the CanadaVisa Team - 11 January, 2018
The Canadian province of British Columbia issued a total of 340 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination in its first draws of 2018, which took place on January 3 and 10. In these draws, which included a tech-focused draw, the number of invitations increased and the cut-off score for four out of the five categories involved decreased.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued invitations to skilled workers and international graduates through the Skills Immigration — Skilled Worker, Skills Immigration — International Graduate, Express Entry BC — Skilled Worker and Express Entry BC — International Graduate categories.
The January 10 draw only invited candidates through the province's BC PNP Tech Pilot initiative. BC did not specify how many ITAs have been issued in the tech-only draw.
The cut-off scores in the latest draw were:
A portion of the candidates in the January 3 draw received an invitation through one the BC PNP's Express Entry-aligned sub-categories. Those candidates are now in a position to apply for 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. It is important to note that an invitation to apply for the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.
The remaining candidates under the Skilled Immigration sub-categories will have their applications for permanent residence processed outside Express Entry if they receive a nomination from BC.
Individuals interested in immigrating to Canada, and who meet the eligibility criteria for one of the the BC PNP's categories, are required to create an online profile and complete all sections of the BC PNP registration form. Applicants receive a score based on the information they supply and are entered into the selection pool for the immigration category they selected.
In order to be considered under the BC PNP, most candidates must have an indeterminate, full-time job offer from an employer in the province who is willing to support them through the application process.
The BC PNP conducts periodic draws from the pool and issues invitations to apply for provincial nomination to the highest-scoring registrants from each category.
British Columbia had a 2017 allocation of 6,000 provincial nominations. The province has yet to announce its 2018 allocation.
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.
