The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) can be a viable pathway for you if you’re considering immigrating to Canada and settling permanently in British Columbia.
This program is designed to attract:
- skilled workers,
- entry level and semi-skilled workers in strategic occupations,
- international graduates, and
- entrepreneurs who can contribute to the economic development of British Columbia.
Here’s an in-depth look at what the BC PNP entails and how you can use it to become a permanent resident of Canada.
Federal and Provincial Roles in Immigration
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada makes the final decision about who becomes a permanent resident. However, to address the varying economic needs across the country, the federal government established agreements with provinces and territories, allowing them to run their own immigration programs. These Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are tailored to attract newcomers who meet the specific economic requirements of each region.
How does the BC PNP work?
The BC PNP is a two-part application process:
- Provincial Nomination: First, you apply to the BC PNP for a provincial nomination. This involves meeting the specific criteria set by British Columbia to address the province’s economic and labour market needs. There are numerous streams through which you can apply to the BC PNP, including streams for skilled workers, tech workers, health care workers, workers with experience in certain TEER 4 and 5 occupations, international graduates and post-graduates and entrepreneurs.
- Federal Application: Upon receiving a provincial nomination, you then apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residency.
When to Use the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program
The BC PNP is useful if you don’t qualify for a federal economic program. For example, there is currently no federal economic program for entry level and semi-skilled workers (although IRCC has suggested they will be introducing a program for workers in Canada with experience in TEER 4 and 5 occupations). In this case, ELSS workers in B.C. with experience in eligible occupations must consider the BC PNP.
Additionally, you might consider the BC PNP even if you qualify for an Express Entry program to increase your Express Entry rank. An eligible provincial nomination will increase your Express Entry rank by 600 points, which almost always guarantees you will be invited to apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. More on this later.
Determining if the BC PNP is right for you
The BC PNP operates on a points-based system, and the process involves two main steps:
Eligibility Determination
First, determine if you meet the eligibility criteria of one of the BC PNP streams. Most BC PNP streams require some variation of the following criteria:
- Work experience
- Work experience outside Canada is recognized in skilled worker streams; semi-skilled workers must have at least 9 months, consecutive experience in an eligible occupation (or combination of eligible occupations for the same employer) during which time they worked an average of 30 hours/week or more
- A full-time, indeterminate job offer from an eligible B.C.-based employer
- Candidates applying through the Tech stream do not require an indeterminate job offer, neither do those applying in the International Post-Graduate stream (the international graduate and post-graduate stream requirements will be changing early 2025)
- French or English language test
- Skilled workers with a job offer in TEER 0 or 1 do not require a language test but it’s beneficial because it increases your BC PNP Registration score
- Minimum high school education
- Work experience
Competitiveness Evaluation
Next, evaluate your competitiveness within the pool of applicants. Not all eligible candidates receive an invitation to apply; only the most competitive ones do. Therefore, it’s essential to assess how likely you are to receive an invitation based on your points and other candidates' profiles.
You can calculate your score using the ranking system in the BC PNP Program Guide then review the historical invitation data to see what the lowest score required to get invited has been in the most recent rounds of invitation.
BC PNP awards points for the following factors:
- Work experience that is directly related to the job you’ve been offered by your eligible B.C. employer
- Additional points are awarded if you have at least 1 year of directly related experience in Canada and if you’re currently working full-time in B.C. for the employer in the same occupation as your job offer
- Your highest level of education
- Additional points are awarded if your post-secondary education was completed in Canada or B.C. (more for candidates with education completed in B.C.) or if you have an eligible progressional designation in B.C.
- Your language test scores (even if a language test isn’t required to meet the eligibility criteria, you will get points by completing one)
- Additional points are awarded for candidates who have completed both English and French tests, scoring CLB 4 or higher in each competency on both tests
- Hourly wage of the job you’ve been offered
- Location of work (job offers in Metro Vancouver are not awarded any points)
- Additional points are awarded to candidates who completed studies or have work experience outside of Metro Vancouver
- Work experience that is directly related to the job you’ve been offered by your eligible B.C. employer
BC PNP and Express Entry Integration
The BC PNP has streams that integrate with the federal Express Entry program. If you meet the requirements of one of the Express Entry programs as well as the criteria for certain BC PNP streams, you can apply through the BC PNP Express Entry stream. This involves:
- Express Entry profile: First, create an Express Entry Profile to prove you meet the criteria of one of the federal economic programs managed by the Express Entry system.
- BC PNP registration: Next, register to apply in a BC PNP Express Entry stream. You will need to include your Express Entry profile number in your registration to show you meet the requirements of an Express Entry program.
- Apply to the BC PNP: If/when invited, apply to the BC PNP. Make sure your application is complete, or it may be canceled/refused and you will have to start again from step 1.
- Express Entry profile update: Your Express Entry profile will be updated with an additional 600 points when you are nominated by the BC PNP (the two systems are integrated). You will receive a message in your Express Entry profile prompting you to accept the nomination. Once accepted, your CRS rank will increase.
- Apply to IRCC: You will almost certainly be invited to apply through Express Entry in the next applicable draw.
You could be invited in a PNP exclusive draw or a general draw. There are also draws for candidates with work experience in specific occupations and those with French language skills.
Again, make sure your application is complete or it will be cancelled or refused. Luckily, you can ask the BC PNP to re-issue your provincial nomination and resume from step 4 in many cases, if this happens.
The major advantage of this pathway is significantly improving your competitiveness in the Express Entry system and faster processing times compared to non-Express Entry BC PNP streams.
The Advantage of a Provincial Nomination
A key benefit of a provincial nomination is the significant boost it gives to your Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. A provincial nomination increases your CRS score by 600 points, which virtually guarantees you will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry. However, if you already have a high enough CRS score without a provincial nomination, you might not need to apply through the BC PNP.
Case Study: When to use the BC PNP
Consider this scenario: you have one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada and you meet the language requirements to qualify in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
However, you don’t have a high enough Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score to be invited to apply through Express Entry. You might consider the BC PNP Express Entry Skilled Worker Program to increase your Express Entry rank if your B.C. employer meets the PNP eligibility criteria and is willing to make you a qualifying job offer.
This nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, significantly increasing your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry.
Alternatively, you can apply through the BC PNP Skilled Worker regular stream. Sometimes the BC PNP score required to be invited to the regular stream is lower than the score needed to be invited in the Express Entry stream.
The regular BC PNP stream involves submitting the second part of your application to the IRCC outside of Express Entry. While this route might have a slower processing time, it still provides a pathway to permanent residency.
TL;DR
The BC PNP offers an alternative to Express Entry and is one of the primary options for workers with experience in TEER 4 and 5 occupations. Some BC PNP streams work together with the Express Entry system to help you get invited to apply through Express Entry. If you need further guidance or personalized advice, consider reaching out to an expert Canadian immigration consultant to assist you through the process.
Written on September 11, 2024 by Brooke Finlay
