[2023] Immigrate to British Columbia Through BC PNP

British Columbia is located at the west end of Canada. Vancouver is a world-famous city as the 2010 Winter Olympics venue.

Influenced by the North Pacific Current, coastal southern British Columbia is the warmest area in Canada. The monthly average temperature doesn’t go below 0 °C even in December, the coldest month of the year.

Because of its mild weather and good access to Asian countries, British Columbia is a popular destination to immigrate to Canada.

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is a great tool to realize this dream.

This article will explain how BC PNP works.

Requirements for BC PNP

You must meet the general requirements to apply for BC PNP.

Intention to Live in British Columbia

You must demonstrate that you have the intent to live, work and economically establish in BC.

Economic Benefit to British Columbia

You must contribute to the economy of British Columbia. You can contribute to the BC economy by earning a salary and spending money as a consumer.

You are also expected to create more jobs, transfer your knowledge and skills, and develop new products.

Qualified Job Offer

You must present a valid job offer from an eligible BC employer.

The job offer must meet the following requirements:

• for an occupation that is eligible under the stream you selected;
• for full-time (more than 30 hours/week) employment;
• signed and dated by an eligible BC employer;
• signed and dated by you confirming that you accept the job offer;
• the offered wage must be at the market rate for the occupation;
• for a job in BC; and
• indeterminate.

Minimum Family Income

You must meet the minimum family income requirements according to your area of residence and the size of family.

You can add your spouse’s income to the family income, but your spouse must have a valid work permit or valid employment authorization and must be employed in BC.

Metro Vancouver Regional District is an area that consists of Vancouver and surrounding municipalities.

For example, if you have a spouse and child and live in Vancouver, the family income must be greater than $40,743.

Immigration Status in Canada

You must have a valid temporary resident status in Canada at the time of submitting the application and waiting for the decision.

Since you need to have a valid job offer and a certain family income, you will have to keep the worker status.

Employer Requirements

Your employer must meet all the requirements to support your BC PNP application.

Established in British Columbia

Your employer must have a business that is registered and operated in BC.

Minimum Number of Years in Operation

Your employer must have operated in BC for at least one year (two years if you are applying under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream).

Minimum Number of Full-Time Employees

Your employer must have at least the following number of employees depending on the location.

Two part-time employees are considered to be one full-time employee if the total work hour is more than 30 hours per week.

Company Ownership

You and your immediate and extended family members must not have held a combined ownership/equity stake of more than 10 percent in the employer.

If you and your employer meet all the requirements, you can pick a program to apply for.

Skills Immigration

BC PNP has two big categories:

• Skills Immigration
• Express Entry BC (EEBC)

Skills Immigration has 5 programs (streams).

Skilled Worker Stream

The BC PNP Skilled Worker stream is for experienced workers in a professional, management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation.

You must have a minimum of 2 years of full-time work experience in any skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3) in any country within the last 10 years.

You can include the work experience obtained in paid co-op work terms if it is full-time and in a skilled occupation.

International Graduate Stream

If you are an international student who has graduated from a university or public college in Canada within the past three years, you may be eligible for nomination under the International Graduate stream.

For public colleges, please refer to this article:

[2023] All About Public Colleges – Canada

According to the Canadian education system, colleges in Canada are divided into two categories which are Private colleges and Public colleges. In this article, general and detailed discussion are mainly focused on public category. What is Public College? Public colleges in Canada is an education institution where the program are funded by the Government. There are many different […]

The university or public college you graduate from doesn’t have to be in BC.

International Post-Graduate Stream

If you have recently graduated from an eligible BC post-secondary institution with a master’s or doctoral degree, or if you are a Ph.D. candidate at a public BC post-secondary institution, you may be eligible for the BC PNP’s International Post-Graduate stream.

You don’t need a job offer from an employer to apply to this stream.

Master’s Degree

For master’s degrees, your field of study must be in one of the following fields:

• agriculture, agriculture operations and related sciences
• biological and biomedical sciences
• computer and information sciences and support services
• engineering
• engineering technology and engineering-related fields
• health professions and related programs
• mathematics and statistics
• natural resources conservation
• physical sciences

If you graduate from a master’s degree program in one of the above fields, you can try International Post-Graduate Stream

Doctoral Degree

You may be eligible to apply to International Post-Graduate Stream if you completed a doctoral degree in any field of study at a public BC post-secondary institution.

Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Stream

You may be eligible for Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Stream if you are currently working in BC in an eligible occupation in the tourism/hospitality, or food processing sectors.

Usually, your job offer must be TEER3 or higher (International Post-Graduate Stream doesn’t require a job offer). However, Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Stream selects a few occupations in NOC TRRE4 or 5.

This stream is suitable for entry level and semi skilled applicants; however, the required score for drawings has become high in the past few years so it is difficult to immigrate to BC through this stream.

Health Authority Stream

If you have an indeterminate full-time job offer in any occupation from a public health authority in BC, you may be eligible for this stream.

Getting a job offer from a public health authority in BC is very difficult, but if you get such a job offer, this stream is a strong option.

You can apply directly to BC PNP without creating an online profile.

Express Entry BC (EEBC)

If you are in the federal Express Entry pool and you also meet the criteria for one of the BC PNP Skills Immigration streams, you may be eligible to use the BC PNP’s Express Entry BC (EEBC) option.

If you are nominated using the EEBC option, you will be given 600 points in Express Entry CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System).

600 points usually guarantee that you receive the invitation to apply (ITA) and you are allowed to apply for Permanent Residency.

For Express Entry, please read the following article

[2023] Express Entry | Best Pathway to Immigrate to Canada

Express Entry is the main stream to immigrate to Canada. This page will show you how to become eligible for Express Entry and how to obtain enough points in CRS

How to Apply for BC PNP

Below are the steps you need to take to apply for BC PNP:

1. Register BC PNP online profile
2. Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
3. Submit an application for BC PNP
4. Being nominated by BC PNP
5. Submit an application to IRCC

I will explain each step in detail.

Register BC PNP online profile

To apply for BC PNP, you need to create an online account and register your BC PNP online profile.

You will put your information into your profile, and submit the registration. After submitting your registration, you will receive your score and will be entered into a registration pool.

You have to decide which stream you apply for when you submit the registration.

Once your registration is submitted, you can’t change the information you submitted.

If you need to change the information, you can withdraw the registration and submit a new one again.

Your registration will be scored based on the information you provide. The factors below outline how your score will be calculated. The maximum score available is 200

The advantage of BC PNP is that age is not in the assessed factors.

If you are older than 40 years old and can’t obtain many points in Express Entry CRS, BC PNP might be a strong option.

When you submit the registration, you don’t have to provide any documentation.

Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

Drawings are held periodically and if your registration score is above the minimum draw score of the stream you applied for, you will receive the Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Sometimes, the drawings target specific streams or occupations. If this is the case, you will not be selected even if your score is higher than the minimum draw score.

Submit an Application for BC PNP

After you receive the ITA, you must submit your BC PNP application within 30 days from the date of the ITA.

You must attach all the documents that prove your registration score.

Being Nominated by BC PNP

BC PNP assesses your application and if it is approved, you will be nominated by BC PNP.

Submit an application to IRCC

After you are nominated by the BC PNP, you will apply for the federal government (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC).

The methods for the application depend on the streams you are nominated for.

Express Entry BC (EEBC)

If you are nominated through Express Entry BC (EEBC) stream, you need to edit your Express Entry profile.

The nomination gives you 600 points in CRS and usually, you will be invited to apply at the next drawing.

Other Streams

For other streams, you can apply online through Permanent Residence Portal.

Conclusion

BC PNP is a great tool to immigrate to British Columbia, especially when you can’t have enough score in Express Entry.

To sum up, below are the attributes of BC PNP

• West of BC has a warm climate in Canada
• You need to have a qualified job offer
• Your family income must be above the requirement
• Your employer also needs to meet the requirements
• You have several options depending on your experience and education
• Your age is not assessed

Please try Canada Shaws Consulting’s free immigration consultation.

We will find the best way to immigrate to Canada.