Promotion, Attraction, Selection: How Provinces Shape Immigration in Canada

Promotion, Attraction, Selection: How Provinces Shape Immigration in Canada

In a context where economic immigration is driven by the search for talent and in-demand profiles, Canadian provinces play a central role in designing and implementing policies for attracting, selecting, and retaining immigrants. Through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), provinces hold nomination powers that allow them to tailor candidate selection to their economic, demographic, and linguistic priorities.

Beyond program design, provinces also deploy promotional and migration marketing strategies to attract so-called “desirable” profiles. Dedicated websites, distinctive narratives, international recruitment missions, and employer-targeted resources all contribute to a competitive dynamic—both vertically, with the federal government, and horizontally, among provinces. Rooted in Canadian federalism, this competition plays out not only internationally but also domestically, as provinces seek to steer migration flows in line with their priorities.

Guest Speaker: Catherine Xhardez
Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Université de Montréal and Director of the Research Team on Immigration in Quebec and Elsewhere (ÉRIQA). Her research lies at the intersection of public policy and migration studies, with a focus on immigration federalism.