Prince Edward Island held its pre-scheduled immigration draw on July 15.

The province invited a total of 127 immigration candidates through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Most of the invitations, 118, went to Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates. The remaining nine invitations went to Business Impact candidates who had at least 60 points in the province’s immigration system.

This is the seventh draw of the year held by the Canadian maritime province. PEI has invited 1,032 candidates, 934 of which were from the Labour Impact and Express Entry streams and 98 from the Business Impact stream.

PNPs allow Canada’s provinces and territories to select immigration candidates who meet their labour market needs.  This is true of  Prince Edward Island, which administers the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) within federally approved guidelines.

The next PEI PNP draw is expected for August 19.

About the PEI PNP Express Entry Category

The PEI PNP’s Express Entry Category is an enhanced PNP, which means it is linked with the federal government’s Express Entry system. In order to be considered for this stream, candidates need to have a profile in the system.

Express Entry is an immigration application manager. It handles the applications for three economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Eligible candidates get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for their age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English or 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 P.E.I., 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.

Labour Impact Category

The Labour Impact Category is for foreign nationals who have a valid job offer in P.E.I., 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 Expression of Interest in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Labour Impact Category.

Business Impact Category

Business Impact Category candidates need to meet the minimum provincial score requirement in order to proceed with their applications. The score is different in every draw. The invitations that P.E.I. sent in today’s draw were issued under the Work Permit Stream, which is for foreign entrepreneurs who want to own and operate a business on the island.