On Friday, British Columbia (BC) announced that it is making changes to its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that will allow the province to welcome greater numbers of qualified immigrants.
The BC PNP already had a category for international graduates under its Strategic Occupations Stream, but the students were required to have a job offer from a BC employer in order to qualify for the program. However, a job offer is no longer required for recent masters and doctorate graduates from a BC post-secondary institution in the natural, applied or health sciences.
“These highly skilled graduates are vital to helping our province succeed in a world where knowledge is the most important currency,” said Moira Stilwell, BC's Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development.
In addition, international graduates with a BC job offer previously needed to have completed a portion of their degree or diploma in the province. That requirement has been modified so that students who have graduated from any eligible Canadian educational institution may qualify if they have a BC job offer.
Expanding the PNP will enable the province to counter the upcoming skilled worker shortage that is expected, not just in BC, but all across Canada.
“With over 950,000 job openings anticipated by 2020, attracting international post-secondary students is one way we can meet the future needs of BC business for well trained, highly educated employees,” Stilwell said.