Immigration

Provincial Nominee Program

Under the Agreement for Canada-Prince Edward Island Co-Operation on Immigration, the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee program (PNP) is a 5-year, federal-provincial pilot partnership agreement between the Province of Prince Edward Island and the Government of Canada, represented by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The program is administered for the provincial government by Island Investment Development Inc., a provincial crown corporation.

The PNP expedites the immigration to Canada of individuals and their families who meet provincial criteria for initiatives to support:

increased business and economic development
the supply of skilled workers
increased population; and
achievement of provincial demographic, social and cultural objectives

The PNP is a shared responsibility, whereby the province recruits, selects and nominates qualified immigrant applicants, with the federal government completing security and health background checks and giving final approval. The Nominee Program is equivalent to an “immigrant class”; therefore, Prince Edward Island rules apply, rather than those relating to the familiar Canadian immigrant classes (skilled worker, etc).

There are four PEI Nominee Program Categories. You are encouraged to read about the individual categories to understand which is most appropriate for your specific application. Follow the links in each category for the information and forms that you need or use the links at the bottom of this page. The four PEI PNP categories are:

Professional and Skilled Worker - an applicant with specialized skills and experience which may fill labour market gaps;
Immigrant Entrepreneur - an applicant who proposes to establish a viable, new business;
Immigrant Partner - an applicant who proposes to make an investment in an existing PEI company and to take an active role in that company as a director or as a senior manager;
Immigrant Connections - an applicant suggested by a PEI-based “champion” who meets settlement and employability criteria.

Determining Your Applicability

The purpose of the PEI Nominee Program is to select individuals who appear to be suitable for immigration to Prince Edward Island. While it is important that the process be transparent to all parties, applicants must also understand that it is PEIs right - and responsibility - to select applicants who appear to fit the province’s unique economy and culture.

To make its decision, the PEI PNP office reviews the application form and associated documents (see Application Process and Forms) to determine whether the applicant has an appropriate personal and family history and the capacity to integrate into the local community, based on a combination of age, language ability, education and transferrable management skills. In the case of Immigrant Partners and Immigrant Entrepreneurs, there is also a requirement to have acquired, through legal means and primarily the applicant’s own initiative, sufficient net worth to become established, after relocation to Prince Edward Island. A final consideration is the quality of the application and file consistency.

There are four PEI Provincial Nominee categories. Each of the following provides links to more information on the particular category: