British Columbia is considered a hub of cultural diversity and economic growth and is Canada’s westernmost province. It is one of the most diverse provinces in the Canadian landscape and is home to the country’s third-largest city.
The economy of British Columbia focuses mostly on the natural resource sector with forestry and mining the emphasis as well. The forest and unique coastal climate of British Columbia have made this province one of the most beautiful in Canada.
If you are willing to immigrate to the British Columbia province, then the applicant has three options that they can choose from
The Skills Immigration Stream is designed to target skilled workers, international graduates, healthcare professionals, and post-graduate applicants inclusive of semi-skilled and entry-level workers. All the applicants are required to have a job offer letter in hand excluding international post-graduates.
This stream is designed for international graduates, healthcare professionals, and post-graduates only.
British Columbia PNP (BC PNP) Skills Immigration is further divided into the following categories:
This category is designed for applicants who have received a job offer letter from an employer in a skilled occupation. The applicants are required to have an ample amount of experience in their perspective skilled occupation.
This category is for professionals who are having valid experience and are eligible for job offer letters as nurses, physicians, psychiatric nurses, or allied health professionals. The eligible job offer letter must be acquired for one of 11 qualifying healthcare occupations by the applicant.
This category is for candidates who have graduated from an eligible Canadian college or university in the recent three years. There is one requirement for this category to obtain a valid job offer from a BC employer under this sub-category.
This category applies to applicants who have graduated with a Doctoral or Masters’s degree from verified educational institutions in British Columbia in studies related to applied, natural, or health sciences programs of study. One of the best things about this category is that there is no job offer letter is required to apply in this sub-category.
Applicants in entry-level or semi-skilled positions in food processing, long-haul trucking, tourism/hospitality, or applicants in semi-skilled or entry-level positions working and living in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia, are eligible to migrate through this sub-category.
The first step in the application procedure is registering in the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). This is done so that Britsh Columbia can review your application for education, job, language proficiency, location in BC, and wages against the labour market needs of the province. The applicant can go to the online website of the BC PNP for the registration formalities.
Important: Applicants applying through the category of International Post-Graduate and Healthcare Professional category have no need to register through the SIRS. They can directly apply to the province through the BC PNP online.
After the registration, the applicant profile is scored based on various factors and is then entered into the selection pool for the respective category. Applicants who have cleared and have met the specific criteria and have crossed the minimum threshold are then invited for a provincial nomination in the upcoming provincial draws.
After clearing all that, the applicant has a total of 30 days to apply through the BCPNP online.
If the applicant receives a provincial nomination, they can then apply for a permanent residency with the Canadian federal government.
| Category | Job Requirement? | Currently, Receiving Applications? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Yes (Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B) | Yes | At least two years of experience in skilled work. |
| Healthcare Professional | Yes | Yes | At least two years of experience as a nurse, psychiatric nurse, physician, or allied health professional. |
| International Graduate | Yes | Yes | Should have graduated from an eligible college or university in the recent three years. |
| International Post-Graduate | No | Yes | Should have graduated with a Doctoral or Master’s degree from a BC university in study streams related to applied, natural, or health sciences. |
| Entry-level & Semi-Skilled Worker | Yes, the applicant must be currently working. | Yes | Applicant must be working in the sector related to food processing, tourism, or long haul trucking or the applicant must be living in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia. |
Express Entry British Columbia is a stream that aligns with the Federal Express Entry selection system. This stream enables eligible candidates to receive priority processing of both of their BC PNP applications and in case if the applicant is nominated then their permanent residency is also prioritized as well.
Given below are the Skills Immigration categories that can be processed via the Express Entry British Columbia category:
Before the applicant proceeds with the application procedure, they must already have a valid Express Entry profile with the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada).
The applicant must also register with the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) so that the British Columbia province can review your location in BC, language proficiency, job, education, and wages as per the provincial labour market needs.
The applicant can register with the BC PNP via an online process. There is no need for Healthcare Professional Category and International Post-Graduate category applicants to apply for SIRS as they can apply directly through the BC PNP online.
After the online registration, the applicant profile is scored based on various factors and is then entered into the selection pool for the category. The applicants who have met the specific eligibility criteria and have crossed the minimum threshold score are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination in the coming provincial draws.
After all this, the applicant has then 30 days to apply through the BC PNP online.
If the applicant is selected, they will then receive a provincial nomination through the Express Entry system. The applicant is required to accept the nomination given through the Express Entry system.
| Category | Job Requirement? | Currently, Receiving Applications? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Yes | Yes | Minimum two years experience required in skilled work. |
| Healthcare Professional | Yes | Yes | At least two years experience as a nurse, psychiatric nurse, physician, allied health professional, or midwife with a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in British Columbia. |
| International Graduate | Yes | Yes | Should have graduated from an eligible college or university in the recent three years. |
| International Post-Graduate | Yes | Yes | Should have graduated with a Doctoral or Master’s degree from a BC university in study streams related to applied, natural, or health sciences. |
The Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a score-based system that is used for the evaluation of applicants. This system scores the applicant and sends them an Invitation to Apply (ITA). The scoring is based on factors like education, working experience, and the BC employment offer. This scoring is done in order to check the eligibility of the applicant and to check whether the applicant will be soothing to the labour market needs of the province.
If the applicant is an entrepreneur and is willing to migrate to British Columbia, then they have three options you can choose from:
This category is designed for business owners and senior managers who are having the intention to invest funds into a business proposal for British Columbia.
This category is for international entrepreneurs who are willing to establish a new business in the province of British Columbia.
Through this category, foreign-controlled companies can establish an operation in the British Columbia province. Through this program, up to 5 key foreign professionals, managers, or technical staff members can be chosen to be nominated for permanent residency in the province.
Registration Points Notification: 6 weeks (starting from the date of registration)
Application Decision Notification: 4 Months (starting from the date of application submission).
If the applicant is interested in the Entrepreneur Immigration Categories, then the applicant first completes the registration and must provide a short business concept through the BC PNP online.
As per the information provided, the applicant will be given a score. All the eligible applicants are then placed in the qualified pool. The highest-scoring applicant is then invited to apply.
After the receiving Invitation to Apply (ITA), the applicant has a period of four months to submit the complete application to the BC PNP online. After all this, a BC PNP-recognized accounting firm reviews the net worth of the applicant.
If the applicant is successful, they will be given a two-year work permit and they will be allowed to start and establish their business in the BC province. The time period allowed for the applicant to implement their business plan is 20 months. After that, they will be able to receive a provincial nomination in order to apply for permanent residency.
If the applicant is interested in the Strategic Projects Category, they must first ensure that their company is eligible or not and also if their key staff is eligible or not.
The eligible participant is then required to make an exploratory visit to the BC province to learn about the local businesses and environment. Then they have to contact the BC PNP authorities to discuss their business proposal.
The next step involved is registering the company’s interest to apply. At this point, the applicants are required to provide the company’s details and credentials, the qualification of the proposed staff, and the proposed investment in BC.
Once all this is done, B.C. will review the application and if successful, they will be invited to apply. The applicant is required to submit the full application within the time span of 90 days. After the application approval, all the key staff member and the applicant is required to sign a corporate Performance Agreement with the B.C. province.
The applicant and each of the key staff members will then receive a work permit and you will be then able to receive a work permit through the IRCC.
After landing in Canada and fulfilling all the obligations under the Performance Agreement, the applicant is required to submit a final report to the authorities in British Columbia. Once the final submission is done, the applicants will receive a provincial nomination and will have 180 days to submit the application for permanent residency to the IRCC.
| Category | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneur Immigration | • Net worth of at least CAD $600,000 • Demonstrate management or business experience. • Language Proficiency requirements in English or French (CLB level 4 or higher). • Establish a new business or can purchase an existing and established business in B.C. • Make a personal investment of at least CAD $200,000 in the business proposal; • Should create at least one full-time job offer for a Canadian citizen or a PR holder. |
| Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot | • Net worth of at least CAD $300,000 • Experience of 3 years as an active business owner-manager, or 4 years of experience as a senior manager, or a combination of 1 year of experience as an owner-manager and 2 years of experience as a senior manager. • Must meet education qualifications requirements • Meet language proficiency requirements in English or French (CLB level 4 or higher). • Must meet additional business requirements |
| Strategic Projects Category | • Company must be well established and in good financial condition; • Demonstrate investment capacity to expand into B.C.; • Provide significant economic benefit to the province. |
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