BC PNP issues new invitations, temporarily suspends entrepreneur applications

British Columbia issued 383 invitations to immigration candidates in Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws conducted on July 20.

Since February, B.C. has been conducting two separate draws under its PNP program on a bi-monthly basis. The province holds a general draw and a second draw targeting retail and wholesale trade managers as well as restaurant and food service managers. According to information released by the province, this second draw is due to a high number of people registered in the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) with these two occupations. By holding these additional draws, the province aims to balance the needs in all sectors of the provincial labour market.

Candidates from the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) received invitations.

More specifically, invitations were issued to those from the Skilled Worker, International Graduate as well as Entry Level and Semi-Skilled sub-categories of SI and EEBC streams.

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In the first draw, the minimum scores ranged between 75 and 91 points. A total of 323 candidates were invited.

The separate draw was also conducted under SI and EEBC categories and targeted candidates whose occupation falls under NOC 0621 or NOC 0631. The draw resulted in 60 invitations with scores of 107.

Intake of new registrations for entrepreneur stream temporarily paused

A day earlier, on July 19, B.C. also announced it was temporarily pausing the intake of new registrations under the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) stream. However, the temporary pause only affects registration under the Base category. The EI - Regional Pilot, Strategic Projects, and all Skills immigration categories are still open.

This temporary suspension is to provide an opportunity to assess whether the program is meeting the province's current needs following the impacts of the pandemic.

"Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on B.C.’s economy, the temporary pause allows us to review the EI – Base category to ensure it continues to meet its objectives to support government priorities and economic recovery, and prepare prospective applicants for the greatest chance of success," said a release issued by the province.

Individuals who have already submitted a registration or application will not be affected by the suspension.

The province indicated that it would issue an update in early 2022 to inform prospective candidates of the likely date registration will resume.

The Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category is for those who want to immigrate to British Columbia and are willing to invest in and actively manage a valid business in the province.

About the BC PNP

The BC PNP aims to attract foreign workers who are in high demand in the province and who wish to become permanent residents of Canada.

The BC PNP has two immigration streams, Skills Immigration and Express Entry, both of which are divided into sub-categories. These streams are managed under B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). In order to apply through the SIRS, you are first required to register an account. Once this is done, you will be assigned a score based on factors such as education, work experience, and language skills.

The highest-scoring candidates from each sub-category are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination to apply for permanent residency when British Columbia conducts one of its regular draws.

If you received an invitation you will have 30 days from the date of the invitation to submit a complete application through the BC PNP online system.

Once you submit a complete BC PNP application package you will be notified of the province’s decision within approximately two to three months. If your nomination is successful, you become eligible to apply to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status under the Provincial Nominee Class.

The nomination is valid for approximately six months from the date of confirmation.

As a provincial nominee, you may receive an additional 600 points under the CRS and therefore have a score high enough to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) during a subsequent federal Express Entry draw.

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