The Canadian province of British Columbia has issued a further 194 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for its British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) through two categories: Express Entry B.C. – International Graduate and Skills Immigration – Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled. The ITAs were issued to a range of candidates on June 2.

Both of these categories operate under what is known as the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), which came into operation earlier this year. The (SIRS) is a dynamic intake management system that allows British Columbia to prioritize candidates for provincial nomination to the province. As it is a points-based system, candidates receive a score based on the information they provide upon registration. This score will determine whether a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply for nomination from BC PNP through the Skills Immigration and Express Entry B.C. streams.

Express Entry B.C. – International Graduate

Most of the ITAs issued in this round of invitations (126 of the total of 194) were issued under the Express Entry B.C. – International Graduate category. Interestingly, eligibility for this category is not limited to graduates from education institutions in British Columbia. Indeed, international graduates who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within the past two years may be eligible to apply under this category. Candidates must have a full-time permanent qualifying job offer in a skilled occupation from a B.C. employer.

As the Express Entry B.C. – International Graduate stream is an enhanced PNP stream, candidates who obtain a nomination certificate are awarded 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System and will receive an Invitation to Apply for Canadian permanent residence at a subsequent draw from the pool. (Note that the Invitation to Apply to the BC PNP and the Invitation to Apply for Canadian permanent residence are not the same thing.)

Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled

On June 2, a total of 68 ITAs were issued to candidates under the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category. This was the first time that ITAs had been issued under this category since April 8, when 95 ITAs were issued.

This category is for individuals currently living and working in B.C. 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 candidate and employer requirements, click here.

BC PNP Invitations to Apply

The most recent round of invitations (also known as a 'draw') occurred on June, 2016, with a total of 194 ITAs issued across two categories.

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