The Canadian province of British Columbia issued a total of 339 new invitations to apply for a provincial nomination in draws that took place February 28 and March 7.
One of the draws conducted by the latest British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)’s was under the BC PNP Tech Pilot program, which helps the province's technology sector in its efforts to recruit talent through streamlined weekly draws.
In its February 28 draw, the BC PNP issued invitations to skilled and semi-skilled workers and international graduates through its Skills Immigration and BC's Express Entry categories. For candidates invited under the Express Entry BC: Skilled Worker and Express Entry BC: International Graduate, successful nomination results in applicants receiving 600 additional points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) at a subsequent draw from the federal Express Entry pool.
It is necessary to clarify that an invitation to apply for the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal level.
The minimum scores for each category involved in this draw were as follows:
| Date | Category | Minimum Score Required | Number of ITAs Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
February 28, 2018 (Includes tech-only draw on March 7, 2018) | EEBC – Skilled Worker | 82 | 339 |
| EEBC – International Graduate | 82 | ||
| SI - Skilled Worker | 77 | ||
| SI – International Graduate | 82 | ||
| SI - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | 40 |
Applicants who received an invitation to apply now have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BCPNP Online registration system. An invitation to apply does not guarantee you will be approved for nomination.
In order to be considered under the BC PNP, most candidates must have an indeterminate, full-time job offer from an employer in the province who is willing to support them through the application process.
For more information on the eligibility criteria for the BC PNP’s various streams, please visit our dedicated BC PNP page.