Priority Skills NL: Status of Newfoundland and Labrador's Former Express Entry Category

Priority Skills NL was one of the categories of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program. It was tied to the federal Express Entry system and aimed at candidates whose education and experience matched occupations the province considered priorities. Unlike NL's worker categories, it was designed to reach skilled people who did not yet have a job in the province.

We describe it only in general terms here, because the province no longer publishes its criteria and we could not verify the final rules or the date it stopped operating.

No. As of September 2026:

• The Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM) lists five NLPNP categories: Skilled Worker, Express Entry Skilled Worker, International Graduate, International Entrepreneur and International Graduate Entrepreneur.
• Priority Skills NL is not among them.
• The old Priority Skills NL web address still exists but shows no program information.

Since February 19, 2025, all NL economic immigration applications start with an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the Immigration Accelerator Portal. The EOI covers the listed NLPNP categories and the Atlantic Immigration Program. There is no Priority Skills NL option in that system.

Be careful with any website or agent that still offers to file a Priority Skills NL application for a fee. See scam protection.

If you received a nomination or submitted an application under Priority Skills NL in the past, contact OIM at pnp@gov.nl.ca to confirm its status. A nomination certificate is normally valid for a limited time, and NL's current certificates are valid for six months with extensions available on request. If you already hold a nomination linked to your Express Entry profile, your federal application continues with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the usual rules; our ITA to COPR guide explains that stage.

If your file was refused or closed and you are unsure of your options, speak with a lawyer or licensed consultant (RCIC).

If you are in the Express Entry pool and have an NL job offer

Use the Express Entry Skilled Worker category. It requires a full-time TEER 0 to 3 job offer from an eligible NL employer and at least 67 points on the NLPNP grid. A nomination adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

If you are in the Express Entry pool without a job offer

• Watch federal category-based draws, such as those for health care, trades, and French-speaking candidates.
• Improve your score with our CRS calculator and a better language test result.
• Compare other provinces' Express Entry streams, for example PEI Express Entry, which does not formally require a job offer.

If you want to work in NL first

• The Atlantic Immigration Program is open in 2026 and requires a job offer from a designated employer.
• The base Skilled Worker category accepts job offers at any TEER level.
• Students who graduate in NL can later use the International Graduate category.

The biggest practical change for candidates abroad is the job offer. Without one, NL's current published categories do not offer a direct Express Entry nomination, so building a connection to an NL employer, or studying in the province, matters more than before.

OIM publishes its EOI prioritization criteria. The current priorities include health and health-related occupations, jobs in rural and regional communities, occupations used less in NL than in other provinces (business and finance, science and research, trades and transport), employers with strong retention records, NL graduates, Francophone candidates, and applicants with strong ties to the province. These priorities now shape who receives an Invitation to Apply, in the role that targeted categories like Priority Skills NL once played.