British Columbia invites over 157 candidates to apply for provincial nomination

More than 157 candidates in British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) have received invitations to apply in BC’s weekly invitation draw. The draw took place on June 14, 2022. BC is the only province in Canada that issues invitations on a weekly basis.

General draw results

Candidates for BC’s PNP’s are typically invited through general and targeted draws based on sectors and occupations in-demand. This week, 138 invitations were issued in the general draw with minimum Skilled Immigration Registration System (SIRS) scores between 76 and 123 depending on the pathway.

Skilled Worker with a minimum score of 109
Skilled Worker EEBC option with a minimum score of 123
International Graduate with a minimum score of 96
International Graduate-EEBC option with a minimum score of 106
Entry Level and Semi-Skilled with a minimum score of 76

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Targeted draw results

Recently, BC has been holding targeted draws for candidates who meet minimum requirements under specific National Occupational Classifications (NOCs) that are in-demand within the province, for example healthcare and tech occupations.

For targeted draws, SIRS scores may not need to be as high as the scores for those in the general draw pool. This week, each targeted category needed a minimum SIRS score of 60. BC invited the following number of candidates in their targeted draws:

12 early childhood educators (NOC 4214)
7 healthcare occupations
Less than 5 other priority occupations (NOCs 3114 and 3213)

What is the SIRS?

BC requires that skilled worker candidates create a profile with Skills Immigrations Registration System (SIRS). The SIRS scores and ranks candidates based on their human capital characteristics.

SIRS acts much like the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In its general draw, BC invites those with the highest scores to apply for provincial nomination.

About BC’s PNP streams

If you wish to immigrate to British Columbia as a skilled worker, then you have two options to choose from:

Skills Immigration Stream
Express Entry British Columbia Stream

Skills Immigration Stream

The Skills Immigration Stream is for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates and post-graduates as well as entry-level and semi-skilled workers. All candidates, except for international postgraduates, need to have a job offer or already work in BC. There are two streams in the general Skilled Workers category of BC’s PNP. Skilled Immigration is divided into the following five pathways:

Skilled immigration category

To be eligible for this stream, candidates must have a job offer from an employer in BC and must be able to demonstrate at least two years of experience in a skilled occupation that falls under NOC type 0, A or B.

Healthcare professionals category

This is a separate stream for those in healthcare occupations. There are 11 healthcare occupations that are eligible for this pathway and there are often targeted draws in BC for this stream in order to fill gaps in the labour force.

International graduates' category

International graduates must have graduated from an eligible Canadian university in the past three years and have a job offer from a BC employer.

International postgraduates' category

Postgraduates, or those with a master's or doctoral degrees from an eligible Canadian university or college, do not require a job offer. However, they must have completed their education in natural, applied or health sciences.

Entry level and semi-skilled category

The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker program targets candidates with experience in hospitality, tourism, food processing or long-haul trucking. Those in other semi-skilled or entry level occupations may be eligible for this stream if they are living and working in the Northeast Development Region of BC.

Express Entry British Columbia stream

Express Entry BC (EEBC) works with the federal government’s Express Entry immigration selection system, allowing eligible applicants to receive priority processing of both their BC PNP application and, if nominated, their permanent residence application. If an EEBC candidate receives a provincial nomination, they can include this with their IRCC application for 600 additional CRS points and an increased chance of being invited to apply for permanent residency.

The following Skills Immigration categories may be processed through Express Entry British Columbia:

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

Entrepreneurs Category

BC also offers a category for entrepreneurs. Under this category, candidates must choose one of three streams.

Base: Candidates who are senior managers or already business owners who plan to invest funds into a proposed business in BC

Regional Pilot: This program is for candidates who wish to establish a new business in a small community in British Columbia

Projects Category: This category is for foreign controlled companies or business to set up an operation with British Columbia. Through this program, up to five managerial, professional, or technical staff may receive provincial nomination

Conclusion

Candidates with an Express Entry profile can gain an additional 600 CRS points by receiving a Letter of Nomination from a province. A high CRS score is a huge advantage for those trying to get permanent resident status. In the most recent Express Entry draw held June 8, Canada invited 932 PNP candidates to apply with CRS scores of at least 796. This was the largest PNP draw since March 2 when Canada invited 1,047 PNP candidates. IRCC typically holds draws every two weeks on Wednesdays.

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