British Columbia and Alberta have issued invitations to apply to candidates for provincial nomination, and Alberta has published processing times updates for its immigration programs.
Invitations from British Columbia
In two drawings held on November 13, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) sent out at least 25 invitations to apply (ITAs) for provincial nomination.
The BC PNP issued ten ITAs in total after conducting a general draw across many streams:
| Stream | Minimum Score |
| Skilled Worker | 143 |
| Skilled Worker – Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option | 143 |
| International Graduate | 143 |
| International Graduate – EEBC | 143 |
| Entry-Level & Semi-Skilled |
121 |
Additionally, the BC PNP granted no fewer than 15 ITAs through a category-based draw that included the International Graduate and Skilled Worker streams, including the EEBC option:
| Category | Number of ITAs issued | Minimum Score |
| Childcare | 5 | 102 |
| Construction | 4 | 105 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 113 |
| Veterinary care | <5 | 80 |
Applicants may apply directly to the BC PNP under the base PNP or use the Express Entry BC (EEBC) option to link their PNP application to their Express Entry profile.
Following a provincial nomination and invitation to apply to the federal government, EEBC provides the IRCC with the benefit of expedited processing timeframes for the application for permanent residence.
Candidates must be eligible for one of the three Express Entry-managed programs in order to have an eligible Express Entry profile and be eligible for EEBC.
The Entry-Level & Semi-Skilled stream does not have an EEBC option available.
Invitations from Alberta
From October 15 to November 7, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) conducted four draws:
| Draw Type | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum score |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | November 7 | 187 | 50 |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathway – non-Express Entry | November 4 | 33 | 44 |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathway – Express Entry | November 4 | 65 | 51 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | October 15 | 302 | 70 |
Eligibility for these draws was as follows:
| Draw | Eligibility criteria |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | -CLB 5 or higher -Valid work permit -12+ months work experience -Full-time Alberta job offer -Job offer in an in-demand trade |
| Dedicated Health Care PathwayDedicated Health Care Pathway – non-Express Entry | -CLB 5 or higher -Full-time Alberta job offer -Legally authorized to practice regulated occupation |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathway – non-Express Enty | -Expiry date for Express Entry profile of April 4 2025 or later -Full-time Alberta job offer -CLB 5 or higher -Legally authorized to practice regulated occupation |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | -CLB 4 or higher -Valid LMIA-based work permit -Full-time Alberta job offer -6+ months Alberta work experience |
Processing time updates for Alberta
On November 7, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) updated its processing times.
| Stream | Applications to be processed | 2024 nominations issued | 2024 nomination allocation | 2024 nomination spaces remaining |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 1,401 | 5,065 | 5,264 | 199 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 1,407 | 1,757 | 1,830 | 73 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | 129 | 399 | 600 | 201 |
| Dedicated Healthcare Pathway | 19 | 79 | 110 | 31 |
| Accelerated Tech Pathway (EE) | 510 | 976 | 970 | 0 |
| Dedicated Healthcare Pathway (EE) | 17 | 471 | 670 | 199 |
| Law Enforcement Pathway (EE) | <10 | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| Priority sector draws and other initiatives (EE) | <10 | 165 | 164 | 0 |
| Family connection and occupation in demand (EE) | 0 | 107 | 106 | 0 |
| Entrepreneur Streams | 20 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| Total of all streams | 3,507 | 9,039 | 9,750 | 711 |
Processing updates for temporary measure for applicants with work permits expiring in 2024:
| Stream | Applications in queue | Support letters issued |
| Alberta Oportunity Stream | 552 | 260 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 295 | 31 |
Temporary public policy regarding PNP candidates’ open work permits
With the assistance of their PNP program, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented a temporary public policy on August 11 that allowed some PNP candidates to apply for open work permits.
Thus far, this temporary public policy has been implemented in Yukon, Manitoba, and Alberta.
The IRCC has the right to cancel the policy at any moment, although it is scheduled to stay in force until December 31, 2024.
Concerning the Provincial Nominee Initiative
Provinces and territories can propose foreign nationals for permanent residency under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
A candidate can anticipate being invited to submit an application for permanent residence to the federal government following a nomination from a province.
With the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, every province and territory has a PNP.
Since Quebec has more authority over immigration than other Canadian provinces and territories, it oversees its own immigration policies, including economic immigration initiatives like the Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) and Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), which are not under the purview of the PNP.