British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
The BCPNP (British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program) is the program
used by the
government of British Columbia to choose the immigration candidates to nominate to the
Canadian
government to become permanent residents of the province, and contribute to grow the
economy.
The BCPNP is one of Canada’s PNPs. With 10 different immigration streams, the program
is very
diverse, with two categories for skilled workers and international graduates in Canada
and
post-graduates in British Columbia: Express Entry BC and Skills Immigration, and an
extra one for
entrepreneurs.
Choosing British Columbia Immigration
The British Columbia province, located at the west of Canada, is home
to one the
largest and enjoyable cities in Canada, Vancouver. Being the third most populated
province, after
Ontario and Québec, it has become one of the most sought-after immigration
destinations in
Canada.
Apart from some federal programs, the British Columbia province also offers some
pathways to the
Canadian province. These can be split between Express Entry aligned streams, and
non-aligned.
Indeed, the BCPNP currently includes four streams that are Express Entry aligned. A
provincial
nomination is issued when the application is successful, leading to the applicant
receiving 600
extra CRS points. This, in turn, will lead the applicant to automatically receive an
ITA in the
following Express Entry draw from the pool.
Concerning the other non-aligned Express Entry streams, there is no
need to be
eligible for Express Entry and being in the pool. These are the same streams as for
the Express
Entry aligned streams. Other streams include healthcare professionals with job offers
and
entrepreneur investors.
Introduced in 2017, the BCPNP Tech Pilot program provides the opportunity to
Technology and IT
workers to fast-track their immigration to BC and obtain permanent residence. Besides,
draws for
the Tech Pilot program are conducted each week, compared to two-week draws for the
Skills
Immigration and Express Entry BC categories.
All BCPNP categories, except Healthcare and International Post-Graduate streams, are
operated
through the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).
Candidates will need to create an account with their individual data in regards to their level of studies, language proficiency, previous job experience, and their employment offer in British Columbia. The system will then attribute each candidate a score (max 200 points), and those with a score above the cut-off (published periodically by the immigration office of BC) will receive an invitation to apply for a BC nomination.
British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Streams
The BCPNP has a Tech Pilot immigration program, launched in 2017, where IT and Technology skilled workers can benefit from faster processing time of their BC provincial nomination application (only for Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Entry Level and Semi-Skilled streams). This program also needs a job offer to be eligible.
| Stream | Main Criteria (not exhaustive) | Job Offer Required | Aligned with Express Entry | Application Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category: Express Entry BC (EEBC) | ||||
| Skilled Worker | Full-time, indeterminate job offer from a BC employer, in an NOC Skill Type/Level 0, A or B, and is in line with B.C. wage rates | Yes | Yes | $700 |
| International Graduate | Job requirement above and graduation from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada in the past three years | Yes | Yes | $700 |
| International Post-Graduate | Graduation from a BC Master's/Ph.D. in the health, applied, or natural science disciplines | No | Yes | $700 |
| Healthcare Professional | Employment offer in a related healthcare occupation: physician, specialist, registered nurse, etc. | Yes | Yes | $700 |
| Category: Skills Immigration (SI) | ||||
| Skilled Worker | Full-time, indeterminate job offer from a BC employer, in an NOC Skill Type/Level 0, A or B, and is in line with B.C. wage rates | Yes | No | $700 |
| International Graduate | Job requirement above and graduation from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada in the past three years | Yes | No | $700 |
| International Post-Graduate | Graduation from a BC Master's/Ph.D. in the health, applied, or natural science disciplines | No | No | $700 |
| Healthcare Professional | Employment offer in a related healthcare occupation: physician, specialist, registered nurse, etc. | Yes | No | $700 |
| Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | Full-time, indeterminate job offer from a BC employer, in an occupation in food processing, long-haul trucking, or tourism/hospitality | Yes | No | $700 |
| Category: Entrepreneur Immigration | ||||
| Entrepreneur Immigration | Business or management experience Min net worth of $600,000 and min investment of $200,000 Own min 33,3% of business and creation of min 1 new job |
No | No | $300 Registration +$3,500 Processing +$1,000 per key staff |
| Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot | Business or management experience, and min NCLC4 in English or
French Min net worth of $300,000 and min investment of $100,000 Own min 51% of business, in an area with population of 75,000 or less Creation of min 1 new job |
No | No | $300 Registration +$3,500 Processing |