The non-Express Entry PNP process: from nomination to PR application.

Start with a non-Express Entry nomination

You choose the province or territory where you want to live and apply under one of its streams that do not use Express Entry. The province assesses its own requirements, its immigration needs and whether you genuinely intend to live there. With a non-Express Entry nomination you apply directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); you do not wait for an Express Entry invitation. Quebec and Nunavut do not have provincial nominee programs.

1. Read your nominationNote the stream, the validity date and any conditions, and keep a full copy of everything you sent the province. Ontario nomination certificates, for example, are valid for 6 months, and you must apply to IRCC before they expire.
2. Confirm the route if unclearIf the nomination does not make clear whether it is a non-Express Entry or an Express Entry nomination, confirm with the province before you choose the federal process.

Match the federal file to your provincial evidence

IRCC's application uses a mix of forms you complete in the portal and forms you download or sign by hand.

1. Core documentsThe nomination confirmation from the province (an approval letter or other official notice); copies of the passport pages showing the number, dates, photo, name and birth details (only a valid regular passport is accepted); identity and civil-status documents for you and your spouse or partner, such as birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates as they apply; and children's records, including birth certificates naming the parents and custody or adoption documents where relevant. Provide one photo taken within the last 12 months for each person, scanned on both sides.
2. Common-law partners and childrenA common-law partner signs IMM 5409 by hand and provides proof of at least 12 consecutive months living together, such as joint bank statements, leases or utility bills showing both names. If the other parent is not immigrating, include IMM 5604 for each child and a copy of that parent's signed photo ID.
3. Consistent historiesMake your address, work, study and travel histories match what you gave the province, with no unexplained gaps.
4. Language of documentsSupporting documents must be in English or French unless IRCC says otherwise. If a document is in another language, follow the translation instructions in your document checklist.
5. Police certificatesYou need one from each country other than Canada where you lived for 6 months or more in a row since age 18. Some take a long time, so request them early.
6. Missing documentsUpload a letter explaining what you did to get any missing document and, if you expect a delay, when you expect it. An explanation does not guarantee that IRCC will accept the gap.

Submit through the Permanent Residence Portal

You must apply online through the Permanent Residence (PR) Portal. Before submitting, answer every question, sign and upload all forms, upload the fee receipt and upload all supporting documents. Incomplete applications are rejected and must be corrected and sent again.

• Signature: you sign electronically by typing your own name after reading the declaration. Applications with missing signatures are returned without processing.
• Representatives: an authorized representative files from their own portal account and must include the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476). They cannot create your account, sign for you or log in with your credentials. IRCC's application page also mentions the Authority to Release Personal Information form (IMM 5475) for designating a contact person.
• Alternative formats: if a disability or other need prevents you from applying online, you can ask IRCC for the package in braille, large print or paper.

Federal fees

Applications with unpaid or partly paid fees are returned. Medical exams, police certificates and credential assessments are third-party costs. Provincial fees are separate.

1. Check before you fileIndependently check names, dates of birth, family members and nomination details against your passports and the nomination.
2. Keep your records togetherSave the final submission, the payment receipt and the submission confirmation for later correspondence.

After you apply

1. Completeness checkIRCC checks that the forms are complete, the fee is paid and all documents are included. An incomplete application is returned with a refund, and you must fix it and resubmit.
2. Acknowledgement of receiptIRCC sends an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) with your application number, which you can use to check your status online.
3. BiometricsApplicants aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photo. After the application is complete you receive a letter and have 30 days to give biometrics.
4. Medical exam and more informationYou and your family members, even those not coming with you, must have a medical exam; IRCC will not accept an application if your health would endanger public health or safety or cause excessive demand on health or social services. IRCC may also ask for more documents or invite you to an interview.
5. DecisionIRCC decides based on eligibility, funds to support yourself and your family, and admissibility. Misrepresentation can lead to refusal, a finding of inadmissibility and a bar of up to five years.
6. ApprovalYou pay the right of permanent residence fee if you have not already, and receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and, if needed, a permanent resident visa. Check that the COPR matches your passport; it cannot be extended.
7. RefusalIRCC sends a letter explaining the reasons. To be reconsidered you must submit a new application, meet the eligibility criteria and be found admissible.

Report changes

Use IRCC's web form to tell it if you withdraw, if your family changes (birth, adoption, marriage or divorce), if your address, email or representative changes, if the province withdraws your nomination, or if you no longer plan to live in the nominating province.

Working while you wait

A nomination does not authorize work; you need a work permit. If your current permit is expiring, you may be eligible for a bridging open work permit. For nominees outside Express Entry, the permanent-residence application must have passed the eligibility assessment (an AOR alone is not enough), and the nomination must not restrict your employment. Physicians in certain specialities (clinical laboratory medicine or surgery) and general practitioners or family physicians with a full-time job offer and a support letter from the nominating province may qualify for faster work permit processing. To follow your file, see our application status tools.

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 outside Express Entry
• IRCC: Eligibility (non-Express Entry)
• IRCC: Forms and documents (non-Express Entry)
• IRCC: How to apply (non-Express Entry)
• IRCC: After you apply (non-Express Entry)
• IRCC: Bridging open work permit
• 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.