Under the PNP program, you apply through Non-Express PNP stream if you qualify and if it’s the best course of action for you. If you meet the eligibility requirements of the province that nominates you, you apply to the province or territory for nomination under a non-Express Entry stream. It is a paper-based system.
You can apply for a nomination under the Express PNP if you do not choose the former Non-Express Entry program. If you choose later, you must meet federal criteria for Express Entry as well as the provincial criteria for their program. If you are invited to apply, you submit an electronic application to IRCC.
In the online Express Entry PNP, there are two ways to apply:
You contact the province or territory and apply for a nomination under an Express Entry stream. If the province or territory agrees to nominate you, you create an Express Entry profile (or update your profile if you already have one) and show you have been nominated.
OR
You create an Express Entry profile and show the provinces and territories you’re interested. If a province or territory sends you a “notification of interest” to your account, you contact them directly.
You apply to their Express Entry stream:
If you’re nominated, the province will offer it to you through your account, and you accept it electronically.