All potential PEI nominees must meet the following criteria:

• hold a Baccalaureate degree or College/Trade School equivalent from an accredited institution and have a minimum of 14 years education
• be able to communicate at a moderate level in all four categories in one of Canada's two official languages
• meet the financial requirements of the category intended to be applied under

The Nominee Program targets immigrants who intend to settle on PEI; who have language ability in English or French; and who have earned a baccalaureate degree, or equivalent, from an accredited institution. Specific financial criteria apply depending upon the program element under which you intend to apply. These are:

• 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.

1.                Getting Started

The process begins with the applicant selecting Prince Edward Island as his/her intended new home in Canada. We encourage prospective immigrants to find out as much as possible about the opportunities and life style we offer on Prince Edward Island or "The Island". A good starting point is the Government of Prince Edward Island website www.gov.pe.ca which provides a wealth of information and links to other websites to help you make the important decision to settle on our beautiful Island.

2.                Self Assessment
Once you have decided upon becoming a "new Islander", complete the  to determine whether you meet the criteria to be nominated, or selected, by the Province of Prince Edward Island for immigration to Canada. To simplify processing, the Province assesses the application based on the skilled worker point scoring system developed by Citizenship & Immigration Canada. The federal government's skilled worker point scoring system is used, regardless of whether you are applying for nomination by the Province as a skilled worker, an immigrant entrepreneur or an immigrant partner.

3.                Pre-Assessment
Where approximately 50 points, or more, are achieved through self-assessment, we encourage you to continue with the process of immigration by submitting the for review, or, by one of our Program Officers. Points value necessary to be nominated by the Province may be adjusted to account for specific provincial socio-economic priorities and objectives. The Program Officer will usually indicate within three business days whether you may proceed to the next phase. From this point onward, the process is somewhat different for skilled workers than for immigrant entrepreneurs or immigrant partners.

4.                Pre-Assessment Documentation

a.       Skilled workers should not submit the pre assessment to a program officer for review until they have a bona fide offer of employment from a PEI employer. The employment offered must be in your field of study and/or experience, and the employer must be able to prove they have been unable to fill the position after advertising provincially and nationally. The employment offer should be submitted to the program officer along with the pre assessment. The Province’s website www.gov.pe.ca/immigration contains a skills shortage list which is provided for information only to applicants to help them assess their skill sets in relation to the PEI labour market. Another important resource is the Job Bank, an online database provided by Human Resources Development Canada’s website www.jobbank.gc.ca to help match skilled workers with specific job opportunities and employers.

b.       Immigrant entrepreneurs and immigrant partners are required to submit the following documentation for review by a Program Officer:

Provincial Forms

• Self-Assessment ( PEI - NP - 01)
• Pre- Assessment (PEI - NP -02)
• Information Release Form (PEI - NP - 05)
• Proof of English Form (PEI - NP - 06)
• Statement of Intent to Work and Reside in PEI (PEI NP 07)

      Federal Forms

• Application for Permanent Residence in Canada (IMM - 0008 - generic)
• Schedule 1 Background/Declaration (IMM-0008 Schedule 1)
• Schedule 6 Economic classes - Business Immigrants pg. 4-5 only - must be current information.
• Schedule 4 Economic classes - Provincial Nominee (IMM - 0008 Schedule 4)
• Additional Family Information Form (IMM - 5406)
• Authority to release information to designated individuals (IMM 5476) (if applicable)

Note 1: If all above information is not submitted with pre-assessment, the information package will be returned without review.

Note 2: To advance the application process the applicant can submit supporting documents to verify net worth and education at the pre-assessment stage. These documents are a requirement of the Provincial Nominee Program and must be submitted prior to a nomination certificate being issued.

5.                Due Diligence

Immigrant entrepreneurs and immigrant partnersare required to visit PEI for a minimum stay of three business days and, preferably, five business days. During this time, the applicant will be interviewed by a Program Officer who will usually indicate at the conclusion of the interview whether the immigrant entrepreneur or immigrant partner should proceed to the next phase.

a.       During their stay on PEI, immigrant entrepreneurs are required to meet with an Officer at the Canada-PEI Business Services Centre for assistance and advice in identifying business opportunities, market research, regulatory requirements to start a business and guidance in preparing a business plan for review by the Province. An appointment should be arranged in advance of arrival on PEI. The services of the Canada-PEI Business Services Centre are provided jointly by the Government of Canada and the Province of PEI, free of charge.

b.       While on PEI, immigrant partners are to conduct their due diligence in selecting an eligible PEI company in which to invest. The Government of PEI and the Government of Canada do not guarantee that immigrant partners will recover their capital investment or receive dividends. Accordingly, immigrant partners must use care and prudence in selecting the investment.

During their visit to PEI, immigrant partners are encouraged to obtain independent legal, accounting, tax and other advice which may be required to conduct a thorough risk analysis and due diligence to select an investment.

Prior to arrival, immigrant partners should make direct contact with companies which have expressed interest in receiving investment, or consult an investment intermediary with a portfolio of potential businesses in which they may wish to invest. The prospective investee, or the investment intermediary, will provide a written business plan for each of the companies of potential interest to the immigrant partner. Arrangements should be made, in advance of arrival on PEI, for the immigrant partner to visit the premises of prospective investee companies and to meet the owners and management team.

The Province discourages immigrant partners from taking the decision to invest in a specific company during the visit to PEI. Final investment selection, execution of the necessary legal and other documents, as well as the transfer of investment funds, should ordinarily occur following the immigrant partner’s return home.

6.                Other Documentation

Once a potential nominee has met the PEI requirements, forms and documents must be collected in accordance with the Embassy/Consulate/High Commission that is responsible for their region. Each of these offices has a specific checklist that applicants must follow. Once an applicant has gathered all the required forms and documents for their specific office, a copy of the complete package must be submitted to the PEINP office for review.

The Province will use its best efforts to reach a final decision within twenty-five business days of receiving a fully complete set of immigration documents, free of errors or omissions. If selected, a Nomination Certificate will be issued to the appropriate Embassy/Consulate/High Commission. The applicant will be informed by the Program Officer when this occurs. The Nomination Certificate identifies the person named as a nominee of the Province of Prince Edward Island and will be used for special priority

MORE PROGRAM INFORMATION:
For more information on the PEI Nominee Program, its process, as well as links to the application forms and procedures, please visit:  website

The Immigrant Entrepeneurs Program element of the Nominee Program is intended for prospective immigrants who propose to establish a business on PEI or who intend to be self-employed.  For more information, please see Immigrant Entrepreneurs Program or visit:   http://www.gov.pe.ca/immigration/index.php3?number=64348

The Immigrant Partners Program Criteria element of the Nominee Program is intended for prospective immigrants who propose to make an investment in a PEI company and to take an active role in the investee company.   For more information, please visit: http://www.gov.pe.ca/immigration/index.php3?number=64349