There is a unique aspect to immigration policies of Canada and Australia that not many are aware of. One can apply directly to a province in these countries for immigration in certain cases. These cases mainly relate to shortage of certain skills that a province is facing and the immigration applicant possesses those skills.

For instance the province of Saskatchewan in Canada is currently facing shortage of farmers. So if you are somebody who has experience in farming and are ready to become a farmer in Saskatchewan then you can apply directly for immigration to the province of Saskatchewan. Similarly the Canadian province of Alberta is facing shortage of carpenters. So if you are a skilled carpenter, and are ready to remain a carpenter in Canada, then you can apply for immigration directly with the province of Alberta. The province of Quebec, in Canada, is looking for immigrants who are fluent in French. Quebec is the part of Canada where French is the main language. So if you are fluent in French then you can apply directly for immigration with the province of Quebec.

Mainly provinces that are in the backwoods or interior parts encourage provincial immigration. According to The Economist more than 90% of the economic immigrants in the Canadian province of Manitoba have come through the route of direct application with the provincial government. Manitoba is a province in central Canada that has an economy based on agriculture and mining of natural resources.

If you get immigration work permit through a provincial government then you have the right to work only in that province. However once you get the permanent residency permit then you also get the right to work anywhere in the country.

One risk that immigration through this route carries is that before one gets permanent residency permit one has the right to work only in that province. If the sector in which one has gone to work in that province comes under slowdown then the immigrant doesn’t have the recourse to migrate to other parts of that country.

Still, provincial migration is an option worth exploring for those eager to migrate to Canada or Australia.