the CanadaVisa Team - 01 December, 2017
The Government of British Columbia continues to invite workers, international graduates, and entrepreneurs at low points thresholds in the most recent draws conducted on November 22 and November 29.
A total of 383 candidates received an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). Among the 383 invited are candidates invited through the BC PNP Tech Pilot. BC PNP announced that despite their commitment to weekly invitations for the 32 tech occupations as part of the tech pilot, they will not be issuing invitations for the week of December 25.
A portion of the candidates in the most recent draws were invited an Express Entry-aligned sub-category. Those candidates are now in a position to apply for and receive an 'enhanced' provincial nomination. A 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. An invitation to apply for the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.
The remaining skilled worker, graduate, and entrepreneur invitees will have their applications for permanent residence processed outside Express Entry after they receive a nomination from BC. Individuals interested in immigrating to Canada, and who meet the eligibility criteria for certain categories of the BC PNP, are required to enter into the SIRS pool.
Many of the BC PNP categories are managed under BC's Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). For eligible candidates to apply through the SIRS, they are required to first register an account, after which they are assigned a score based on their economic and human capital credentials. Those with the highest scores are then invited to apply when the government of BC conducts one of its periodic draws. It is important to note that all BC PNP categories managed under the SIRS require candidates to have a job offer from an employer in BC.
| Date | Category | Minimum Score Required | Number of ITAs Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
November 22, 2017 (Includes tech-only draw on November 29, 2017) | EEBC – Skilled Worker | 73 | 383 |
| EEBC – International Graduate | 67 | ||
| SI - Skilled Worker | 73 | ||
| SI – International Graduate | 67 | ||
| SI - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | 40 | ||
| November 29, 2017 | Entrepreneur Immigration | 115 | 11 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This stream provides a pathway to Canadian permanent residence for experienced businesspeople who can establish themselves in B.C. and invest in and operate a commercially viable business that can provide significant benefits to the provincial economy. Successful applicants will obtain a work permit and, if the business operation in British Columbia fulfills the requirements of the stream on an ongoing basis, they will be able to apply for permanent residence in Canada through the BC PNP.
To learn more about the Entrepreneur Immigration stream, click here.
