Hi everyone and welcome back to the next in our series on provincial nominee programs.
Today we are focusing on British Columbia, or BC as it is more commonly known.
BC is one of Canada’s most popular and desirable provinces to immigrate to,
and with its temperate climate, incredible natural features, great cities, proximity to
Seattle, and an abundance of fantastic outdoor sports, it’s easy to see why.
Let’s start with a little bit about BC itself. It is Canada’s most western province,
sitting between the pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains. The biggest city in BC is Vancouver,
home to over two and a half million people and hosts of the two thousand and ten winter olympics.
Also in BC you will find the major ski resort of Whistler, the climbing mecca of Squamish,
over six hundred provincial parks, and the enormous Glacier National Park,
with its four hundred glaciers and one hundred and forty kilometers of hiking trails.
British Columbia borders Yukon territory to the north, Calgary to the east,
and the American states of Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south. Here’s a little known
fact - did you know that at thirty one thousand square kilometers, Vancouver Island is almost
half the size of Ireland, and is the largest island on the west coast of North America?
So we know that BC is a great place to live, now let’s get straight into how to move there!
Today we will talk you through the options available in BC’s provincial nominee program,
what the requirements are, the different programs available, and how to apply.
The BC Provincial Nominee Program offers three ways to become a permanent resident in B.C.
Each one has different categories within it and the requirements for each category will depend on
the skill level of your occupation, your job, or your student status. The three options offered by
the BC PNP are: the Skills Immigration Pathway, Express Entry BC, and Entrepreneur Immigration.
The Entrepreneur Immigration Base Category stream was a points-based invitation system
for experienced entrepreneurs looking to manage a business in BC, however this stream has been
temporarily paused for the foreseeable future. The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot stream
is still operating until at least March two thousand and twenty four, and this is for
enterprising entrepreneurs who would like to start a new business in certain small,
participating communities across BC, outside of large urban areas. Click on the link in the
description box below to find out more about the Entrepreneur stream, as in today’s video we are
going to be focusing on the skilled immigrant and graduate pathways to permanent residence,
which are the most popular routes, and will be of most interest for the majority of our viewers.
The Skills Immigration pathway is for skilled and semi-skilled workers whose
occupations are in high-demand in B.C. Like many immigration programs,
the skills immigration pathway is a points-based system where applicants are invited to apply.
In particular, this program is looking for workers in professional,
management or technical occupations, as well as those in trades or other skilled occupations.
First things first, the Skills Immigration pathway requires a job offer. The first step in
qualifying for the program is that you must have accepted a valid job offer from a BC employer,
along with having the relevant training and experience to do the job.
The job must be full-time and permanent, from a B.C. employer,
and classified as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B, in the National Occupational Classification.
So to explain this a bit further, a National Occupational Classification, or NOC, defines
each occupation as a particular skill level or skill type. To find out which NOC your experience
comes under, click on the link in the description box below. Here you can type in your occupation,
and will be able to see how it is classified - as a Skill Type 0,
or a skill Level A to D. As an example, an Accountant comes under NOC 1111,
skill level A, and a Carpenter would be classified as NOC 7271, skill level B.
Other requirements for the Skills Immigration pathway are that applicants must have at least
two years of directly related work experience,
and must be able to to show that they can support themself and any dependents,
and those in NOC skill level B occupations must meet the minimum language requirements.
The Skills Immigration program also has an Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category, which
is a way for workers in a tourism, hospitality, long-haul trucking or food processing occupation
to gain permanent residence in BC. To qualify for this program, you must have accepted a full-time,
permanent job, from a B.C. employer in a specific occupation in tourism,
hospitality, long-haul trucking, or the food processing industry.
Specifically for the Northeast Development Region of BC, you can apply in any
National Occupational Classification occupation of skill level C or D, not just the occupations
we just mentioned. See the link below to find out where the Northeast Development Regions
are. For this program you must meet the minimum language and education requirements and have been
working full-time for your employer for a minimum of nine consecutive months before applying.
To start the process you must first register with the BC Skills Immigration Registration System,
which is a points-based registration and application system that helps BC
select the best workers to meet labour market needs. Here your job, your wages, your location,
your education, and your language ability will be assessed and reviewed against the BC
labour market needs. This registration is free, but of course does not guarantee you selection,
it is simply ​​you expressing an interest in applying to the BC PNP. See the link below for
how to create a profile and register with BC Skills Immigration Registration System.
After submitting your registration, you will receive a score based on a variety of factors
such as your skills, education and job offer. For example, if your occupation is in high demand,
or if you have strong language skills, you will be awarded more points. With this points total
you will be entered into a selection pool with other candidates, and will stay in the
pool for 12 months, or until you receive an invitation to apply, whichever comes first.
Periodically, the BC PNP conducts a draw and invites the highest-scoring applicants in the pool
to apply for permanent residence under the Skills Immigration stream.
If you are invited to apply, you have thirty calendar days from the date of invitation
to submit a complete application via the BCPNP Online. If your score is not high enough to
get selected, there are a number of ways in which you can try to increase your score,
such as improving your language skills, or gaining further education or qualifications.
The processing fee for the application is one thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. Once
it is submitted, the application will be assessed, and if it is approved,
you will receive a provincial nomination that you can use to apply for permanent residence.
Moving on to the Express Entry BC routes, these pathways are linked to the federal Express Entry
system, which speeds up the permanent residence process for eligible applicants. There are four
categories for moving to BC through Express Entry BC, and as the title suggests, all applicants
must first meet the minimum criteria for one of the three federal Express Entry programs,
which are the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian
Experience Class. You must already have an active Express Entry profile with a Profile Number and a
Job Seeker Validation Code before you can apply to any of the programs within Express Entry BC.
If you are just starting out on your immigration journey and do not yet
have an Express Entry profile, you can use the tool on the IRCC website to answer a
few questions and find out whether you meet the criteria for any of the three programs.
We’ve included the links in the description box below, for the tool to check your eligibility,
and a detailed breakdown of the requirements for each program.
Once you have an active Express Entry profile, the first of the four BC Express Entry categories is
immigrating as a Skilled Worker. To qualify under this category you must have accepted a full-time,
permanent job offer from a B.C. employer. As with the Skills Immigration program, the job must be in
a National Occupational Classification skilled occupation Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B.
You must also qualify to work in your job in B.C, which may require further training
or certification, you need at least two years of directly related work experience,
be able to prove that you can support yourself and any dependents, and meet
the minimum language requirements in English or French for the relevant express entry category.
These levels differ depending on whether you apply as a Federal Skilled Worker,
a Federal Skilled Tradesperson, or through the Canadian Experience Class,
so make sure you use the links below to check the language requirement for your chosen category.
The process starts by creating a profile online and submitting a registration with the Skills
Immigration Registration System. Through this, the BC PNP can assess your job offer, location,
education, language ability and wage, and review it against BC labour market needs.
After submitting your registration, you will receive a score based on your skills
and job offer. This puts you into the selection pool of candidates,
and you stay in the pool for up to 12 months, or until you receive an invitation to apply.
Periodically, people with the highest scores are invited to apply through BC PNP Online.
If you are invited to apply, you have up to 30 days from the date of invitation
to submit a complete application via BCPNP Online, along with the one thousand, one hundred and fifty
dollar registration fee. The application is then assessed, and if it’s approved, you will receive
your provincial nomination which will then give you those magic six hundred CRS points,
and means you can apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system.
The second category in the Express Entry BC pathway is immigrating as a healthcare
professional. British Columbia desperately needs more health care professionals, which is why
there is a separate pathway specifically for them! This pathway helps physicians, specialists, nurses
and health professionals from other countries, work in BC and gain permanent residence in Canada.
As with the Skilled Worker program, all healthcare applicants must
first meet the minimum criteria for one of the three federal Express
Entry programs - the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program,
and the Canadian Experience Class. You must also have either the support of a public health
authority, or a full-time, permanent job offer as a physician, a specialist, a registered nurse
or psychiatric nurse, a nurse practitioner, or an allied health professional such as a:
diagnostic medical sonographer, a clinical pharmacist, a medical laboratory technologist,
a medical radiation technologist, an occupational therapist, or a physiotherapist. Midwives
must have a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in BC.
Again as with the Skilled Worker program, you must also qualify to work in your job in BC, which may
require further training or certification, you need at least two years of directly related
work experience, be able to prove that you can support yourself and any dependents, and
meet the minimum language requirements in English or French for the relevant express entry category.
The application process for the Healthcare Professional stream is simpler than the Skilled
Worker Program, as applicants don’t have to first register with the Skills Immigration
Registration System, or wait for an invitation to apply. Healthcare Professionals can create a
profile with BC PNP online, and submit an application directly through the website.
If the application is successful, you will receive a provincial nomination,
which you can use to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry.
The final two categories in the BC Express Entry route are both study-based programs.
The International Graduate program is for applicants who have recently completed a degree,
diploma or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada
in the past three years and would like to continue their career in BC.
As with the previous two Express Entry programs, to be eligible for the International Graduate
program, you must first meet the minimum criteria for one of the three federal Express Entry
programs - the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the
Canadian Experience Class, the links for all of which are in the description below.
You must have accepted a full-time, permanent job offer from a B.C. employer in a skilled
occupation of Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B. You must also qualify to work in
your job in B.C, be able to prove that you can support yourself and any dependents,
and meet the minimum language requirements in English or French for the relevant express
entry category. However under this stream there is no work experience requirement.
The application process is the same as the Skilled Worker Stream, by first creating
a profile online and submitting a registration with the Skills Immigration Registration System.
The BC PNP will then assess your job offer, location, education,
language ability and wage, and review it against BC’s labour market needs.
You will receive a score and if your score is high enough, you will be invited to apply through BC
PNP Online, and if your application is approved, you will receive your provincial nomination.
The final Express Entry category is the International Post Graduate program,
which is a little more specific in that applicants need to have a graduate degree
in the sciences from an eligible BC institution. To be eligible you must have graduated in the last
three years with a master's or a PhD in the natural, applied or health sciences, namely:
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.
As with all the Express Entry linked programs, to be eligible
for the International Post Graduate program, you must first meet the minimum criteria for one of
the three federal Express Entry programs - the Federal Skilled Worker Program,
the Federal Skilled Trades Program, or the Canadian Experience Class, and you
must demonstrate your intent and ability to live in BC. But, the great news for this program is
that there is no work experience requirement, and you do not need a BC job offer to apply.
Similar to the Healthcare Professional program, applicants for the International Post-Graduate
program do not need to register with the Skills Immigration Registration System,
or wait for an invitation. You simply need to create a profile with BC PNP Online,
and submit an Express Entry BC application directly. If your application is successful,
you will receive a provincial nomination and use it to apply for permanent residence.
Something to be aware of is that a nomination by the BC PNP does NOT authorise you to work
while your application is being processed. If you want to work in B.C. while you wait
for your permanent residence to be approved, you will need to apply for a work permit.
Ok so hopefully that has given you some useful information about the options available in the
BC provincial nominee program, and helped you decide whether BC is the province for you.
Are you considering moving to BC, or wondering about the process for provincial nominations?
Get in touch and let us know, and of course, pop any questions into the comments box below.