British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)

Vancouver in British Columbia is Canada’s third largest city and also one of the most diverse provinces. The local economy in British Columbia focuses on a strong natural resource sector, with a greater emphasis on the forestry and mining. With a vast natural environment composed of forests and unique coastal climate, BC is one of the most beautiful destinations in Canada and indeed the world itself.

The BC PNP is British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program. Based on this program, prospective immigrants having the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive a British Columbia Provincial Nomination Certificate. This will allow the immigrant or the foreign national to apply for Canadian permanent residence with a faster processing time compared to other Canadian immigration classes.

The BC PNP accepts applications under two main immigration streams:

Both of these streams are further divided into categories and you can determine which BC PNP is right for you. Some additional information about each of them include:

• Skilled Worker Category— This category includes the individuals who have received an eligible job offer in a skilled occupation and holds several years of experience in the desired field.

• Health Care Professional Category— This category includes the individuals with experience and eligible job offers in occupations such as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals. The immigrant must acquire an eligible job offer in one of 11 qualifying health occupations.

• International Graduate Category — This category stands for individuals who have graduated from an eligible Canadian university or college in the last three years. To be eligible under this sub-category, a job offer must be obtained from a British Columbia employer.

• International Post-Graduate Category— This category is for postgraduates with Masters or Doctoral degrees from an eligible British Columbia educational institution in the study programs of natural, applied, or health sciences. Also, no job offer is required to apply under this sub-category.

• Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category— To be eligible under this programs, you should be a worker in certain entry-level or semi-skilled position in tourism/hospitality, food processing, or long-haul trucking, or those in entry-level or semi-skilled positions living and working in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia.

Express Entry British Columbia

Express Entry British Columbia aligns with the federal government’s Express Entry Immigration Selection System which allows the eligible applicants to receive priority processing of their BC PNP application as well as the permanent residence application if nominated.

Skills Immigration categories which may be processed through Express Entry British Columbia include:

Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)

On January 27, 2016, a new Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) for the BC PNP was announced by the government of British Columbia. This points-based system gives candidates a registration score which determines whether they may be invited to apply or not. This score is based on a number of factors, such as level of education a candidate acquired, years of direct work experience and a BC employment offer. All these factors collectively reflect an individual’s ability to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the provincial economy in BC.

Entrepreneur Immigration

Under this immigration stream, individuals who wish to settle and invest in British Columbia may be eligible for Canadian permanent residence. This program includes two categories:

• Entrepreneur Category— This category goes for senior managers or business owners who intend to invest funds into a proposed business in the province of British Columbia.

• Strategic Projects Category— According to this category, foreign-controlled companies can set up an operation in British Columbia. Up to five key foreign professional, managerial, or technical staff members can be nominated for permanent residence.