British Columbia PNP

Dreaming of moving to Canada? Low CRS Score? Worry not, here in peerless immigration we will help you realize your dream move to Canada. Every province in Canada has its immigration program – Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and here on this page, we will discuss how to move to British Columbia and apply for a Canada PR Visa through British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).

What is the British Columbia PNP program?

BC PNP is an immigration pathway for high-demand foreign workers and experienced entrepreneurs to live in the province as permanent residents.

British Columbia PNP helps the province of British Columbia select skilled immigrants from their Express of Interest (EOI) pool and nominate them for permanent residency. Candidates who can meet the demands of the local labor market and can help in the economic development of the province are easily nominated to apply for the provincial nominee program.

British Columbia PNP Eligibility & Requirements

To ease the process of applying for a provincial nomination, BC PNP has divided its immigration stream into three major immigration pathways. These three immigration pathways have their eligibility criteria and processing time.

We will now discuss in detail each pathway with different categories and their BC PNP requirements:

Skills Immigration

British Columbia PNP Skills Immigration is for skilled immigrants who have the required skills, work experience, and qualifications by the province. The following are different immigration categories under BC PNP Skills Immigration:

Skilled Worker

This stream is for immigrants with a job offer from the province. They also need to have prior work experience in the field of offered jobs. Below are the BC PNP eligibility criteria:

• Have accepted a full-time, indeterminate job offer from a provincial-eligible employer. The offered job must be a skilled job categorized under NOC skill level 0, A, or B.
• Be qualified to perform the duties of the job.
• Have at least two years of directly related work experience.
• Show you can support yourself and the accompanying family members/dependents.
• Have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada.
• For NOC skill level B occupations, meet minimum language requirements.
• For NOC skill level B occupations, meet minimum language requirements.

Health Care Professional

This category is for Physicians, Specialists, Nurses, and Allied health professionals to settle and work in the province as permanent residents. A total of 11 health-related occupations are eligible for this immigration stream.

• Have the support of, or a full-time permanent job offer from a public health authority as a: Physician, Specialist, Registered Nurse, Registered psychiatric nurse, nurse practitioner, and allied health professional such as – diagnostic medical sonographer, clinical pharmacist, medical laboratory technologist, medical radiation technologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist
• If you are a midwife, have a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in the province
• Qualify to work in your occupation in the province
• Have a minimum of two years of directly related work experience
• Show that will be able to support themselves and any dependent family member
• Have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada
• For NOC skill level B occupations, meet minimum language requirements
• Have a wage offer in line with the province wage rates for the occupation

International Graduate

This immigration category is for recent graduates from any educational institution in Canada in the last three years. They need to fulfill the requirements to apply under this immigration stream:

• Have accepted a full-time permanent job offer from a British Columbia Employer. The job must be categorized under NOC Skill level 0, A, or B
• Qualify to work in the occupation in the province
• Show that he/she will be able to support themselves and their dependents
• Have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada
• Have completed a degree, diploma, or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada in the past three years
• Must meet minimum language requirements for NOC Skill level B occupation
• Have a wage offer in line with the British Columbia wage rate in occupation

International Post Graduate

For this category, the candidate must have graduated in the last three years with a master’s or doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in natural, applied, or health sciences: agriculture, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, and support services, engineering, engineering technology, health professions and related clinical sciences, mathematics and statistics, natural resources conservation and research, physical sciences.

Apply for BC PNP without a job offer. Other than these, the candidate must:

• Have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada.
• Have completed a valid graduate program of study at an eligible post-secondary institution in the province in the last three years.
• Show intent and ability to live in British Columbia.

Entry-level and Semi-Skilled

This category provides a way for workers in a valid tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, or food processing occupation to settle in the province as permanent residents. To qualify for this category, the candidate must meet the following British Columbia PNP requirements:

• Have accepted a full-time permanent job offer in a skilled occupation that is categorized under NOC skill level 0, A, or B.
• Have been working full-time for your employer for a minimum of nine consecutive months before applying.
• Meet BC PNP IELTS requirements and education requirements.
• Qualify for the job offered
• Show that will be able to support themselves and the accompanying dependents
• Have legal immigration status in Canada
• Be earning a wage in line with B.C. wage rates for the occupation

Express Entry BC

The Express Entry program is the fastest way to get your Canada PR Visa. If you have your profile in the express entry profile, you can also apply for British Columbia PNP. BC PNP Express Entry is in line with the express entry program. Through this immigration stream, provinces can search for skilled immigrants in the federal government’s express entry pool and nominate them for provincial nomination.

Following BC PNP immigration streams are eligible for BC PNP EEBC:

• Skilled Worker Category
• Health Care Professional Category
• International Graduate Category
• International Post-Graduate Category

Entrepreneur Immigration

This stream is for immigrants who are ready to invest in and actively manage a business in the province.

Following are the personal requirements to be qualified under this category:

• Have a personal net worth of at least CAD 600,000.
• Demonstrate business and/or management experience.
• Have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada.

The following are the requirements for Business, job, and investment:

• Establish an eligible new business or purchase and improve an existing business.
• Make an eligible personal investment of at least CAD$200,000 in the business.
• Create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in the business.

Following are the processing fees for the BC PNP entrepreneur immigration program:

• Registration fees: CAD 300
• Application fees: CAD 3,500
• For each key staff application: CAD 1,000

What is the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)?

The provincial government of British Columbia introduced a point system on January 27, 2016 – Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). SIRS BC PNP awards the candidates with a registration score that determines that the candidate can be invited to apply for provincial nomination. This score is awarded based on the factors like – levels of education, direct work experience, and a British Columbia employment offer.

Apply for BC PNP without a job-offer

There is a way you can apply for the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) without a job offer. BC PNP International Post Graduate immigration stream allows applicants to apply for BC PNP without a job offer.

If you have an active profile in Express Entry and are eligible for the International Skilled Immigration Post-Graduation stream, then you can apply for provincial nomination. With this, your application will be given priority over other applications and if selected for the nomination, you can get your Canada PR Visa right on time.

What is the BC PNP Tech program?

The British Columbia PNP Tech program is a pathway for in-demand foreign workers and students to apply for permanent residency in the province and help in the economic growth of the province. This program also enables provincial tech employers to retain and recruit international tech talent whenever they’re not able to fill the vacancy locally. BC’s PNP Tech program helps ensure that B.C. can continue to attract and retain the talent needed to support and grow the technology sector in the province.

BC PNP Tech has four key features:

• Service
• Timeliness
• Prioritization
• Engagement

Also, here are some of the benefits of applying under the BC PNP Tech program:

• Do not require a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
• Work permit support letters for applicants so they can apply for a new work permit or renew their current work permit and continue to work for the federal PR Visa process.
• Customer support services by email and telephone to permanent residents.

What are the documents required for BC PNP?

To successfully get a provincial nomination, it is very important to provide the province’s immigration office with the right set of documents.

Following are the documents that are required by the British Columbia PNP for the skilled worker category:

• A written offer letter for employment on the official company letterhead.
• Proof of having sufficient funds is required to support themselves and any accompanying family members.
• A valid passport and travel documents.
• Documents supporting legal immigration status in Canada.
• Educational Qualification certificate (degree, diploma, and certificates) Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
• Work-related reference letters.
• Language Proficiency (IELTS, CELPIP for the English language, and TEF for the French language)
• Police certificate and clearance
• Civil Identity Proof

What is the process to apply for bc pnp online/offline?

Here, we will discuss the overview of the application process for the Express Entry BC (EEBC) stream of the British Columbia PNP (BC PNP). The steps to apply are as follows;

Step 1: Registration – The very step for a candidate is to register themselves with British Columbia’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). This province can assess the application based on candidates’ credentials like the Candidate’s job, B.C location, education, language ability, and wage. Candidates must make sure that before registering under SIRS, they can complete their express entry profile with IRCC.

Stage 2: Invitation – Eligible candidates under EEBC – Skilled Worker and EEBC – International Graduate categories will receive an invitation that will allow them to apply under the Express Entry BC stream. Based on the score in SIRS, candidates’ profiles are ranked along with the profiles of the other candidates in the same category. BC PNP then held a draw, periodically, to invite the highest-scoring candidates to apply. These invitations are issued based on the BC PNP’s annual nomination allocation and processing capacity.

Stage 3: Application – Candidates have to submit their Express entry BC application via BCPNP Online. Once the EEBC – Skilled Worker and EEBC – International Graduate candidate gets an invitation to apply, they can submit their application online. EEBC – HealthCare Professional and EEBC – International Post-Graduate applicants do not require an invitation; they can apply directly through BCPNP Online.

Stage 4: Nomination – In this step, the candidate gets the provincial nomination and can apply for a Canada PR visa to IRCC. When the application of the candidate is approved, British Columbia PNP will nominate the candidate to apply for permanent residence through the IRCC express entry system. Candidates have to accept the nomination via the IRCC express entry portal to receive a federal invitation to apply for Canada PR Visa as a provincial nominee from IRCC.

What is the BC PNP application processing time?

BC PNP processing time 2022 indicates the time taken by the provincial immigration authorities to process your application for British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). Processing time majorly begins from the date when the province receives the application.

Note: BC PNP processing time is subject to change based on the immigration program’s capacity.

Skills Immigration – 3 months.

Post-nomination requests – 3 months.

Entrepreneur Immigration

• Registration score notification – 6 weeks (from the date registration is received).
• Application decision notification (at work permit stage) – 4 months (from the date complete application received).