Navigating PEI's Workforce Streams PNP: Strategies For Job Seekers

The guide below takes a deep look into the Prince Edward Island Workforce (PEIW) streams of the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP). The guide will go through an overview of the streams, their eligibility requirements, how they works, the documentation needed, their cost and processing times.

PEI Workforce streams – Overview

The Prince Edward Island Workforce (PEIW) streams require in most cases that the candidate hold a job offer from a Prince Edward Island employer and have work experience in the province to be eligible.

When receiving a nomination under one of the PEIW streams, candidates can then apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government of Canada.

For most PEIW streams, they are not aligned with Express Entry, which means that candidates cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of Express Entry. Processing times of Provincial Nominee Programs (not aligned with Express Entry) are usually longer and take at least 1 year.

The Prince Edward Island Workforce category consists of 7 streams:

PEI Express Entry
Skilled Workers in PEI
Skilled Workers outside Canada
International Graduates
Critical Workers
Intermediate Experience
Occupations In Demand

The PEIW streams have minimum eligibility requirements, however, Prince Edward Island does not send Invitations to Apply to every candidate that meets these minimum criteria. In fact, PEIPNP conducts periodic draws, and each draw has its own minimum threshold score (out of 100 points, details in section below).
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.

PEI Workforce streams – Eligibility

There are 4 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You can submit an expression of interest to any of the Prince Edward Island Workforce (PEIW) streams if you satisfy to all the requirements below. However, there are a few points to keep in mind:

For the PEI Express Entry stream, the PEIPNP prioritizes applicants working and living in the province
Meeting all the eligibility requirement does not necessarily mean an applicant will receive an invitation to apply. When filling out an Expression of interest, you will be scored out of a 100 points. Draws are conducted periodically and only the ones above the draws’ minimum score are invited to apply for nomination. You can find more information in the Draw History section of this guide.

General requirements applicable to all PEIW streams

To be eligible to any of the PEIW streams, the candidate must:

Have sufficient financial resources to be able to establish themselves and their family in PEI (sufficient funds to cover federal immigration fees, travel costs for all included in the application, as well as everyday living expenses)
Demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in PEI

General requirements applicable to all PEIW streams requiring a job offer

Job offer

To be eligible to one of the stream that require a job offer, the job offer must be full-time (min. 30 h/week for which wages are paid), non-seasonal (permanent or minimum of two years) and from a PEI employer.

Some information sessions and recruitment events are held online and in some targeted countries that could help find a job offer in Prince Edward Island.
You can consult the list of PEIPNP information sessions and recruitment events here.

Employer

For the PEIW streams that require a job offer, the following requirements need to be met by the employer:

Employer is in active and continuous operation under current ownership/management in PEI for a minimum of two years with identified labour gaps
Recruitment efforts for the intended profession have been unsuccessful within Canada and the position is critical to the operation of the company
Employment in the intended occupation in PEI is consistent with the applicant’s ability to perform the job, based on the applicant’s education, training and/or experience
Employment terms and conditions meet all applicable provincial and federal employment workplace standards and the comparable industry wage rate
Employment requiring provincial licensing or accreditation has been verified to ensure the applicant has the necessary credentials to be eligible to work in the occupation in PEI

Employers whose business model is a purely virtual office and candidates whose job offer is with an employer whose business model is a virtual office is not eligible under the PEIPNP.

Specific requirements to each stream

PEI Workforce streams	Eligibility requirements
PEI Express Entry	Be in the Express Entry pool as a FSW, FST or CEC candidate Strong ties to PEI increase chances (family, past or current work, studies, valid job offer, etc.)
Skilled Workers in PEI	Are currently working in PEI Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation Have at least 2 years of full‐time work experience in the past 5 years Have a valid work permit Have successfully completed a post‐secondary degree or diploma (minimum 2-year program) Employer must be comfortable with proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks, else have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French
Skilled Workers outside Canada	Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation (employer must have received authorization from the PEIPNP prior to issuing a job offer) Have at least 2 years of full‐time work experience in the past 5 years Have a valid work permit Have successfully completed a post‐secondary degree or diploma (minimum 2-year program) Employer must be comfortable with proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks, else have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French
International Graduates	Have graduated from a publicly-funded PEI institution Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer Have a valid post-graduate work permit For TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offer occupations, employer must be comfortable with proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks / For TEER 4 or 5 job offer occupations, have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French
Critical Workers	Are currently working in PEI Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer in a TEER 4 or 5 occupation Have at least 6 month of full‐time work experience with the PEI employer Have at least 2 years of full‐time work experience or a 2-year Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma in the past 5 years Have a valid work permit Have successfully completed at least a secondary (high school) diploma Have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French
Intermediate Experience	Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer in a TEER 4 occupation have a minimum of 6 months full‐time Canadian work experience gained while on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) based work permit, and be relevant to the job offer in PEI Have successfully completed at least a secondary (high school) diploma Have at least 2 years of full‐time work experience or a 2-year Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma in the past 5 years Have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French
Occupations In Demand	Have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or min. 2 years) job offer from a PEI employer in one of the following occupations – NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates – NOC 73300 – Transport truck drivers – NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers – NOC 65310 – Light duty cleaners – NOC 95109 – Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities – NOC 75101 – Material handlers – NOC 94140 – Process control and machine operators food and beverage processing – NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers Have at least 1 year of full‐time work experience directly related to the job offer Have a valid work permit Have successfully completed at least a secondary (high school) diploma Have a minimum score of CLB4 in English and/or French

PEI PNP Expression of interest scoring system

If you want to be invited to apply to any of the streams of the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Workforce category, you need to register on the PEI PNP Expression of interest (EOI) system and fill in the various forms, then you are given a score out of 100 points, that depends on six factors. Below is the summary table that will let you know how the score is calculated for each stream:

100-point assessment grid – Maximum points	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
Factor 1 – Age	20	20	15	25	15	15	15
Factor 2 – Language	20	20	20	N/A	20	20	20
Factor 3 – Education	15	15	15	35	15	15	15
Factor 4 – Work experience	15	20	20	N/A	20	20	20
Factor 5 – Employment	15	10	15	20	15	15	15
Factor 6 – Adaptability	15	15	15	20	15	15	15
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

Each factor’s point distribution is explained in detail below.

Factor 1 – Age
You must be between 18 et 59 years old to be eligible.

Factor 1 – Age	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
18 to 24 years old	7	7	7	10	7	7	15
25 to 29 years old	20	20	15	25	15	15	15
30 to 44 years old	15	15	15	25	15	15	15
45 to 49 years old	10	10	10	15	10	10	10
Over 49 years old	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Maximum points	20	20	15	25	15	15	15

Factor 2 – Language

You must demonstrate you meet the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for each language skill, either in French or in English.
Points for Language are awarded based on a submitted language test or, if applying through the Skilled Worker in PEI or Skilled Worker outside Canada streams, based on a signed form indicating the employer is comfortable with the employee’s proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks associated with the job position being offered. Your language test must be valid and written within the last 2 years from an IRCC-approved testing institute.

Factor 2 – Language	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
Employer comfortable with proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks	N/A	N/A	20	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
CLB9 or 10	20	20	20	N/A	20	20	20
CLB8	15	15	17	N/A	17	17	17
CLB7	10	10	15	N/A	15	15	15
CLB6	0	0	10	N/A	10	10	10
CLB5	0	0	5	N/A	5	5	5
CLB4 or below	0	0	0	N/A	0	0	0
Maximum points	20	20	20	20	20	20	20

Factor 3 – Education

Points will be awarded based on the highest level of education completed.
If the educational credential is from a foreign (non-Canadian) institution or authority, you must also submit an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued by an approved provider.

Factor 3 – Education	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
Master’s level or PhD from a graduate school of a college or university, after completion of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree	15	15	15	35	15	15	15
Post-secondary academic degree (Bachelor) minimum of three years of study	12	12	12	20	12	15	15
Post-secondary diploma in a specific trade that required at least two years of full-time study after secondary school	10	10	10	20	10	15	15
Post‐secondary diploma minimum of one year of study	0	0	10	20	10	15	15
Completion of secondary school	0	0	N/A	N/A	10	15	15
Maximum points	15	15	15	35	15	15	15

Factor 4 – Work Experience:

Points will be awarded based on full‐time employment, meaning at least 30 hours per week.

You can find your intended occupation’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER Category here.

Factor 4 – Work experience	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
More than 6 years	15	20	20	20	20	20	20
4 to 6 years	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
2 to 4 years	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
1 to 2 years	5	5	0	0	0	0	0
Less than 1 year	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Maximum points	15	20	20	20	20	20	15

Factor 6 – Adaptability

You can earn additional points in this factor if you and/or your spouse/partner have close family member in PEI, etc.

Factor 6 – Adaptability	PEI Express Entry – With job offer	PEI Express Entry – Without job offer	Skilled Workers in PEI / Skilled Workers outside Canada	International Graduates	Critical Workers	Intermediate Experience	Occupations In Demand
Currently have close family member(s) living in PEI for at least 12 consecutive months who are permanent residents or Canadian citizens	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Spouse/partner and/or dependent children have a language ability of CLB6 or higher in English or French	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Currently own residential property in PEI for at least 12 consecutive months	5	5	5	5	5	N/A	N/A
Graduated from a recognized PEI post‐secondary institution	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Spouse/partner has at least 3 years of work experience in the last 5 years	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Dependent children have been enrolled in a PEI educational institution for at least 6 continuous months	N/A	N/A	5	N/A	5	N/A	N/A
Maximum points	15	15	15	20	15	15	15

PEI Workforce streams – Application Process

For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Prince Edward Island Workforce (PEIW) streams.

(i) For the PEI Express Entry stream, candidates must:

Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSW, FST or CEC programs.
Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting “Prince Edward Island” or “All Provinces and Territories”.
Qualify for the minimum PEI Express Entry stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in the PEI PNP Expression of interest (EOI) system.
Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their PEIPNP EOI profile.
Apply to the PEI Express Entry stream within 60 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through PEIPNP EOI system (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
Accept the Prince Edward Island provincial nomination (after the PEIPNP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile.
Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Apply for permanent residence through your Express Entry profile.

You can check out our 10-step guide for Express Entry for more detailed information and advice.

(ii) For all other streams (not aligned with Express Entry), candidates must:

Qualify for the minimum stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in the PEI PNP Expression of interest (EOI) system.
Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their PEIPNP EOI profile.
Apply to the PEI Express Entry stream within 60 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through PEIPNP EOI system (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
Apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination. Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from PEIPNP.

PEI Workforce streams – Application Fees

The fee for any of the Prince Edward Island Workforce streams is set at 300 CAD.

PEI Workforce streams – Processing Times

The PEIPNP does not publish processing times for the Prince Edward Island Workforce streams. However, the average processing time is around 6 months.

PEI Workforce streams – Latest News & Data

You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw history on the Prince Edward Island Workforce streams, as well as for all the other PNP streams.

PEI Workforce streams – In-Demand Occupations?

Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.

In the case of the Occupations in demand stream, there is a list of NOC occupations codes that are targeted by the stream, but a job offer is needed:

NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
NOC 73300 – Transport truck drivers
NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
NOC 65310 – Light duty cleaners
NOC 95109 – Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities
NOC 75101 – Material handlers
NOC 94140 – Process control and machine operators food and beverage processing
NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.

Do I have to stay in the Province?

This is a tricky question and there are multiple situations that can happen. You can learn more about this subject on our dedicated article: Can I move to another province?

Immigrate

PEI Workforce Streams