Archive - New Ways to Immigrate to Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is Canada’s smallest province and is known for its beautiful sandy beaches. Due in part to the warm and welcoming nature of its residents, PEI is quickly becoming an attractive settlement destination for newcomers to Canada. To entice more immigrants to the province, the PEI provincial government recently announced the addition of five new categories to their Provincial Nominee Program. By expanding the program, PEI hopes to increase the population and supply of workers, and to fuel business and economic development in the province. Applicants who are students in Canada, semi-skilled workers, and investors are now able to fast-track their applications for Canadian permanent residency through PEI.

Applicants who intend to settle in PEI and who meet the minimum requirements for age, education, experience, and language ability can apply through one of the following 5 new categories:

Critical Work Category

In order to meet the labour shortages in the province, PEI is opening their provincial program to applicants who have a full-time job offer from a PEI employer at a National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C or D position in one of the following occupations: truck driver, customer service representative, labourer, food and beverage server, or housekeeping attendant. PNP Critical Worker applicants must be working for their PEI employer for at least six months on a valid work permit before they are able to submit their Canadian immigration application through the PNP. The Critical Worker category is a pilot project and will be reviewed annually as labour market demands change.

International Graduate Category

The International Graduate Category is specifically aimed at applicants who have graduated from a recognized accredited Canadian University or College within the past two years prior to submitting their application for Canadian permanent residency. Before applying through this category, applicants must receive a full-time job offer from a PEI employer for a NOC skill level A, B, or O position (i.e. a skilled or managerial position) and must be working for their employer for at least six months on a valid work permit.

100% Ownership Category

Applicants in this category must commit to making an investment in an existing PEI company or start a new company and plan to take an active managerial role in its operations. 100% Ownership nominees must also make a deposit in escrow to PEI and must satisfy minimum requirements for personal net worth and amount invested in the company. An exploratory visit to PEI and a detailed business proposal are also required.

Partial Ownership Category

Similar to the 100% Ownership category, the Partial Ownership category requires applicants to make an investment in an existing PEI company. Rather than controlling the entire operations of the company, applicants in this category must obtain more than 33 1/3% of the equity in the business or make an equity investment. Partial Ownership applicants must also provide active and on-going management of the business from within PEI and must satisfy minimum personal net worth requirements.

Work Permit Category

The Work Permit category is aimed at investors who wish to arrive in PEI to begin working and learning about their business prior to receiving nomination from PEI. These applicants must be eligible to apply for a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Investment and personal net worth requirements are the same as those in the Partial Ownership category.

PEI has kept two of their original categories which have remained unchanged:

Skilled Worker Category

Applicants who meet the minimum requirements for age, education, experience, and language ability and who receive a permanent full-time job offer from a PEI employer for a NOC skill level A, B, or O position, can apply through the Skilled Worker Category. As in all other categories, these applicants must demonstrate a genuine intention to reside in PEI.

Family Connections Category

This category aims to reunite close family members in PEI. Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have resided in PEI for at least two years and who are in good standing may sponsor their family members. These eligible citizens or residents, referred to as ‘Champions’, can nominate their parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews and first cousins. Applicants must have a full-time job offer from a PEI employer or the intention and capacity to obtain one and must meet the minimum requirements for age, education, experience, and language ability.

Whether you are an international student in Canada, skilled or semi-skilled worker, or looking to make a safe and reliable investment in a Canadian business, Prince Edward Island has all the right options for you.

Do you qualify for Canadian immigration under the PEI’s PNP? Our assessment form allows us to assess your eligibility across the more than 60 different Canadian immigration programs that are currently in place. Find out which option is right for you.