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BC Conducts Second PNP Draw in Less Than a Week


the CanadaVisa Team - 24 February, 2017

Vancouver downtown
Vancouver downtown

British Columbia (BC) has invited another 343 candidates to immigrate to the province through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) in draws that took place on February 23. This is the second batch of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) that have been issued in the past week, with the previous draws — which saw 459 ITAs issued — having taken place on February 17.

On February 23, eight ITAs were issued to candidates in the Entrepreneur Immigration stream. The remaining 335 ITAs were issued across a range of BC PNP sub-categories managed under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), a unique system used to rank and select candidates under certain BC PNP sub-categories.

Some individuals issued ITA are now in a position to submit their BC PNP provincial nomination application through one of the enhanced BC PNP sub-categories aligned with the federal Express Entry selection system. The remaining candidates will have their applications processed outside the Express Entry system at the federal level.

Please note that the ITA with respect to the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.

The BC PNP and graduates

It is worth noting that the majority of ITAs issued in the February 23 draw for the SIRS-based sub-categories were issued to international graduates who had completed their studies in Canada.

International students and post-graduate workers in Canada can join the CanadaVisa Study Hub to access a range of tools and resources to assist in studying, working, and settling in Canada permanently.

February 23 BC PNP Draw

Stream/categoryMinimum scorePoints Difference Since Feb 17 DrawNumber of invitationsAligned with Express Entry?
Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker90-127Yes
Express Entry BC – International Graduate70-1079Yes
Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker90-133No
Skills Immigration – International Graduate70-15190No
Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled70+56No
BC Entrepreneur Immigration Stream143+138No

Express Entry BC Stream

This stream of the BC PNP is aligned with the Express Entry system, and applications under this stream may receive priority processing at the provincial and federal levels. Consequently, individuals in this stream must be eligible for one of the three Federal economic programs — Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) — in order to enter the federal Express Entry pool. Individuals in the Express Entry pool who have a provincial nomination certificate from BC receive 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which means the individual will receive in an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker

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. This category is aligned with the federal Express Entry system.

Learn more about the Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category.

Express Entry BC – International Graduate

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.

Learn more about the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category.

Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker

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.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker category.

Skills Immigration – International Graduate

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.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – International Graduate category.

Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled

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.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category.

Entrepreneur Immigration

This stream provides a pathway to Canadian permanent residence for experienced business people who can establish themselves in BC 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 BC 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. 

Learn more about the Entrepreneur Immigration stream.

Guaranteed Invitations

Candidates who achieve or exceed the following registration scores will receive an Invitation to Apply in the next draw for his or her chosen category.

CategoryMinimum score
Skills Immigration - Skilled Worker135
Skills Immigration - International Graduate105
Skills Immigration - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled95
Express Entry BC - Skilled Worker135
Express Entry BC - International Graduate105

If you are interested in immigrating to Canada through the BC PNP, use the exclusive CanadaVisa SIRS Calculator to calculate how many points you may be awarded under the system. 

To learn more about your Canadian immigration options through the BC PNP, as well as other programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.

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