British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
Home to the country’s third-largest city, Vancouver, British Columbia is also one of the most diverse provinces in all of Canada. British Columbia’s economy focuses on a strong natural resources sector, with an emphasis on forestry and mining.
Its natural environment, with expansive forests and a unique coastal climate, is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Canada, and indeed the world.
British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, is a hub of cultural diversity and economic growth.
B.C. Immigration Streams
If you wish to immigrate to British Columbia, then you have three options to choose from:
Skills Immigration Stream;
Express Entry British Columbia Stream;
Entrepreneur Immigration.
The Skills Immigration Stream is for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates and post-graduates as well as entry-level and semi-skilled workers. All candidates need to have a job offer or a current job, except for international post-graduates.
The Express Entry British Columbia Stream is for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates and post-graduates only.
BC Skills Immigration
British Columbia Skills Immigration targets foreign nationals who have the skills to become meaningful members of BC’s workforce. The pathways within BC Skills Immigration emphasize immigrants who have employment prospects in BC and who demonstrate the experience needed to secure and maintain employment as BC residents.
British Columbia Skilled Worker
British Columbia Healthcare Professional
British Columbia International Graduate
British Columbia International Post-Graduate
British Columbia Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker (ELSS)
BC PNP Skills Immigration is divided into the following categories:
Skilled Worker Category
This category is for individuals who have received an eligible job offer in a skilled occupation. Workers are expected to have several years of experience in their skilled occupation.
Healthcare Professional Category
Under this category individuals with experience and eligible job offers, as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals may apply. An eligible job offer must be acquired for one of 11 qualifying health occupations.
International Graduate Category
This category is for individuals who have graduated from an eligible Canadian university or college in the last three years. A job offer must be obtained from a BC employer to be eligible under this sub-category.
International Post-Graduate Category
This category is for graduates with Masters or Doctoral degrees from an eligible educational institution in British Columbia in the natural, applied, or health sciences programs of study. No job offer is required to apply under this sub-category.
Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category
Workers in certain entry-level or semi-skilled positions in tourism/hospitality, food processing, or long-haul trucking, or those in entry-level or semi-skilled positions living and working in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia, may be eligible for immigration through this program.
Application Fee: $1,150 for processing. A request for review would cost an additional CAD $500.
Processing time: 2-3 months
Minimum Requirements:
Must have accepted a full-time job offer (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must have a wage offer in line with the provincial wage rates (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must show you can support yourself and your family (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must meet minimum language requirements (for NOC skill level B, or for the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category)
Must meet any additional requirements specific to your category;
Employer must also be meet eligibility criteria (except for the International Post-Graduate Category).
If you receive a provincial nomination, you can then apply for permanent residence with the Canadian federal government.
Category | Is a job required? | Is it currently receiving applications? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
Skilled Worker | Yes (Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B) | Yes | Must have at least two years of work experience in skilled work. |
Healthcare Professional | Yes | Yes | Must have at least two years of experience as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals. |
International Graduate | Yes | Yes | Must have graduated from an eligible university or college in the last three years. |
International Post-Graduate | No | Yes | Must have graduated with a Master’s or PhD from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences programs of study. |
Entry-level and Semi-skilled worker | Yes, candidates must be currently working. | Yes | Must work in certain positions in tourism, food processing, or long-haul trucking or must be living and working in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia |
Express Entry British Columbia
Express Entry BC aligns with the federal government’s Express Entry immigration selection system, allowing eligible applicants to receive priority processing of both their BC PNP application and if nominated, their permanent residence application.
The following Skills Immigration categories may be processed through Express Entry British Columbia:
Skilled Worker Category
Health Care Professional Category
International Graduate Category
International Post-Graduate Category
Application Fee: CAD $1,150
Processing Time: 2-3 months
Minimum Requirements:
Must have a valid profile with the federal Express Entry system;
Must have a Job Seeker Validation Code from the Express Entry system;
Must have accepted a full-time job offer (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
Must have a wage offer in line with B.C. wage rates (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must be able to support yourself and your family (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must meet minimum language requirements (except for the International Post-Graduate Category);
Must meet additional requirements specific to your category;
Employer must also be eligible (except for the International Post-Graduate Category).
If you are selected, you will receive a provincial nomination through the Express Entry system. You are required to accept the nomination through the Express Entry system.
| Category | Is a job required? | Is it currently receiving applications? | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Yes | Yes | Must have at least two years of work experience in skilled work. |
| Healthcare Professional | Yes | Yes | Must have at least two years of experience as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals, or a midwife with a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in B.C. |
| International Graduate | Yes | Yes | Must have graduated from an eligible university or college in the last three years. |
| International Post-Graduate | No | Yes | Must have graduated with a Master’s or PhD from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences programs of study. |
BC Entrepreneur Immigration
British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration targets foreign nationals and foreign companies who have demonstrated track records of success in business ownership, management, and investment. Individual entrepreneurs with significant personal net worth and international corporations with high annual revenues may immigrate to BC through the establishment of new enterprises in the province.
Entrepreneur Immigration Fees:
Registration: $300
Application : $3,500
Request for Review: $500
Strategic Projects Fees:
Registration : $300
Application : $3,500
Key Staff : $1,000 (each key staff )
Processing times:
Registration score notification: 6 weeks (from date of registration submission)
Application decision notification: 4 months (from date of application submission)
B.C. PNP Tech
British Columbia frequently holds Tech draws, where they invite eligible skilled workers to apply for a provincial nomination.
The initiative started as a pilot program in 2017 to address the province’s labour shortage in the tech sector. In June 2021, the province made it a permanent program.
This program is for skilled workers who have a job offer in B.C. in one of 29 eligible occupations. The job offer also has to be at least one year in duration, and have 120 calendar days remaining at the time of applying.
FAQ:
You must first identify which immigration stream and category you are eligible for. Once you do this, you must then register with the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) so that B.C. can review your job, education, location in B.C., language ability and wage against the provincial labour market needs.
You can register by completing all the sections of the registration with BCPNP Online.
If you are applying for the International Post-Graduate Category and the Healthcare Professional Category, you do not need to register with the SIRS, and you can apply directly through BCPNP Online.
You will then get a registration score based on multiple factors and are entered into a selection pool for the chosen category. Those who meet specific criteria and who have a score above a certain threshold are invited to apply for a provincial nomination in a provincial draw.
After that, candidates will have 30 days to apply through BCPNP Online.
If you are selected, you will receive a provincial nomination through the Express Entry system. You are required to accept the nomination through the Express Entry system.
Yes. For Canadians and permanent residents who live in B.C., the Medical Service Plan (MSP) is free.
This covers required medical services such as: doctors’ fees, services provided by physicians and midwives, dental and oral surgery, eye exams and some orthodontic services. It also covers diagnostic services such as x-rays.
There are other services that may be covered like supplementary services provided by other health care providers. This includes: acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, naturopathy, physical therapy and non-surgical podiatry.
For more information on B.C.’s MSP, you are encouraged to visit this website.
The quality of life in B.C. is high. Residents of B.C. are friendly and welcoming. The province is very diverse, and many people from all over the world immigrate to the province every year.
Vancouver island has a mild climate with warm, dry summers, and wet and rainy conditions in the winter, fall and spring. It does not snow often. The weather is colder in Northern B.C.
The first step towards moving to Canada is to get an assessment of your specific situation. Call us today at 1+613.222.7154 for an assessment to see if you are eligible to move to Canada, or fill out our online assessment form.
