British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP)

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program. A program supported by the Canadian Government and the provincial government itself. It will be them welcoming you as an immigrant and citizen of Canada with open arms. Your occupational experience, language test, and IELTS test scores, qualifications, work experience as a temporary foreign worker, Canadian work permit, sponsorship, etc. can play a major role in fulfilling your dreams of immigrating to Canada and becoming a permanent resident of Canada and British Columbia using the BC PNP program.

What is British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program BC PNP?

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an initiative by the government of British Columbia, supported by the government of Canada, to select immigrants who fit the labour Agaps of their province. If you have a skill that matches the jobs they have available or the labour-market of British Columbia, you have a chance to be nominated by this program and become a permanent resident of Canada. Not just you alone, even your common-law partner, spouse and children can reap the same privilege. 

Can I apply for British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program BC PNP?

Under this program, there are not just one, but 3 streams you can apply through. The three streams, their criteria, and what to do after you apply to that particular stream are discussed below:

1. Skills Immigration (SI)

This stream is meant for you if you are a skilled or semi-skilled foreign worker looking for permanent residence in the province. A valid job offer from a legitimate resident employer of British Columbia is a must.

Eligibility criteria

The following criteria will determine if you qualify as a skilled worker and can apply for this program. 

• You should be having a full-time job offer from a legitimate registered employer currently residing in B.C. The job must be of skill type 0, A or B. 
• You must have some qualifications for the job you wish to pursue in B.C. 
• A min of 2 years experience in that occupation is also required.
• You must be able to support yourself and your dependents financially once you become a permanent resident of B.C. You must have documents proving the same.
• You must be an immigrant in Canada or be eligible for legal immigration to the country.
• If your occupation falls under the skill type B, you must qualify the requirements to prove your language proficiency.
• The salary promised to you by your employer must be in accordance with the British Columbia wage rates.

How to apply

• Registration: It being the first step, this allows the authorities to check your language proficiency, educational qualifications and employment criteria. Registration is free of charge. To register, create an online profile on BCPNP Online, fill out all sections of the online form and submit.
• Invitation: If your registration is accepted, you will receive an invitation meaning you can apply under the Skills Immigration stream. If you do not receive an invitation, that means your registration did not score the cut-off. You can always improve your score. 
• Application:  If you receive an invitation, you have to complete and suit your application within 30 days of receiving it. Your application costs $1150 for processing.  The assessment of your application is then done as per the Provincial Immigration Programs Act as well as the Provincial Immigration Programs Regulations. 
• Nomination: if your application meets approval, you will be sent a nomination confirmation and instructions to further apply under the IRCC for permanent residence.

2. Express Entry B.C. Stream 

This is a faster stream that eligible skilled workers can use to immigrate to B.C. To qualify for applying under this stream, you do not require work experience from British Columbia. However, you must have relevant work experience and meet other requirements such as educational qualifications and language proficiency. 

Eligibility criteria

• You must have an active Express Entry profile and application.
• You must meet the set eligibility criteria of one of the three programs: If you’re qualifying for Skillled Trades, go for Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), if you’re coming under Skilled workers, then you would qualify for Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP) or if you have the Canadian Experience already, then the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). You can read in-depth about the set eligibility criteria of each of these programs on our website.
• You must have a  job offer to work full time from an employer currently residing in B.C. The job must be of skill type 0, A or B. 
• You must have some qualifications for the job you wish to pursue in B.C. 
• A min of 2 years experience in that occupation is a must.
• You must be able to support yourself and your dependents financially once you become a permanent resident of B.C. and have proof of the same. 
• You must be an immigrant in Canada or be eligible for legal immigration to the country.
• The salary promised to you by your employer must be in accordance with the British Columbia wage rates. 

How to apply

• Before beginning your registration process, ensure you qualify for at least one of the programs under the Express Entry Program by the IRCC.

• Registration: This is the first step. This allows the authorities to check your language proficiency, educational qualifications and employment criteria. Registration is free of charge. To register, create an online profile on BCPNP Online, fill out all sections of the online form and submit.
• Invitation: If your registration is accepted, you will receive an invitation meaning you can apply under the Express Entry B.C. stream. If you do not receive an invitation, that means your registration did not score the cut-off. You can always improve your score. 
• Application:  If you receive an invitation, you have to complete and suit your application within 30 days of receiving it. Your application costs $1150 for processing.  Your application is then assessed according to the standards set by the authorities. 
• Nomination: if your application meets approval, you will be sent a nomination confirmation that must be accepted through the Express Entry portal.  Using this you can further apply as a provincial nominee under the IRCC for permanent residence.

3. Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

If you are an entrepreneur and want to actively own and manage a business in British Columbia, this stream is for you. You must have the required funds, personal as well as investment funds. 

Eligibility criteria

• For personal qualification, your personal net worth must be around CAD$600,000
• You must have management as well as business experience as an entrepreneur. 
• You must be an immigrant in Canada or legally be eligible to migrate to Canada.
• You must meet the language qualifications. You must score a minimum of 4 according to the Canadian Language Benchmark in English or French. 
• You should be a lawful citizen or resident of your current country.
• Under the business and management criteria, you must have established an eligible business. You can also buy and make certain improvements to an existing business. 
• You must make a personal investment of CAD$200,000 in this business.
• Your business must generate at least one full-time job for a Canadian permanent resident or a citizen of Canada. 

How to apply

• Registration: In this step, you have to provide a short business concept in your registration form. Registration costs a non-refundable fee of $300. To register, create an online profile on BCPNP Online, fill out all sections of the online form and submit.
• Invitation: If your registration is accepted, you will be invited to apply under the Entrepreneurship Immigration stream. If you do not receive an invitation, you can always improve your score by providing a revised business concept or working on your adaptability score. 
• Net Worth Review:  If you receive an invitation, an accounting firm that is authorized must review your assets and personal net worth. After the completion of the review, the firm will send copies of their findings to you and BC PNP. 
• Application: You have 120 days to complete and submit your application from the day you receive the invitation. If your application meets approval,  a Performance Agreement will be signed by you with the province, British Columbia.
• Building your business: You have 20 months after signing of the Performance Agreement to build your business in accordance with its terms. 
• Nomination: You will be sent a nomination confirmation. Using this you can further apply as a provincial nominee under the IRCC for permanent residence.

Apart from British Columbia, the other provinces such as Nova Scotia, Ontario,  Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, all have their own provincial nominee programs. If British Columbia isn’t the province for you, you can check the eligibility criteria of the streams of programs of all these provinces. The province of Quebec has a different program to nominate applicants for Canadian citizenship and a resident visa or permanent Canadian residence.  

Choose wisely.  Quickly check if you are qualifying for the application process according to the standards set by the Canadian Immigration Law since the applications are few and opportunities and many!