Most Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) have at least one enhanced stream. The enhanced streams are aligned with the federal Express Entry system. In such cases, a PNP runs searches for candidates in a structured manner that meets the criteria for one or more of their enhanced streams by accessing the Express Entry profiles’ pool. 

PNPs often conduct their structured searches based on primary NOCs, as well as the years of work experience in NOCs of interest, although they can filter their search based on a variety of other factors. 

Based on provinces’ regional needs, PNPs mostly target and prioritize certain sectors and occupations for provincial nomination. 

If a candidate accidentally inputs the wrong NOC as their primary occupation, their profile may never be discovered by a province for an enhanced stream that they can absolutely be eligible for. 

If a province selects you from the Express Entry pool through enhanced stream, you receive a Notification of Interest (NOI), which is technically an invitation to apply for provincial nomination. 

For Example- You wish to immigrate to Canada and settle in either of the provinces Alberta, Ontario, or British Columbia. Since you have been living and working in Ontario for over a year, so you eventually create an Express Entry profile which is meant to be considered under CEC, and you also select those three provinces as your Provinces of Interest (POI). 

Let’s suppose you are working under the designation title of “Graphic Designer” which would fall under NOC 52120. You perform your duties diligently, gain your work experience and skills, but you find out that, according to the NOC, your job duties are more aligned with “Web Designer” falling under NOC 21233 so you make this NOC in your profile as your primary NOC. 

But in another scenario based on your skills and qualifications, you are several points short for CEC draws with a supposedly Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 525, as per the recent CRS score cut-offs, 

However, you will qualify for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s (OINP) through the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream, as the province finds their suitable candidates through the Express Entry pool.  

Because when you selected your primary NOC as 21233 (Web Designer) while creating your Express Entry profile, you will be qualified for the tech draws of Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s (OINP)’s tech draws, which target nine specific occupations in the technology sector. 

The OINP scans the Express Entry pool to find suitable candidates with qualifying work experience in one of these NOCs. When they see your profile meeting their regional needs, they will send you an NOI. 

If you had just put your primary NOC as 52120 of Graphic Designer, gone based on your designation title at work, you wouldn’t have been discovered by Ontario and receive an invitation to apply for provincial nomination through Ontario’s initiative of recruitment of tech draws. 

Also, when you apply for provincial nomination, you get an additional 600 points toward their CRS score, which will almost guarantee an ITA in the next Express Entry draw.