PEI Express Entry: Provincial Nomination for Express Entry Candidates

Express Entry is the federal system that manages applications for three economic programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class. Candidates in the pool are ranked by their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

PEI Express Entry is an enhanced provincial stream. You first qualify for Express Entry and create a federal profile. You then submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to PEI. If PEI nominates you, the nomination is added to your federal profile and you receive 600 extra CRS points. See how the CRS works.

The stream does not formally require a job offer. However, the PEI guide says the province prioritizes invitations for applicants working and living in the province, and it may limit invitations in some occupations because of high demand from out-of-province graduates.

To be considered you must:

• meet the requirements of one federal Express Entry program (FSWP, FSTP or CEC)
• have a valid federal Express Entry profile number
• meet PEI's general eligibility rules for all streams (no active application elsewhere, no misrepresentation refusal, legal status, and so on)

The 9-month rule

You must show nine months of continuous work with the PEI employer supporting you and have at least four months left on your work permit when you submit your EOI if:

• you hold a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) and graduated from an institution outside PEI, or
• you hold a spousal open work permit based on your spouse's study permit at an institution outside PEI

This rule stops people from moving to PEI briefly just to get a nomination. Graduates of PEI institutions are not subject to it.

PEI uses a separate 100-point grid for Express Entry profiles, with one version for candidates with a PEI job offer and one without:

Key details from the January 2026 grid:

• Age: 25 to 29 earns 20 points; 30 to 44 earns 15; over 49 earns none.
• Language: CLB/NCLC 9 or 10 earns 20; CLB 8 earns 15; CLB 7 earns 10; below CLB 7 earns none.
• Education: a master's or PhD earns 15; a three-year bachelor's degree earns 12; a two-year trade diploma earns 10.
• Employment: points for working in PEI on a valid permit, a job offer related to your education, one year of full-time PEI work, and a foreign qualification verified by a PEI regulator.

This provincial score is separate from your federal CRS score. Use our CRS calculator for the federal side.

1. You accept the nomination in your federal Express Entry account, which adds 600 CRS points.
2. You wait for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a federal draw. With 600 extra points, this usually comes in the next draw that includes provincial nominees.
3. You submit your full permanent residence application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) online.

The PEI guide says nominees must apply for permanent residence within six months of the nomination certificate and must keep meeting the conditions of the nomination. Our ITA to COPR guide explains the federal stage.

PEI's Workforce Application Guide, which also covers PEI Express Entry, sets an application fee of $300 CAD paid online when you submit the form after an invitation. You have 30 days from the invitation to submit. You also pay federal fees, language tests, and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) if your education is from outside Canada; see our ECA guide.

PEI does not publish processing times for its own stage. Federal processing times are on our processing times page.