Like all the provinces and two of the territories, Ontario and Nova Scotia have their own Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Both provinces have recently made modifications to the International Student streams of their PNPs to make it easier for applicants to qualify for the programs.

Nominee Programs allow provinces and territories to nominate applicants they feel will be able to successfully settle in their societies. Applicants who are nominated by a province or territory can submit their applications to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for fast-track approval and issuance of their Canadian permanent resident visas.

Both the Opportunities Ontario PNP and the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) have International Student streams.

This month, Opportunities Ontario added a new component to the International Students stream. Whereas before, all international students who had graduated from a publicly funded Canadian university needed an Ontario job offer to qualify, PhD graduates from Ontario universities no longer need a job offer to be eligible to immigrate under Opportunities Ontario.

Under the NSNP, candidates would qualify for the International Students stream if they had graduated from a Nova Scotia post-secondary institution and had a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer.  While they still need a Nova Scotia job offer to qualify, as of this month candidates can have graduated from any recognized post-secondary institution in Canada.