British Columbia invites 379 more workers and graduates in the latest draw

British Columbia continues to invite more workers and international graduates at low points thresholds in the latest draws on November 8 and November 15.

Through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), a total of 379 candidates received an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination at these occasions.

Many of the BC PNP categories are managed under BC's Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). For eligible candidates to apply through the SIRS, they are required to first register an account, after which they are assigned a score based on their individual skill sets.

Those with the highest scores are then invited to apply when the government of BC conducts one of its draws. It is important to note that all BC PNP categories managed under the SIRS require candidates to have a job offer from an employer in BC.

A portion of the candidates in the most recent draws were invited through an Express Entry-aligned sub-category. Those candidates are now in a position to apply for an 'enhanced' Provincial Nomination. A successful nomination results in applicants receiving 600 additional points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and an Invitation To Apply (ITA) at a later draw from the federal Express Entry pool. An invitation to apply under the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.

Candidates under the BC PNP Skills Immigration sub-categories, who received invitations, will have their applications for permanent residence processed outside the Express Entry system.

The November 15 draw was conducted to invite candidates through the recently created BC Tech pilot. BC did not specify how many ITAs have been issued in the tech-only draw.

EXPRESS ENTRY BC - SKILLED WORKER

The Express Entry BC - Skilled Worker category is for international skilled workers who have post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a professional, management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation. Candidates must be eligible to enter the federal Express Entry pool. A successful application under this category results in the candidate receiving 600 points under the CRS and a subsequent ITA at the federal level.

EXPRESS ENTRY BC - INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE

International graduates who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within the past two years may be eligible to apply under the Express Entry BC - International Graduate category. Interestingly, this category is open to eligible graduates who graduated from a university or college in any location in Canada; it is not restricted to graduates from BC universities and colleges. This category is also aligned with the federal Express Entry system.

SKILLS IMMIGRATION - SKILLED WORKER

This base category is open to workers with post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a skilled occupation. A job offer is required.

SKILLS IMMIGRATION - INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE

This category is for international students who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within two years of applying to the BC PNP. While applicants do not necessarily need prior work experience, applicants are required to obtain a job offer from a B.C. employer.

SKILLS IMMIGRATION - ENTRY LEVEL AND SEMI-SKILLED

This category is open to candidates who may not be eligible for other Canadian immigration programs, as it allows certain non-skilled workers to apply for permanent residence. Candidates must work in an eligible occupation within the tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, or food processing industries, or in a NOC skill level C or D occupation in the Northeast Development Region of the province.

For applications submitted before November 23, 2017, from residents of Singapore, Tunisia or Fiji, IRCC says no IME is required.