Prince Edward Island invited Express Entry, Labour Impact, and Business Impact immigration candidates this month.

Canada’s island province invited 194 immigration candidates to take one step closer to permanent residence.

The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) held two invitation rounds so far in July.

The first draw was held on July 10, when the province invited eight Labour Impact and Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. The PEI PNP did not provide a breakdown of how many candidates were invited from each immigration category.

The draw on July 16 was considerably larger. There were 157 candidates invited from the Labour Impact and the Express Entry category. The PEI PNP also invited 29 Business Impact candidates that day.

Normally the PEI PNP follows a predetermined schedule for holding invitation rounds. This year, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the province’s plans. PEI has held two draws on schedule since March, on June 16 and July 18.

The next draw is scheduled for August 20.

PEI Express Entry Category

The PEI PNP’s Express Entry Category is aligned with the Canadian government’s Express Entry system.

Express Entry manages the applications for three economic-class immigration categories: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Eligible candidates are given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for their age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English and French.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are given an additional 600 points toward their CRS score, and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from PEI, Express Entry candidates need to create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the PEI PNP.

EOI profiles are given points based on the province’s unique points grid. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply through monthly draws.

The PEI PNP did not provide a breakdown of how many Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates were invited, nor the minimum EOI score required for each category.

Labour Impact Category

Candidates in the Labour Impact Category were invited in both rounds this month.

This immigration category is for foreign nationals who have a valid job offer in PEI, and have support from their employer. It is divided into three streams: Skilled Worker, Critical Worker, and International Graduate.

Candidates in this category must also submit an EOI profile in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Labour Impact Category.

Business Impact Category

The PEI PNP issued invitations to 29 candidates with an EOI profile in the Business Impact: Work Permit Stream on July 16.

Those invited needed to have a minimum EOI score of 117, the same as the previous Business Impact draw on June 23.

The Work Permit Stream is for entrepreneurs who wish to own and operate a business in PEI.