Provincial Nomination Certificate
Statutory definition
IRPR s 87.4 assigns 600 additional CRS points to Express Entry candidates who hold a valid provincial or territorial nomination. The nomination certificate is issued by the province/territory through their secure digital interface with IRCC. For base (paper-based) PNP applicants, the nomination certificate enables a direct application to IRCC without entering the Express Entry pool.
Explanation
The provincial nomination certificate is effectively a golden ticket in the Express Entry system — 600 CRS points makes an ITA virtually certain in the next draw. Provinces issue nominations within their annual allocation agreed with the federal government. Each province has different streams and selection criteria. A candidate may hold only one valid provincial nomination at a time; accepting a nomination from one province while still holding another is not permitted.