British Columbia held two draws through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) on September 14, 2021.

A total of 365 Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates received invitations to apply for a provincial nomination under the province’s Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration categories in a general draw. The minimum required score for candidates varied by category.

The cut-off scores for Express Entry BC (EEBC) subcategories were:

Candidates in this category needed to have already submitted profiles under Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada‘s Express Entry system. Once they receive their invitation to apply for a provincial nomination from B.C., successful candidates will earn an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points which will effectively guarantee that they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence under IRCC’s Express Entry system.

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The cut-off scores for the three Skills Immigration (SI) subcategories were:

Due to a high number of people registered in the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) in certain occupations, B.C. also held an additional draw to balance the needs in all sectors of the provincial labour market. The separate draw was conducted under SI and EEBC categories and targeted candidates whose occupation falls under NOC 0621 or NOC 0631. The draw resulted in 99 invitations with scores of 105.

So far this year over 8,500 invitations to apply for provincial nominations have been issued by the BC PNP. British Columbia issues weekly invitations, including some specifically targeting candidates working in the technology sector.

What is the Skills Immigration category?

This pathway to permanent residence is for eligible foreign workers who usually already have a job offer in B.C.

Skills Immigration (SI) consists of five subcategories, the first four of which are aligned with the federal government’s Express Entry system:

• Skilled Worker Category — for people who have a job offer and several years of experience in a skilled occupation;
• Healthcare Professional Category — physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses, or allied health professionals with job offers in one of 11 eligible occupations may apply for this category;
• International Graduate Category — for workers who have graduated from an eligible Canadian university or college in the last three years;
• International Post-Graduate Category— Master’s or Ph.D. graduates from eligible B.C. post-secondaries in the natural, applied, or health sciences may apply for this category without a job offer; and
• Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category — for entry-level or semi-skilled workers with jobs 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. This is the only SI category that does not apply to candidates in the Express Entry system.

To apply for the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC categories candidates must first create a profile through the BC PNP’s online portal and register under its Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Applicants are evaluated and issued a score based on factors such as level of education, work experience, proficiency in English and location of employment.

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