BC Provincial Nominee Program Lawyers in Vancouver, British Columbia

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is a path to permanent residence in Canada for foreign skilled workers, entry level and semi-skilled workers, international graduates, international post-graduates, and healthcare professionals.

Candidates typically need to have a job offer to be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the BC PNP. However, if you are an international post-graduate applicant, who has graduated from an eligible university in B.C. with a Masters or doctorate in a natural, applied, or health sciences program of study, you do not need to have a current job offer to apply through the BC PNP.

British Columbia also has three options for entrepreneurs who wish to start a business or acquire a business in British Columbia.

BC Immigration Streams

There are three avenues for legal migration to British Columbia under the BC PNP:

• Skills Immigration Stream
• Express Entry British Columbia Stream
• Entrepreneur Immigration

Skills Immigration Stream is for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates, and post-graduates, including some entry-level and semi-skilled workers in very specific fields. Except for international post-graduate applicants, candidates need to have a job offer or a current job.

Express Entry British Columbia Stream is for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates, and post-graduates only.

Entrepreneur Immigration avenue for entry includes Base, Regional Pilot, and Strategic Projects categories, which will be discussed below.

Skills Immigration Stream: Who is Eligible?

There are specific categories of workers who are eligible for skills immigration stream permanent residency status.

Skilled Worker Category: experienced skilled workers with an eligible job offer in a skilled occupation

Healthcare Professional Category: experienced skilled health care professionals—physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses, or allied health professionals—with an eligible job offer within one of 11 healthcare occupations

International Graduate Category: graduates from an eligible Canadian university or college in the last 3 years with an eligible job offer in British Columbia

International Post-Graduate Category: graduates with Masters or Doctoral degrees in the natural, applied, or health sciences programs from an eligible educational institution in British Columbia. No current job offer is necessary within this category.

Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category: 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 with a current job offer

Skills Immigration Stream: How It Works

Unless you are an international post-graduate applicant or Healthcare Professional, the first step is to register with the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). This first step initiates a review of your job, education, location within British Columbia, language ability, and proposed wage in light of the province’s labour market and its specific needs.

If you are an international post-graduate applicant or Healthcare Professional, you can skip the SIRS registration and complete your registration with BCPNP Online.

The review that is initiated with SIRS or BCPNC Online registration will result in a registration score. If your application matches labour needs in British Columbia and your score is high enough, you will be invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

These invitations to apply for a provincial nomination occur periodically through a draw. The exact score to qualify for a provincial nomination changes with each cycle.

Once you have been informed of your invitation to apply, you have 30 days to complete your application. A provincial nomination means that you can apply for permanent residence with the Canadian federal government.

Express Entry BC: How It Works

Four categories of applicants are eligible to apply for permanent residence status through Express Entry BC, which gives priority, and consequently, speeds up the review and approval process. Except for International Post-Graduate applicants, Express Entry BC requires that you have a current job offer.

• Skilled Worker Category
• Health Care Professional Category
• International Graduate Category
• International Post-Graduate Category

To begin this process, an applicant must first create an Express Entry BC profile with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Once that profile is completed, the applicant must register with 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. The registration process can be completed with BCPNP Online.

This review will result in a score and your application will be placed in a selection pool. With a high enough score, you will be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Upon receipt of that invitation, you have 30 days to complete the BCPNP Online application. If you are selected, you will be granted your status through the Express Entry BC program.

Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)

Like most immigration programs, Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) relies on scoring applications, with a score based on a review of level of education, years of direct work experience, a British Columbian job offer, and the labour needs of the province.

What Is Express Entry?

Express Entry candidates are offered priority and speedy review of their immigration applications. The advantage of using Express Entry is obvious: A candidate who receives a provincial nomination from B.C. gets an additional 600 CRS points. This boost makes an invitation to apply for permanent residence much more likely.

Entrepreneur Immigration: How It Works

There are three categories for entrepreneurs to apply for permanent residence. The first category—Base Category—is temporarily suspended. Essentially, the Base Category includes senior management and business owners who have the financial capacity to open a business in British Columbia with a minimum investment of $200,000 CAD.

The second category is Regional Pilot. This program encourages experienced entrepreneurs to bring economic opportunities to a small community within the province. Applicants must have financial capacity and commit to a minimum investment of $100,000 CAD.

The third category is Strategic Projects. This program invites foreign-based companies to set up a facility or begin operations in British Columbia. The Strategic Projects permits for up to 5 foreign managerial, professional, or technical staff members to be nominated for permanent residence.

Begin Your Provincial Nomination Application Now With Trusted Immigration Counsel

If you are seeking permanent residence through provincial nomination, you can trust the knowledge and experience of Canadian Currents Immigration to guide you through the process. Although the application for a provincial nomination is readily available online, the requirements for completing a successful application can be daunting. With the aid of an experienced immigration lawyer at Canadian Currents Immigration, you can apply for a provincial nomination once we determine your eligibility.

Our immigration lawyers at Canadian Currents Immigration will review your status to determine your eligibility for provincial nomination, Express Entry BC, and Entrepreneur categories.

Start with a confidential 30-minute consultation with a Canadian Currents Immigration immigration lawyer in Vancouver.

Call us now to book a time: 778-331-1164.