British Columbia Skills Immigration is a series of immigration streams that are part of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), a PNP run by the government of British Columbia.
Workers and foreign graduates with the skills, education, and/or experience necessary to effectively benefit the BC economy may be nominated for Canadian permanent residence through the BC Skills Immigration streams.
The bulk of the programs under BC Skills Immigration requires an applicant to have an employment offer from a BC company. Notably, the employment offer does not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to be declared genuine under BC Skills Immigration.
When an applicant is granted a provincial nomination through the Skills Immigration stream, BC will issue them with a work permit support letter, helping them in getting authorization to work while their immigration application is being processed.
Candidates for BC Skills Immigration need to register via BC PNP Online, the web platform that manages the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). This online system handles intake, rating, and a variety of other tasks.
BC Skills Immigration includes, the following streams:
- BC Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker
- BC Healthcare Professional
- BC International Graduate
- BC International Post-Graduate
- BC Skilled Worker
BC Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled
The British Columbia Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker (ELSS) stream is targeted at persons who possess 9 months of work experience in a low-skilled occupation in BC and a job offer from a BC business.
To be qualified, the worker must have worked in one of the target occupations or a certain geographical location of the province. The BC Skills Immigration Rating System assigns points to eligible candidates, and only those with the highest competitive ranking are invited to apply for the PNP.
Keep in mind that candidates that qualify for this stream are not eligible to apply through Express Entry.
BC Healthcare Professional
The British Columbia Healthcare Professional stream is intended for immigrants who have received a job offer from a BC health authority for a qualifying vocation in healthcare. If a foreign individual fits the program’s standards, he or she may apply at any time.
Candidates who have been nominated successfully through the BC Healthcare Professional program will be invited to file an official application for Canadian permanent residency. This stream does not need candidates to have an Express Entry profile.
Candidates who match the qualifying requirements and have an active Express Entry profile, on the other hand, can be eligible to apply to the stream via Express Entry for faster processing.
BC International Graduate
The British Columbia International Graduate stream is intended for recent graduates from Canadian post-secondary educational institutions who’ve already received an offer of employment in a skilled position from a BC company.
The BC Skills Immigration Rating System assigns points to eligible candidates, and only those with the highest competitive ranking are invited to apply for the PNP.
If an applicant successfully obtains a nomination through the BC International Graduate program, they will be invited to file an official application for Canadian permanent residency. This stream does not need candidates to have an Express Entry profile.
Candidates who match the qualifying requirements and have an active Express Entry profile, on the other hand, can be eligible to apply to the stream via Express Entry for faster processing. Candidates with expertise in specific tech industries may be qualified for faster processing and other incentives as part of the BC Tech Pilot.
BC International Post-Graduate
The British Columbia International Post-Graduate track is intended for recent graduates with a Master’s or Doctoral degree from a British Columbia-accredited school.
This pathway is only available to particular schools and programs. If a foreign individual fits the program’s standards, he or she may apply at any time.
Individuals that have successfully received nominations through the BC International Post-Graduate program will be invited to file an official application for Canadian permanent residency. This stream does not need candidates to have an Express Entry profile.
Individuals who match the qualifying requirements and have an active Express Entry profile, on the other hand, maybe eligible to apply to the stream via Express Entry for faster processing.
If applicants hold certain expertise in specific tech occupations may be eligible for faster processing and other incentives as part of the BC Tech Pilot.
BC Skilled Worker
The British Columbia Skilled Worker stream is targeted towards immigrants who currently hold a job offer from a BC company in a skilled occupation.
The BC Skills Immigration Rating System assigns points to eligible candidates, and only those with the highest competitive ranking are invited to apply for the PNP.
If an applicant successfully acquires a nomination through the BC Skilled program, they will be invited to file an official application for Canadian permanent residency. This stream does not need candidates to have an Express Entry profile.
Individuals who match the qualifying requirements and have an active Express Entry profile, on the other hand, maybe eligible to apply to the stream via Express Entry for faster processing.
If applicants hold certain expertise in specific tech occupations may be eligible for faster processing and other incentives as part of the BC Tech Pilot.
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