How Provinces Help International Graduates Become Permanent Residents

May 7, 2025 / 3 min readspscanadaahd

How Provinces Help International Graduates

Many Canadian provinces have special immigration programs just for international students who graduate from schools in their province. These programs make it easier for those students to stay in Canada permanently. As of now, eight provinces offer such programs.

Which Provinces Have Programs for International Graduates?

The provinces that offer immigration streams for international graduates include:

  • Alberta
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Saskatchewan

These streams have different requirements, but most ask you to:

  • Show you truly plan to live in that province
  • Have enough money to settle there
  • Often, have graduated from a school within the province
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Job Offer and Expression of Interest (EOI)

Some streams require:

  • A job offer from a local employer
  • An EOI profile, which means you must first show interest and wait to be invited before applying

It’s important to know that none of these streams are linked to Express Entry, a federal immigration system.

Province-by-Province Overview

Alberta

  • Graduate Entrepreneur Stream: For those who studied in Alberta and want to start or buy a business (must own at least 34%).
  • Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream: For those who studied outside Canada but want to start a business in Alberta (ownership rules vary by location).
  • Non Job Offer Streams:
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Manitoba

  • Career Employment Pathway: For graduates working in Manitoba in certain in-demand jobs.
  • Graduate Internship Pathway: For master’s or PhD graduates who completed specific internships.
  • International Student Entrepreneur Pilot: For graduates starting their own business (must own at least 51% and manage it for 6 months).
  • Job Offer Streams:
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  • Non Job Offer Streams:
[table “75” not found /]

New Brunswick

  • Private Career College Graduate Pilot Program: For graduates from private colleges in NB with a full-time job offer. This program is temporary and will close in fall 2025.
  • Job Offer Streams:
[table “76” not found /]

Newfoundland and Labrador

  • International Graduate Category: For those with a job or job offer in specific job types, especially if they studied outside NL.
  • Graduate Entrepreneur (New Business): For those who started a new business after graduating from Memorial University or CNA.
  • Graduate Entrepreneur (Buy Existing Business): For those who bought a local business and manage it (must own at least 33.3%).
  • Job Offer Streams:
[table “77” not found /]
  • Non Job Offer Streams:
[table “78” not found /]

Nova Scotia

  • International Graduates in Demand: For graduates with a job in certain needed occupations.
  • International Graduate Entrepreneur: For those who started or bought a business and have managed it for at least one year (own at least 33.33%).
  • Job Offer Streams:
[table “79” not found /]
  • Non Job Offer Streams:
[table “80” not found /]

Ontario

  • Employer Job Offer – International Student Stream: For graduates with a full-time job offer in Ontario.
  • Master’s Graduate Stream: For those with a master’s degree from an Ontario university who lived in the province for 1 of the last 2 years.
  • PhD Graduate Stream: For PhD graduates who lived in Ontario for at least 1 year during the last 2 years.
  • Job Offer Streams:
[table “83” not found /]
  • Non Job Offer Stream:
[table “84” not found /]

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

  • International Graduates Stream: For PEI graduates with a job offer in any type of job. Priority is given to healthcare, trades, and childcare workers.
  • Job offer Streams:
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Saskatchewan

  • Student Sub-Category: For graduates from Saskatchewan schools with a full-time job offer in eligible fields and at least 6 months of work experience.
  • Job Offer Streams:
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Provinces Without Active Streams

  • British Columbia ended its international graduate streams in late 2024 and delayed new ones for 2025.
  • Northwest Territories and Yukon currently do not offer programs for international graduates.

How to Apply for PR Through These Programs

To get permanent residence (PR) through these Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), you must apply at two levels:

1. Without an EOI

  • Apply directly to the province for nomination
  • If approved, apply to IRCC (the federal immigration department) for PR

2. With an EOI

  • First, submit an Expression of Interest
  • If invited, apply to the province
  • Once nominated, apply to IRCC for PR

Processing Time

Currently, the average time for a base PNP application to be processed by IRCC is 21 months.

Get in touch with SPS Global

Receive professional advice on any of your questions regarding Canadian immigration. get in touch with us, experienced immigration consultants from SPS Canada. For additional information, contact support@spscanada.com (Canada) or support.amd@spscanada.com (Ahmedabad), or by phone at (1) 905-362-9393 (Canada) or +919586226232 (Ahmedabad).

 

 

 

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