British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
British Columbia’s untamed nature speaks to the soul. Our vast landscape inspires introspective personal journeys and unbridled adventures. Our people connect explorers with unexpected moments that renew the human spirit. Our cities, set on the doorstep of the wild, make it easy to step further into nature and explore the endless possibilities of the outdoors. Its natural environment, with expansive forests and a unique coastal climate, is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Canada, and indeed the world.
The BC PNP is British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program. Through this program, prospective immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive a British Columbia Provincial Nomination Certificate, which will allow that foreign national to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The BC PNP accepts applications under two main immigration streams:

• Skills Immigration (including Express Entry British Columbia)
• Entrepreneur Immigration

These streams are further divided into categories. Below we provide you with additional information about each to help you determine if the BC PNP is right for you.
Skills Immigration
Skills Immigration is for skilled and semi-skilled workers in high-demand occupations in B.C. It uses a points-based invitation system. The process involves registering and applying online for the BC PNP and a paper application process for permanent residency.
You may not need prior work experience for some categories. Skilled workers may have work experience from abroad. Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category applicants need B.C. work experience. Recent international graduates of a Canadian university or college may not need any work experience, depending on the job being offered.
BC PNP Skills Immigration is divided into the following categories:

• Skilled Worker Category — This category is for individuals who have received an eligible job offer in a skilled occupation. Workers are expected to have several years of experience in their skilled occupation.
• Healthcare Professional Category — Under this category individuals with experience and eligible job offers, as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals may apply. An eligible job offer must be acquired for one of 11 qualifying health occupations.
• International Graduate Category — This category is for individuals who have graduated from an eligible Canadian university or college in the last three years. A job offer must be obtained from a BC employer to be eligible under this sub-category.
• International Post-Graduate Category— This category is for graduates with Masters or Doctoral degrees from an eligible educational institution in British Columbia in the natural, applied, or health sciences programs of study. No job offer is required to apply under this sub-category.
• Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category — Workers in certain entry-level or semi-skilled positions in tourism/hospitality, food processing, or long-haul trucking, or those in entry-level or semi-skilled positions living and working in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia, may be eligible for immigration through this program.

Express Entry British Columbia
Express Entry BC is a faster way for eligible skilled workers to immigrate to B.C. You must also qualify for a federal economic immigration program. It uses a points-based invitation system, and is an entirely web-based registration and application process for both the BC PNP and permanent residency process. You do not require B.C. work experience. However, you must have relevant work experience as well as meet other requirements such as education and language.
Express Entry BC aligns 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.
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

Find out more about the eligibility requirements of the Express Entry British Columbia.
Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)
On January 27, 2016, the government of British Columbia announced a new Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) for the BC PNP. This points-based system gives candidates a registration score that determines whether they may be invited to apply. The score is based on a number of factors — such as level of education, years of direct work experience and a B.C. employment offer — that reflect an individual’s ability to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the provincial economy.
Learn more about the SIRS.
See the minimum scores required and the number of invitations to apply issued by the BC PNP to date.

Entrepreneur Immigration
The Entrepreneur Immigration stream is for experienced entrepreneurs who want to actively manage a business in B.C. It is a points-based invitation system. Applicants must have the required personal and investment funds.

The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot is for entrepreneurs who want to start a new business in participating regional communities across B.C.
We also have an option for companies looking to expand into B.C., and who need to get permanent residency for key employees.

Invitations to apply
Periodically, we invite the highest scoring registrants in each category to apply to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). We then nominate successful applicants to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residency.
Which categories require invitations?
We invite registrants in the following categories:

• Skills Immigration — Skilled Worker
• Skills Immigration — International Graduate
• Skills Immigration — Entry Level and Semi-Skilled
• Express Entry BC — Skilled Worker
• Express Entry BC — International Graduate
• Entrepreneur Immigration

HealthCare Professional and International Post-Graduate applicants under the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams do not need an invitation to apply. Please apply directly via BCPNP Online.
How many nominations are available?
The number of nominations depends on various program and economic factors, including B.C.’s annual allocation, the B.C. Labour Market Outlook: 2018 Edition, historic BC PNP nomination trends and existing application inventory levels. For 2019, the allocation is 6,500.
Invitations to apply
Information about invitations to apply is posted shortly after the date of issuance. Please check back frequently for most recent information. To find out whether you received an invitation to apply, please log into your BCPNP Online profile.

The number and frequency of invitations to apply is based on annual nomination allocations from the Canadian federal government (IRCC), and our ability to process applications in a timely way.

Under the BC PNP Tech Pilot, we issue weekly invitations to qualified registrants with valid job offers in the key technology occupations. The Tech Pilot draws refer to those invitations. If your occupation is not in the list of key technology occupations, you may still be eligible to apply. We will continue to conduct regular draws for qualified individuals across many different occupations, based on the annual allocation and the program’s processing capacity.

Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC


Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC 2019 draws to date
Entrepreneur Immigration



Guaranteed invitations 
If you achieve or exceed these registration scores, you are guaranteed to receive an invitation to apply in the next draw for your category. Invitations to apply may be issued for scores lower than these minimums. Please refer to the archived BC PNP draws to view historical ITA information. Guaranteed invitation scores are subject to change.
Processing times
Processing times indicate how long it takes for us to process applications to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). View the latest estimated times here.
Program processing times are from the date your complete application is submitted and are based on 80 per cent of cases. Processing times are subject to change according to program capacity.

Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC

Post-nomination requests
If you have been nominated, and if any of the following apply, you will need to submit a
post-nomination request:

• your employment status has changed (i.e. you have been promoted, changed employers, terminated, laid off, on extended leave, or if the business has closed or changed ownership)
• your work permit will expire within 180 days
• your family makeup has changed (i.e. you were recently married, divorced, legally separated, had a baby, etc.)
• your application for permanent residence is returned as incomplete (under section 10 of the Immigration Refugees and Protection Regulation). The BC PNP may extend a nomination only in exceptional circumstances.

Please access post-nomination support via My Dashboard on BCPNP Online. You will need to email PNPPostNom@gov.bc.ca if there is a change in your family makeup or if you were nominated with a paper-based application (submitted before July 2015).
As of October 2017, we typically process post-nomination requests within three (3) months of the date of submission. This can change based on the volume of requests received and our processing capacity.
As a condition of your nomination, it is your responsibility to maintain legal status in Canada. If your status has expired, you have to show that you submitted an application for a restoration of status within the 90-day eligibility period.

For time-sensitive requests, we strongly encourage you to submit your requests early to allow us enough time to process.
Entrepreneur Immigration registrations/applications (online)

Entrepreneur Immigration applications (paper)
If you submitted an application prior to April 2015, your application has undergone an initial assessment and has been assigned to a BC PNP program advisor. Typically, the processing time to make a decision is approximately 4 months from the date of assignment (this estimated timeframe is based on 80 per cent of cases and is subject to change due to program capacity). All paper applications will be in process by spring/summer 2019.

Employer requirements
The Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams of the BC Provincial Nominee Program require the support of an eligible employer. This means that your employer must fulfill certain responsibilities and requirements to support your BC PNP application.

Your employer must:

• be established as an employer in good standing in B.C.
• provide full-time, indeterminate (permanent or with no set end date) employment
• have a history of good workplace and business practices
• sign an employer declaration
• meet domestic labour market recruitment requirements, where applicable
• make you a full-time, indeterminate job offer
• offer you a wage in line with industry standards

Employer responsibilities
As well as meeting the general employer requirements, your employer must:

• give you a written job offer
• complete the employer sections of the application forms
• notify the BC PNP if there are any changes in your employment status. This includes a promotion or termination; if you have been laid off or are on extended leave; or if the business has closed or changed ownership.

Public sector and non-profit employers
We accept applications from the following public sector and non-profit organizations with a permanent presence in B.C.:

• provincial and regional health care authorities and agencies
• public post-secondary education and training institutions
• private, non-profit post-secondary institutions that are accredited by, or registered with, The Private Career Training Institutions Agency of BC
• institutions supported by the Government of Canada or the Province of B.C. that conduct research in natural and applied sciences, engineering, computer and information systems, or health sciences
• provincial/federal/municipal government organizations and agencies
• other non-profit groups registered as charitable organizations and incorporated under the Society Act (RSBC 1996) or the Canada Corporations Act, Part II, 1970

Ineligible employers
The BC PNP will not approve applications from:
· employers involved in producing, distributing or selling pornographic or sexually explicit products, or providing sexually oriented entertainment or services
· employment agencies and similar firms, unless they are establishing an employer/employee relationship with the registrant and/or applicant
· any other type of business that by association would tend to bring the BC PNP or the Government of British Columbia into disrepute.

Educational Credential Assessments
· An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is an independent assessment of your foreign degree, diploma, certificate or other credential. It proves that your qualification is valid and equivalent to Canadian credentials. An ECA can improve your registration score.
· You must get an ECA from a designated agency. Please visit the IRCC website for complete and up-to-date ECA requirements and designated agencies.
· If you disagree with your ECA results, please contact the designated agency that issued your ECA to discuss your concerns.
· An ECA is valid for five years after being issued. ECAs must also be valid at the time of application for permanent residence under IRCC’s Express Entry system.
· If you have included your ECA in your BCPNP Online profile, you may provide a clean copy instead of an original if you are invited to apply. However, the BC PNP may request an original copy.
· If you get a new ECA after you have registered to the BC PNP but have not yet received an invitation to apply, you must update your BCPNP Online profile. If you get a new ECA after you have applied to the BC PNP, you must provide the BC PNP with a copy of your new ECA.