely on an offer.
- Do you have, or can you create, an Express Entry profile?If you qualify for a federal Express Entry program and a provincial stream, the Express Entry route applies. If you qualify only for the provincial stream, the non-Express Entry route applies, and the province tells you which one.
- Do you have a connection to the province?Work, study, family or community ties matter in many streams, and some, such as Alberta's Rural Renewal Stream, need an endorsement from a designated community.
- Are you an experienced business owner or manager?Business streams look at net worth, investment and past management experience. See the business table below. Federal business programs are paused (see the section on closed programs).
The two routes
Express Entry route
For people who qualify for both a provincial stream and a federal Express Entry program. A nomination adds 600 Comprehensive Ranking System points and leads to an invitation to apply. In Ontario, for example, a nominee has 30 calendar days to accept the nomination in the Express Entry profile and then 60 calendar days to file the permanent residence application after the invitation.
Non-Express Entry route
For people who qualify for a provincial stream but not for an Express Entry program. After nomination, the permanent residence application is made directly to IRCC outside Express Entry. IRCC makes the final decision on every nominee.
Where to look, by situation
| Your situation | Programs to review | Guide and tool |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer in Ontario | Ontario Workforce Priority (OWP), the only open OINP stream since the June 2026 redesign. It covers any TEER with a job offer, plus self-employed physicians without one. Entry is by expression of interest, then invitation. | Ontario guide · points |
| Job offer in Alberta, or a rural Alberta community | Alberta Advantage Immigration Program: Alberta Opportunity Stream, Tourism and Hospitality Stream, Rural Renewal Stream (community endorsement), and the Alberta Express Entry pathways (Dedicated Health Care, Accelerated Tech, Law Enforcement, priority-sector draws). | Alberta guide · points |
| Job offer or work experience in Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program: International Skilled Worker (Employment Offer, Occupation In-Demand, Saskatchewan Express Entry, Health Talent, Agriculture Talent, Innovation and Tech Talent) and Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience. | Saskatchewan guide · points |
| Manitoba: skilled worker or international student | Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program: Skilled Worker (in Manitoba and overseas) and International Education. | Manitoba guide · points |
| British Columbia: skilled worker | BC PNP Skills Immigration. BC's 2026 priorities are grouped as Care (health care and public services), Build (skilled trades) and Innovate. The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream is closed. | British Columbia guide · points |
| Nova Scotia | Since February 18, 2026 there are four streams: Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate, Entrepreneur and Nova Scotia Express Entry. | Nova Scotia guide |
| New Brunswick | NB Skilled Worker (including NB Graduates and NB Experience), NB Express Entry, NB Strategic Initiative (Francophone) and NB Business Immigration. Since May 4, 2026, new NB Experience invitations are limited to health care, education and construction until further notice. | New Brunswick guide |
| Prince Edward Island | The Labour and Express Entry group of streams. PEI Express Entry requires nine months of continuous full-time work with a supporting PEI employer; if you are invited, your employer completes the job offer form. | PEI guide |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Express Entry Skilled Worker, Skilled Worker and International Graduate, selected from expressions of interest submitted in the Immigration Accelerator portal. | Newfoundland and Labrador guide |
| Yukon | Worker streams (Skilled Worker, Critical Impact Worker, Express Entry) all need a full-time job offer from an eligible Yukon employer, and the employer submits the forms. Both 2026 intakes (January 19 to 30 and July 6 to 17) have closed, and expressions of interest do not carry over between intakes. | Yukon guide |
| Northwest Territories | Employer-Driven Stream (a job offer from an NWT employer, who registers in the portal first), Business Stream, Francophone Stream and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. | Northwest Territories guide · points |
| Offer from an Atlantic employer designated by the province | The federal Atlantic Immigration Program is separate from the provincial nominee streams. New Brunswick paused employer designation intake for the rest of 2026 from September 14, 2026. | Atlantic Immigration Program |
| Job offer in a smaller community | The Rural Community Immigration Pilot and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot cover 18 named communities. The Rural pilot requires a job offer from an employer designated by the community. | Rural and Francophone pilots |
Business and entrepreneur streams
Federal business programs are paused (see below), so most routes for business owners are provincial. This table shows status as shown on official pages on October 18, 2026. Figures such as net worth and investment differ by stream and by region, so read the stream's own page before planning.
| Province | Status on official pages | Guide and tool |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | No entrepreneur stream is open. The former OINP Entrepreneur page now redirects to the Archives of Ontario. | Ontario guide |
| Alberta | Open by expression of interest: Rural Entrepreneur, Graduate Entrepreneur, Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur and Farm streams. Alberta's 2026 entrepreneur allocation is 60; 36 were issued and 24 remained on October 7, 2026. | Alberta guide |
| British Columbia | Entrepreneur Immigration (Base and Regional) is listed on the BC PNP site. Confirm current registration and fees there. | British Columbia guide · points |
| Manitoba | The Business Investor Stream (Entrepreneur Pathway and Farm Investor Pathway) is listed. | Manitoba guide |
| Saskatchewan | Permanently closed since March 27, 2025 (Entrepreneur and Farm). Existing files are still processed. | Saskatchewan guide |
| Nova Scotia | Entrepreneur stream, by invitation from the expression-of-interest pool. It absorbed the International Graduate Entrepreneur stream on February 18, 2026. A $2,000 fee applies to expressions of interest selected on or after September 1, 2026. | Nova Scotia guide |
| New Brunswick | Business Immigration Stream is listed, and no pause notice was shown. Pass mark of 65 of 100 points. | New Brunswick guide · points |
| Prince Edward Island | The Business Work Permit stream is listed, but no business invitations had been issued in 2026 by October 16; all 2026 invitations went to Labour and Express Entry. | PEI guide |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | International Entrepreneur and International Graduate Entrepreneur are listed. | Newfoundland and Labrador guide |
| Yukon | Yukon Business Nominee Program: applications enter a candidate pool; pool candidates are invited to the later stages. The pages do not state whether intake is currently open. | Yukon guide · points |
| Northwest Territories | Business Stream is listed (equity investment of at least $200,000 in Yellowknife or $100,000 elsewhere, net worth of at least $500,000 or $250,000, ownership of at least 33.3%). The page is undated, so confirm the current intake. | Northwest Territories guide |
Closed, paused or changed in 2025 and 2026
- Ontario: the eight former OINP streams were removed when the regulation amendments took effect on June 25, 2026, and no new expressions of interest or invitations are issued under them. Ontario Workforce Priority is the only open stream.
- Saskatchewan: the Entrepreneur and Farm categories closed permanently on March 27, 2025.
- British Columbia: the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream is officially closed, and tech-occupation draws ended (the last was December 3, 2024).
- Nova Scotia: ten former streams were merged into four on February 18, 2026.
- Alberta: the Express Entry stream's family-connection and occupation-in-demand pathways ended on March 17, 2025.
- Federal Start-up Visa: paused since June 30, 2026; files received earlier are still processed. IRCC has announced a replacement pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs but, as of October 18, 2026, no launch was found on canada.ca.
- Federal Self-employed Persons Program: paused until further notice.
See also the paused and closed programs page.
Limits of this guide
A finder, not an eligibility decision. This guide compares your situation with the broad structure of each program. It does not assess your NOC duties, admissibility, exact language results, funds, licensing, employer eligibility or invitation priorities. Provinces change rules and intake without much notice, and several stream pages do not show a date, so confirm the current status on the official page before you act.
For an assessment of your own file, request an assessment.
Official sources
- IRCC: Provincial Nominee Program
- IRCC: How the Provincial Nominee Program works
- Ontario: Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
- Ontario: 2026 OINP updates
- Alberta: Alberta Advantage Immigration Program
- Alberta: AAIP processing information
- WelcomeBC: BC PNP news
- Manitoba: Immigrate to Manitoba
- Saskatchewan: Browse SINP programs
- Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Nominee Program
- New Brunswick: Provincial Nominee Program
- New Brunswick: Important notices
- Prince Edward Island: Provincial Nominee Program
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Provincial Nominee Program
- Yukon: Yukon Nominee Program
- Yukon: Yukon Business Nominee Program
- Northwest Territories: Immigrate NWT
- IRCC: Notice on measures for entrepreneurs
This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.