BC PNP: Over 400 workers, graduates, entrepreneurs invited

British Columbia invited over 400 immigration candidates through four Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws held on October 12, 2021.

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

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.

The minimum scores for that draw ranged between 69 and 91 points. A total of 308 candidates were invited.

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Since February, British Columbia has also been conducting a separate round of invitations twice a month as part of its PNP program. These draws are being held due to the high number of candidates from particular labour market sectors who registered with the province's Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

The separate draw was conducted under SI and EEBC categories and targeted candidates whose occupation falls under NOC 0621 (retail and wholesale trade managers) or NOC 0631 (restaurant and food service managers). The draw resulted in 101 invitations with scores of 104.

For the first time since August, B.C. also sent out invitations to Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) candidates. A total of 10 invitations were sent to those in the EI-base category and less than five in the EI-regional pilot category.

While the province continues to invite and finalize applications from candidates in the entrepreneur stream, the intake of applications in the EI-base category has been temporarily suspended. The stream is currently under review and the province plans to announce details of its reopening in early 2022.

So far this year, B.C. has issued nearly 10,000 invitations through various BC PNP streams.

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 main 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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