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BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Skills Immigration is a way for workers and recent graduates with the skills, experience and qualifications needed by B.C. employers to permanently settle in B.C.
Skills Immigration is made up of five streams, each designed for people with different types of skills, experience and education. Four of these streams also have an Express Entry BC option.
The Skilled Worker stream is for experienced workers in a professional, management, technical, trade or other occupations to gain permanent residence in B.C. “
Requirements to qualify for EE
- must meet the minimum criteria for at least one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to IRCC’s Express Entry system:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
- Obtain a valid IRCC Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code, and indicate your interest in immigrating to B.C.
- Skilled Worker
You will be required to enter information regarding your education, language and work experience as part of IRCC’s Express Entry system. If you meet the criteria for one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry, you will receive an Express Entry Profile
Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code. These are specific numbers assigned only to you. You must also indicate that you are interested in settling in B.C.
Apply to the BC PNP using the Express Entry BC (EEBC) options:
Comprehensive Ranking score
Language
- If the Job Offer’s NOC code is of TEER Category 0 or 1, you do not need language results to be eligible (BCPNP can still ask you to pass a language test, at their own discretion).
- If the Job Offer’s NOC code is of TEER Category 2 or 3, you will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 to be eligible.
Work/Business Experience
- have a minimum of two years of full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in any skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3)
- This experience may be from work performed within Canada or abroad, and must have been obtained within the last ten years.
- Work experience obtained in paid co-op work terms is eligible if it meets all of the following criteria:
- the paid co-op work term was full-time (minimum 30 regular hours per week)
- the paid co-op experience was in a skilled occupation
- you have successfully completed your program of study
- If you include paid co-op experience to meet the two year skilled work experience requirement, you must provide evidence that you have graduated from your program of study. You may also be asked to provide evidence that your co-op experience was paid.
- Student work experience that is not part of a paid co-op work term does not count towards this requirement.
Job Offer
- have accepted a full-time, indeterminate job offer (the job offer must not be temporary or have a defined end date) from a B.C. employer. The job must be in a skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3)
Wage or Salary
have a wage offer in line with B.C. wage rates for the occupation
Employer Official Letter
- Your employer must provide you with a signed job offer on official company letterhead.
Employer Eligibility
- Your employment must provide economic benefit to B.C
- Your employer must be established, and have a physical presence, in B.C. For the purposes of the
BC PNP, this means that your employer has an ongoing fixed place of business in B.C. - Your employer must have one of the following business structures:
- incorporated in B.C. or extra-provincially registered in B.C.
- registered as a general, limited or limited liability partnership in B.C.
- provincial and regional health authorities and agencies
- public post-secondary education and training institutions
- public school districts
- private non-profit post-secondary institutions that are accredited by, or registered with, The Private Career Training Institutions Agency of BC
institutions supported by the Government of Canada or the Province of B.C. conducting research in natural and applied sciences, engineering, computer and information systems, or health sciences - provincial/federal/municipal government organizations and agencies
- other non-profit groups registered as charitable organizations and/or incorporated
under an applicable federal or provincial act. - Complete and Sign Employer Declaration Form
- Valid Business Licence
- Provide supporting Documents
- Your employer must have operated in B.C. for at least one year (two years if you are applying under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream).
- If your employer is located within the Metro Vancouver Regional District, your employer must have at least five indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) who are performing their work from within B.C.
- Follow laws and regulations
- Make Genuine Efforts to Recruit Locally
- Genuine Need for the Position
The BC PNP also accepts applications from the following public sector or non-profit organizations established in B.C.:
If your employer is located outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, your employer must have at least three indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) who are performing their work from within B.C.
In-Demand Jobs
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either
- have more chances to be invited or
- that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the Skilled Worker stream, the In-Demand position include:
- Tech – BC PNP Tech
- Health – Health Authority
However, other skilled positions can also be used to apply.
Eligible NOC TEER Categories
NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3
Adaptability / Accompanying members
Intention to live in Province
You must demonstrate that you have the intent to live, work and economically establish in B.C.
Legal Status in Canada
You must have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada
Additional Requirements
You must provide economic benefit to B.C. For example, your employment in B.C. will contribute
to:
- maintaining or creating jobs for Canadians
- transferring knowledge and skills to Canadians
- supporting the development of proprietary new products
- building the workforce for a major project
Funds
You must demonstrate that you meet minimum income requirements according to your
- gross annual wage in the Job Offer
- location of residence in BC
- number of dependants
You can include your spouse/partner’s gross annual wage if they work in BC.
Bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not included when calculating your wage.
The annual wage is calculated as: (hourly rate) x (hours worked per week (max 40h)) x (52 weeks a year).
The minimum income requirements as set by BCPNP are presented in the table below:
| Number of Dependents | Metro Vancouver Regional District (CAD) | Rest of British Columbia (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26,620 | 22,186 |
| 2 | 33,141 | 27,619 |
| 3 | 40,743 | 33,954 |
| 4 | 49,467 | 41,226 |
| 5 | 56,105 | 46,757 |
| 6 | 63,276 | 52,735 |
| 7 or more | 70,449 | 58,713 |
Ineligibility
The BC PNP will not nominate you if you:
- are in Canada and are out of status;
- if your status has expired, and you cannot demonstrate that you have applied for restoration of status within the 90-day eligibility period, you will
be considered out of status; - are working in Canada without authorization;
- have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada; or
- are under a removal order in or outside of Canada, or require an Authorization to Return to Canada.
Application Period
Approximately 3 months
Application Fee
Skills Immigration Fees
Registration No fee
Application $1,475
Submission of Application
For the Express Entry category, candidates must:
- Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSW, FST or CEC programs.
- Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting “British Columbia” or “All Provinces and Territories”.
- Qualify for the minimum SW stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in BCPNP Online.
- Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their BCPNP Online profile.
- Apply to the SW stream within 30 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Accept the British Columbia provincial nomination (after the BCPNP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile.
- Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
- Apply for permanent residence through your Express Entry profile.
Link to portal to submit application
Maximum points required
Maximum points : 200