British Columbia nominated 3,100 Express Entry candidates in 2018

British Columbia's Express Entry-linked immigration categories issued 3,100 nominations for Canadian permanent residence in 2018, a new report from the provincial government reveals.

Nearly 2,000 of these nominations went to candidates in the Express Entry B.C. (EEBC): Skilled Worker Category and another 936 went to international graduates of eligible post-secondary institutions in British Columbia through the EEBC: International Graduate Category.

The 3,100 nominations issued to Express Entry candidates through EEBC categories last year was an increase of 750 nominations over 2017 and accounted for 48 per cent of all nominations issued by the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) last year.

The Express Entry system is Canada's principal source of skilled foreign workers. Canadian provinces and territories that participate in Canada's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) can nominate Express Entry candidates for Canadian permanent residence through specialized, "enhanced" nomination streams.

A nomination through an Express Entry-aligned PNP stream results in an additional 600 ranking points and the recipient is effectively assured of an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The Government of Canada has a processing standard of six months for applications for Canadian permanent residence submitted through the Express Entry system.

The BCPNP's EEBC Stream has four immigration categories that are linked to the Express Entry system:

EEBC: Skilled Worker
EEBC: International Graduate
EEBC: International Post-Graduate
EEBC: Healthcare Professional

To be considered for a nomination through the EEBC Skilled Worker and International Graduate categories, Express Entry candidates must register through the BCPNP's Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Registrations are issued a score based on a variety of factors and entered into the pool of candidates and the highest-ranked are issued invitations to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws from the pool.

The 1,987 nominations issued through the EEBC: Skilled Worker Category were an increase of 806 over 2017 and 1,188 over 2016.

Nominations also increased through the EEBC: International Post-Graduate and EEBC: Healthcare Professional categories, but decreased through the EEBC: International Graduate Category.

Nominations issued by EEBC category, 2016-2018

EEBC CATEGORY	2018	2017	2016
EEBC: Skilled Worker	1,987	1,181	799
EEBC: International Graduate	936	1,038	1,036
EEBC: International Post-Graduate	165	126	209
EEBC: Healthcare Professional	12	5	6

Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool

Skills Immigration nominations

Nominations were also up for Skilled Workers registered under the BCPNP's Skills Immigration (SI) Program, which is not aligned with the Express Entry system.

The BC PNP issued 1,607 nominations to SI: Skilled Worker candidates in 2018, up from 1,218 in 2017.

Like the EEBC: Skilled Worker Category, all registrants are required to have an eligible job offer from a B.C. employer, among other criteria.

Nominations were also up in 2018 over 2017 in the SI: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Category and the International Post-Graduate Category.

Nominations to SI: International Graduates decreased to 636 from 1,334 in 2017.

Nominations issued by Skills Immigration (SI) category, 2016-2018

SI CATEGORY	2018	2017	2016
SI: Skilled Worker	1,607	1,218	1,232
SI: International Graduate	636	1,334	1,238
SI: International Post-Graduate	371	337	513
SI: Healthcare Professional	92	92	132
SI: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled	633	600	756

Tech Pilot nominations

The BCPNP said the proportion of nominations in technology jobs grew in 2018 to 19.7 per cent of nominations, up from 17.2 the year before.

Nominees with a tech job offer (both SI and EEBC) totalled 1,141 while those in other occupations totalled 4,658.

The BC PNP's Tech Pilot issues invitations on a weekly basis to EEBC and SI candidates with an eligible B.C. job offer in one of 29 tech-related positions, among other criteria.

Top source countries

Immigration candidates with Indian citizenship dominated Skills Immigration nominations issued in 2018, though their proportion declined from 32 per cent in 2017 to 29 per cent in 2018.

Citizens of China came second with 15 per cent, a decline of six per cent from 2017.

The proportion of nominations that went to citizens from Brazil, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States all experienced small increases in 2018.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs