The Express Entry PNP process: from nomination to application.

Meet the provincial and federal requirements separately

To use this route you need two things at the same time:

• eligibility for a provincial or territorial stream that is aligned with Express Entry, and a nomination from that province or territory; and
• eligibility for at least one federal Express Entry program: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, with a valid Express Entry profile.

A nomination does not replace federal eligibility. If you do not meet a federal program, a province can only offer a non-Express Entry nomination through the non-Express Entry process. The stream you were nominated under must appear on your nomination certificate; confirm it with the province if in doubt. Quebec and Nunavut do not have provincial nominee programs.

1. Gather your facts firstFor an initial assessment, bring your work history, language results, education and any credential assessment, any job offer, and a realistic plan for settling in the province.
2. Identify the exact streamThe province's name is not enough. Identify the stream, whether it is open, how it selects candidates and whether it is Express Entry-aligned.

Getting the nomination

There are two ways to start, and both still require a provincial application and assessment.

Your profile must show the nomination. In your Express Entry account, answer "yes" under "Nomination and selection" and choose the nominating province or territory, then contact the province outside your account with your profile number and job seeker validation code. You can receive more than one notification of interest, but you can hold only one nomination at a time. To switch provinces, choose "not accept" on your current nomination so that another province can nominate you.

Accepting the nomination

Once the province confirms the nomination to IRCC, a message appears in your account. You have 30 calendar days to accept or reject it. After you accept, you receive a PDF letter confirming the nomination, and the province sends a certificate.

• Accepting adds 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, the maximum for additional points. These points can be awarded only once.
• If you do not accept, you are not eligible for the PNP route unless another province or territory nominates you. You stay in the pool if you still meet a federal program.
• Ontario, for example, offers this route to candidates with a TEER 0–3 job offer and to self-employed physicians: see our Ontario guide.

Waiting for an invitation

With 600 extra points, nominees are usually invited in a Provincial Nominee Program round. In recent rounds the lowest scores invited have been well above 600: for example 772 in round #448 on October 13, 2026, and 725 in round #445 on September 28, 2026. Past results do not guarantee timing.

Applying after the invitation

You have 60 calendar days from the invitation to apply for permanent residence online. If you do not apply or decline within that time, the invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool.

Before applying, recalculate your score if anything has changed for you or your spouse or partner. Losing the nomination, losing a job offer, or language results that expire or drop on a retest can lower your score. If your new score is below the lowest score invited in your round, IRCC advises declining the invitation; if you apply anyway, the application may be refused and the fee may not be refunded.

1. Build an evidence trailPrepare proof of work duties and dates, language results, education and any credential assessment, identity, civil status and family members, and police certificates.
2. Follow your personalized checklistUse the document checklist generated in your account. Keep dates, translations and supporting records consistent with your profile and with what you gave the province.
3. Pay the feesPay the processing fee and biometrics fee when you apply. The right of permanent residence fee can be paid then or later, before permanent residence is finalized.
4. Answer requestsAfter you apply, IRCC may ask for biometrics, a medical exam or more information. Watch your account and reply by the deadline.

Federal fees

For applications received on or after April 30, 2026: processing fee $990 for the principal applicant, plus the $600 right of permanent residence fee ($1,590 total); $1,590 for a spouse or partner; $270 per dependent child; biometrics $85 per person or $170 for a family. Provincial fees are separate.

Changes and temporary status while you wait

• Track the expiry date of your current permit separately. Submitting a permanent-residence application does not on its own authorize you to keep working.
• Some principal applicants may be eligible for a bridging open work permit, but only after the permanent-residence application passes the completeness check (acknowledgement of receipt), not while you are only in the pool or holding an invitation. For a nominee, IRCC also requires that the nomination does not restrict your employment, and you upload both the acknowledgement of receipt letter and the nomination letter.
• Tell IRCC about changes such as a birth, marriage, divorce, new address or new representative.
• If the province withdraws your nomination, act at once. Before an invitation, withdraw your profile from the pool and submit a new one. After an invitation but before you submit, decline the invitation, withdraw your profile and submit a new one. If you apply without a nomination, or the nomination is withdrawn after you apply, IRCC will refuse the application and will not refund your fees. You must also tell IRCC if you no longer intend to live in that province.

Comparing the two routes

The nomination type decides the federal route. Holding an Express Entry profile does not turn a non-Express Entry nomination into an Express Entry one.

To compare provinces, see our Provincial Nominee Programs overview or the PNP finder.

Official sources

• IRCC: Provincial Nominee Program through Express Entry
• IRCC: Express Entry PNP eligibility
• IRCC: Get and confirm a nomination
• IRCC: Apply for permanent residence after an invitation
• IRCC: Express Entry rounds of invitations
• IRCC: Express Entry changes (November 3, 2026)
• IRCC: Fee list

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.