On November 17, 2016, the province of British Columbia (BC) invited 310 individuals to apply for a provincial nomination certificate through the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). This represents an increase of 43 percent in the number of Invitations to Apply (ITA) issued over the last draw, which took place on November 10, 2016.
This most recent draw saw an increase in the number of ITAs issued in four of the five categories from which candidates were selected. The number of ITAs issued to candidates in the Express Entry BC — International Graduate category remained the same as in the previous draw. The minimum score required in order to receive an ITA in each category also remained the same as in the previous draw.
Candidates who received an ITA may now submit an application for a provincial nomination certificate to the provincial government of BC. With this nomination certificate, they may apply to the federal government for permanent resident status.
Individuals interested in applying for Canadian permanent resident status through certain categories of the BC PNP, including the five that were included in this draw, are required to enter into the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) pool. Upon registering, candidates choose which stream and category they wish to be considered under. Candidates are assigned a points score upon entry into the pool. This score is based on civil status, education, work experience, and other factors. The highest-ranking candidates in the SIRS pool are issued ITAs in periodic draws conducted by the government of BC.
Express Entry BC Stream
This stream of the BCPNP is aligned with the Express Entry system, and applications under this stream may receive priority processing at the provincial and federal levels. Consequently, individuals in this stream must be eligible for one of the three Federal economic programs — Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) — in order to enter the federal Express Entry pool. Individuals in the Express Entry pool who has a provincial nomination certificate from BC receive 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which means the individual will receive in an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.
Certain other BC PNP categories are not aligned with the federal Express Entry system. These ‘base’ categories are processed entirely outside Express Entry once an application is submitted at the federal stage of the application process.
For an overview of the number of invitations issued in each category, as well as the minimum scores for each category, consult the table below.
Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker
The Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category is for international skilled workers who have post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a professional, management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation. Candidates must be eligible to enter the federal Express Entry pool. A successful application under this category results in the candidate receiving 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and a subsequent ITA at the federal level.
To learn more about the Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category, click here.
Express Entry BC – International Graduate
International graduates who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within the past two years may be eligible to apply under the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category. Interestingly, this category is open to eligible graduates who graduated from a university or college in any location in Canada; it is not restricted to graduates from BC universities and colleges. This category is also aligned with the federal Express Entry system.
To learn more about the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category, click here.
Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker
This base category is open to workers with post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a skilled occupation. A job offer is required.
To learn more about the Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker category, click here.
Skills Immigration – International Graduate
This category is for international students who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within two years of applying to the BC PNP. While applicants do not necessarily need prior work experience, applicants are required to obtain a job offer from a B.C. employer.
To learn more about the Skills Immigration – International Graduate category, click here.
Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled
This category is open to candidates who may not be eligible for other Canadian immigration programs, as it allows certain non-skilled workers to apply for permanent residence. Candidates must work in an eligible occupation within the tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, or food processing industries, or in a NOC skill level C or D occupation in the Northeast Development Region of the province.
To learn more about the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category, click here.
