the CanadaVisa Team - 04 February, 2017
The first immigration draw of the year under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has taken place, with 457 candidates having been issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to the BC PNP on February 3. These candidates had previously created a profile in BC's unique Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), a mechanism that allows the province to rank and select potential newcomers across a range of sub-categories.
Until February 3, it had been a while since the previous draw took place on December 21. Prior to that draw, ITAs had been issued at more regular intervals. It may be the case that this draw signals a return to more regular draws through 2017, as was the case through much of last year.
Some individuals issued an ITA are now in a position to submit their BC PNP provincial nomination application through one of the enhanced BC PNP sub-categories aligned with the federal Express Entry selection system. The remaining candidates may submit their application to a "base" BC PNP sub-category, and will have their applications processed outside the Express Entry system at the federal level.
Please note that the ITA with respect to the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.
| Stream/category | Minimum score | Number of invitations | Aligned with Express Entry? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker | 95 | 137 | Yes |
| Express Entry BC – International Graduate | 85 | 95 | Yes |
| Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker | 100 | 76 | No |
| Skills Immigration – International Graduate | 90 | 88 | No |
| Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | 70 | 61 | No |
This stream of the BC PNP 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 for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.
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.
Learn more about the Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category.
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.
Learn more about the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category.
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.
Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker category.
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.
Learn more about the Skills Immigration – International Graduate category.
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.
Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category.
Candidates who achieve or exceed the following registration scores will receive an Invitation to Apply in the next draw for his or her chosen category.
