A member with CRS 426 (NOC 4031, secondary school teacher, with a dependent in NOC 4011) found that nearly every province except PEI required a job offer for their PNP streams, and asked how realistic their nomination chances were without one.
What the thread clarified:- Each province runs its own program with its own criteria — you have to check each individual PNP website for their specific demand list and application requirements rather than assuming a common standard across provinces.
- Without a job offer, PEI was the only province where this applicant could actually create a profile. Other provinces indicated they would consider EE-pool candidates only "if needed," rather than offering a direct application pathway without an offer.
- PNP programs generally require more work experience than the federal FSW minimum. Members observed that most PNP streams look for around 2 years of work experience, compared to FSW's 1-year minimum — this can be a hidden hurdle even when the NOC itself isn't listed as "in demand."
The practical takeaway: if you don't have a job offer, expect your realistic PNP options to narrow significantly — check PEI and any province's "as needed" EE-pool consideration, and make sure you meet the roughly 2-year work experience bar that many PNP streams expect, beyond just matching an in-demand occupation.