British Columbia invited 276 Skills Immigration and Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence in a draw held June 16.

Invitations went to Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates in both the Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration (SI) streams.

The EEBC category is for candidates with a valid profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system, which is Canada’s main pathway for skilled immigrants who are hoping to obtain Canadian permanent residence.

The SI category is for skilled and semi-skilled workers whose occupations are in high demand in the province of B.C.

The minimum score requirements in today’s draw ranged between 80 and 103 for the five EEBC and SI categories that were involved.

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The minimum scores were:

• SI – Skilled Worker: 100
• SI – International Graduate: 100
• SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled: 80
• EEBC – Skilled Worker: 100
• EEBC – International Graduate: 103

In order to receive an invitation through the EEBC candidates must be registered under both the federal Express Entry system and B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Express Entry is the federal government’s application management system. Express Entry candidates are given points based on human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English or French.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

Skills Immigration candidates only need to be registered with the SIRS.

B.C held three draws so far in June, with the latest being a Tech draw held on June 9.

Tech Pilot draws are held weekly and candidates are also awarded a score based on factors such as education, work experience and language proficiency as part of the registration process.

Created in 2017, the Tech Pilot addresses labour demands in British Columbia’s tech sector that cannot be met locally. Its goal is to ensure B.C.’s tech sector has access to the talent it needs to continue growing.

Tech Pilot candidates are exempt from the permanent, full-time job offer requirement that applies to most immigration categories under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). However,  they must demonstrate a job offer that is at least one year in duration and has at least 120 calendar days remaining at the time they apply for a provincial nomination.

British Columbia recently announced that the Tech Pilot will be extended until June 2021.

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