/BC PNP/
Introduction:
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an economic immigration program that enables the province to directly select prospective immigrants to help address British Columbia’s labour market needs and contribute to the economic development of the province.
BC PNP accepts applications under three main immigration streams:
BC PNP Skills Immigration consists of five categories:
- Skilled Worker Category
- Health Authority category
- International Graduate Category
- International Post-Graduate Category
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category
Express Entry British Columbia consists of four categories
- Express Entry – Skilled Worker Category
- Express Entry – Health Authority category
- Express Entry – International Graduate Category
- Express Entry – International Post-Graduate Category
The Entrepreneur Immigration consists of three categories:
- Entrepreneur Category
- Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot
- Strategic Projects Category
Skills Immigration
Skilled Worker Category Criteria:
- Have an offer of permanent, full-time employment from an eligible B.C. employer at a wage that meets industry standards and the position is classified as Skilled Type 0, A or B.
- Minimum 2 years of full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in any skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, B)
- According to the number of dependents and location of residency, meet the minimum income requirement
- For applicants who work in NOC B occupation, must have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Your employer must meet the employer requirements
Health Authority category Criteria:
- Have an indeterminate, full-time employment offer in any occupation, at any NOC level, with a B.C. public health authority at a wage that meets industry standards; OR a physician or a nurse practitioner who is, or will soon be, working in B.C. with the support of a public health authority; OR a midwife who has been working for an established practice group in British Columbia for at least six months prior to submitting application
- Have related licensing
- According to the number of dependents and location of residency, meet the minimum income requirement
- For applicants who work in NOC B, C, D occupation,must have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Your employer must meet the employer requirements
Public health authorities:
- Provincial Health Services Authority
- First Nations Health Authority
- Fraser Health
- Interior Health
- Island Health
- Northern Health
- Vancouver Coastal Health
- Providence Health Care
International Graduate Category Criteria:
Have obtained a degree, diploma or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada within 3 years of date of completion
- An employment offer for a full-time, indeterminate position at a wage that meets industry standards and the position is classified as Skilled Type A or B.
- Qualify to work in this occupation
- According to the number of dependents and location of residency, meet the minimum income requirement
- For applicants work in NOC B occupation, must have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Your employer must meet the employer requirements
International Post-Graduate Category Criteria:
- Have obtained a Master’s or Doctoral degree in Natural Science, Applied Science or Health Science from an eligible BC institution within 3 years
- Plan to permanently reside in BC
Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Criteria:
- Have an indeterminate, full-time employment offer from an eligible BC employer at a wage that meets industry standards and the position is classified as Skilled Type C or D
- In Northeast Development Region, all occupations classified as Skilled Type C or D except live-in caregiver may apply. In other regions, only workers in tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, food processing or healthcare sectors may apply.
- Be employed and worked full-time with your B.C. employer in any eligible ELSS occupation for at least nine consecutive months prior to registering to BC PNP, changes allowed in your employment from one ELSS-eligible occupation to a different ELSS-eligible occupation with the same employer
- Maintain full-time employment in an ELSS-eligible occupation with your supporting employer in B.C. throughout the BC PNP application process
- Have completed secondary education
- Demonstrate a history of meeting the minimum income requirement
- Have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Your employer must meet the employer requirements
ELSS-eligible occupation:
- In Northeast Development Region, all occupations classified as Skilled Type C or D except live-in caregiver may apply.
- In other regions, eligible occupations are:
- Occupations in travel and accommodation
- 6525 Hotel front desk clerks
- Tour and recreational guides and casino occupations
- 6531 Tour and travel guides
- 6532 Outdoor sport and recreational guides
- 6533 Casino occupations
- Occupations in food and beverage service
- 6511 Maîtres d’hotel and hosts/hostesses
- 6512 Bartenders
- 6513 Food and beverage servers
- 6711 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations
- Cleaners (employed directly by hotels/resorts*) (*For the purposes of the BC PNP, a resort is defined as an accommodation facility that is associated with recreational activities. These activities can include skiing, golfing, boating, fishing, biking, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, nature-based or interpretive tours, etc.)
- 6731 Light duty cleaners
- 6732 Specialized cleaners
- 6733 Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
- 6721 Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services
- Other service occupations (employed directly by hotels/resorts*)
- 6741 Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations
- 6742 Other service support occupations
- Food processing
- 9461 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
- 9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- 9463 Fish and seafood plant workers
- 9465 Testers and graders, food, beverage and associated products processing
- 9617 Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing
- 9618 Labourers in fish and seafood processing
- Long-haul truck drivers
- 7511 Long-haul truck driver
- Occupations in healthcare
- 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants / health care aides are eligible under NOC 3413)
- 3411 Dental assistants
- Occupations in travel and accommodation
Express Entry British Columbia
Express Entry is a points-based online application management system introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in January 2015. If you are in the federal Express Entry pool and you also meet the criteria for one of the BC PNP Skills Immigration categories, you may be eligible to use the BC PNP’s Express Entry BC (EEBC) option.
Entrepreneur Immigration
Entrepreneur Immigration Category Criteria:
- Have a personal net worth of at least $600,000
- 3+ years of experience as a business owner-manager, OR, 4+ years of experience as a senior manager, OR, a combination of 1+ year of experience as a business owner-manager and 2+ years of experience as a senior manager
- A post-secondary credential or experience as an active owner with 100% ownership of the business for at least 3 years within past 5 years
- Make an eligible personal investment of at least $200,000
- Have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Create at least one new, permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada within 420 days
Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot Category Criteria:
- Business established in a community of fewer than 75,000 people located more than 30 km from a larger city
- Have a personal net worth of at least $300,000
- 3+ years of experience as a business owner-manager, OR, 4+ years of experience as a senior manager, OR, a combination of 1+ year of experience as a business owner-manager and 2+ years of experience as a senior manager
- Make an eligible personal investment of at least $100,000
- Demonstrate will hold at least 51 percent ownership of the proposed business
- Have a language proficiency at or higher than CLB 4
- Create at least one new, permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada within 420 days
Strategic Projects Category Criteria:
- Corporate applicants typically have at least 150 staff and annual revenues of at least $20,000,000
- Proposed key employees are qualified senior personnel (to a maximum of five key staff)
- Make a minimum equity investment of at least $500,000 directed toward the corporation’s operations in B.C.
- Create at least three new jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents for each foreign key staff member proposed
- Establish new or purchase and expand an eligible business in B.C.
Requirement for Employer of Skilled Immigration
- Be established and located in British Columbia, and have been operating for at least one year (two years if the applicant is registering under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category)
- At least five permanent, full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees in the Greater Vancouver Regional District; at least three permanent, full-time employees (or full-time equivalent) if located outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District
- Show a history of good business practices
- You do not hold or exercise control over an ownership stake of 10% or greater
Family Income Threshold by Area of Residence
Size of Family | Metro Vancouver Regional District | Rest of BC |
1 | $26,426 | $22,024 |
2 | $32,899 | $27,418 |
3 | $40,445 | $33,706 |
4 | $49,106 | $40,925 |
5 | $55,695 | $46,416 |
6 | $62,814 | $52,350 |
7 or more | $69,935 | $58,284 |
BC PNP Tech
On May 28, 2021, The BC PNP Tech Pilot has been extended indefinitely and renamed BC PNP Tech to provide B.C. tech employers with the continued ability to recruit and retain international talent when local skilled workers are unavailable. BC PNP Tech offers people in 29 tech occupations a prioritized pathway to permanent residency.
Requirements:
- Applicants are already eligible for either the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC stream of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program.
- Job offers must be one of 29 eligible occupations under the BC PNP Tech. The offer does not need to be indefinite, but it must be for a period of at least one year.
List of 29 Eligible Occupations for the BC PNP Tech Pilot:
NOC | Job Title |
0131 | Telecommunication carriers managers |
0213 | Computer and information systems managers |
0512 | Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts |
2131 | Civil engineers |
2132 | Mechanical engineers |
2133 | Electrical and electronics engineers |
2134 | Chemical engineers |
2147 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
2171 | Information systems analysts and consultants |
2172 | Database analysts and data administrators |
2173 | Software engineers and designers |
2174 | Computer programmers and interactive media developers |
2175 | Web designers and developers |
2221 | Biological technologists and technicians |
2241 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians |
2242 | Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) |
2243 | Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics |
2281 | Computer network technicians |
2282 | User support technicians |
2283 | Information systems testing technicians |
5121 | Authors and writers |
5122 | Editors |
5125 | Translators, terminologists and interpreters |
5224 | Broadcast technicians |
5225 | Audio and video recording technicians |
5226 | Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts |
5227 | Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts |
5241 | Graphic designers and illustrators |
6221 | Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade |
Priority Occupations:
priority occupations may be invited to apply in periodic targeted draws.
- BC PNP Tech occupations
- Care Economy: Healthcare occupations
- Care Economy: Childcare occupations
- Other priority occupations
BC PNP Tech Occupations
- 0131 Telecommunication carriers managers
- 0213 Computer and information systems managers
- 0512 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
- 2131 Civil engineers
- 2132 Mechanical engineers
- 2133 Electrical and electronics engineers
- 2134 Chemical engineers
- 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants
- 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
- 2173 Software engineers and designers
- 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- 2175 Web designers and developers
- 2221 Biological technologists and technicians
- 2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
- 2242 Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
- 2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
- 2281 Computer network technicians
- 2282 User support technicians
- 2283 Information systems testing technicians
- 5121 Authors and writers
- 5122 Editors
- 5125 Translators, terminologists and interpreters
- 5224 Broadcast technicians
- 5225 Audio and video recording technicians
- 5226 Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
- 5227 Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts
- 5241 Graphic designers and illustrators
- 6221 Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade
Care economy: Healthcare occupations
- 0311 Managers in healthcare
- 3011 Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
- 3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- 3111 Specialist physicians
- 3112 General practitioners and family physicians
- 3113 Dentists
- 3122 Chiropractors
- 3124 Allied primary health practitioners
- 3125 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- 3131 Pharmacists
- 3132 Dietitians and nutritionists
- 3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- 3142 Physiotherapists
- 3143 Occupational therapists
- 3144 Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
- 3211 Medical laboratory technologists
- 3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
- 3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- 3215 Medical radiation technologists
- 3216 Medical sonographers
- 3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
- 3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
- 3221 Denturists
- 3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
- 3223 Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants
- 3232 Practitioners of natural healing
- 3233 Licensed practical nurses
- 3234 Paramedical occupations
- 3237 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- 3411 Dental assistants
- 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates*
- 4151 Psychologists
- 4152 Social workers
- 4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
- 4212 Social and community service workers
*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants / health care aides are eligible under NOC 3413.
Care economy: Childcare occupations
- 4214 Early childhood educators and assistants
Other priority occupations
- 3114 Veterinarians
- 3213 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
BC PNP fees
Applicants will need to pay the fees upon registration or application in the BCPNP Online system.
Category | Application fee |
Skills Immigration | Registration:No fee Application:CAD $1,150 Request for review:CAD $500 |
Entrepreneur Immigration | Registration:CAD $300 Application:CAD $3,500 Request for review:CAD $500 |
Strategic Projects | Registration:CAD $300 Application:CAD $3,500 Key staff: CAD $1,000 Request for review:CAD $500 |
BC PNP Processing times
Category | Estimated Processing time |
Skills Immigration | 3 months |
EEBC | 3 months |
Entrepreneur Immigration | Registration score notification: 6 weeks Application decision notification(at work permit stage): 4 months |
Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC draws
Date (y/m/d) | Category | Number of Invitations | Skilled Worker (SK) | International Graduate (IG) | Entry Level and Semi-Skilled | SW-EEBC | IG-EEBC |
2022/7/5 | Targeted draw: Tech | 100 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/7/5 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 21 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/7/5 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 7 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/7/5 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/28 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 159 | 109 | 96 | 76 | 123 | 106 |
2022/6/28 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 17 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/28 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 6 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/21 | Targeted draw: Tech | 101 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/6/21 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 14 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/21 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 10 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/14 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 138 | 109 | 96 | 76 | 123 | 106 |
2022/6/14 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 12 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/14 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 7 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/14 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/7 | Targeted draw: Tech | 125 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/6/7 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 16 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/6/7 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | <5 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/31 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 147 | 109 | 96 | 76 | 123 | 106 |
2022/5/31 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 15 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/31 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | 5 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/31 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 60 | – | – |
2022/5/31 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/24 | Targeted draw: Tech | 115 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/5/24 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 11 | 60 | 60 | – | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/24 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 11 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
2022/5/17 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 154 | 109 | 97 | 76 | 123 | 107 |
2022/5/17 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 21 | 62 | 62 | – | 62 | 62 |
2022/5/17 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | <5 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
2022/5/17 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 62 | – | – |
2022/5/10 | Targeted draw: Tech | 126 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/5/10 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 20 | 62 | 62 | – | 62 | 62 |
2022/5/10 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | 20 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
2022/5/10 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 62 | – | – |
2022/5/3 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 141 | 109 | 97 | 77 | 123 | 107 |
2022/5/3 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 28 | 65 | 65 | – | 65 | 65 |
2022/5/3 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 9 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
2022/5/3 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 65 | 65 | – | 65 | 65 |
2022/4/26 | Targeted draw: Tech | 112 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/4/26 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 23 | 65 | 65 | – | 65 | 65 |
2022/4/26 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 8 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
2022/4/26 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | 5 | 65 | 65 | – | 65 | 65 |
2022/4/19 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 147 | 110 | 98 | 77 | 125 | 109 |
2022/4/19 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 20 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/19 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 7 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/19 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/12 | Targeted draw: Tech | 124 | 87 | 87 | – | 87 | 87 |
2022/4/12 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 24 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/12 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 7 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/12 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/5 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 131 | 110 | 98 | 77 | 125 | 109 |
2022/4/5 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 43 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/5 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | 14 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
2022/4/5 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 70 | – | – |
2022/4/5 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 70 | 70 | – | 70 | 70 |
2022/3/29 | Targeted draw: Tech | 161 | 87 | 87 | – | 87 | 87 |
2022/3/29 | Targeted draw: Healthcare | 12 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
2022/3/29 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 37 | 75 | 75 | – | 75 | 75 |
2022/3/29 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | <5 | 75 | 75 | – | 75 | 75 |
2022/3/22 | General draw (includes tech occupations) | 132 | 112 | 100 | 77 | 128 | 114 |
2022/3/22 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 47 | 78 | 78 | – | – | – |
2022/3/22 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 63 | – | – |
2022/3/22 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | 11 | 78 | 78 | 78 | – | – |
2022/3/22 | Targeted draw: Other priority occupations (NOCs 3114, 3213) | 9 | 78 | 78 | – | – | – |
2022/3/14 | Targeted draw: Tech | 123 | 85 | 85 | – | – | – |
2022/3/14 | Targeted draw: Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 4214) | 27 | 85 | 85 | – | – | – |
2022/3/14 | Targeted draw: Healthcare (unless listed below) | 21 | 85 | 85 | 85 | – | – |
2022/3/14 | Targeted draw: Healthcare: Health care assistants (NOC 3413) | <5 | – | – | 63 | – | – |
2022/3/8 | NOC 0621/ 0631 draw conducted separately. See below | 191 | 112 | 100 | 77 | 128 | 114 |
2022/3/8 | NOC 0621/0631 only | 13 | 128 | 128 | – | 128 | 128 |
2022/3/1 | Tech draw | 136 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/2/22 | NOC 0621/ 0631 draw conducted separately. See below | 145 | 112 | 98 | 77 | 125 | 111 |
2022/2/22 | NOC 0621/0631 | 15 | 125 | 125 | – | 125 | 125 |
2022/2/15 | Tech draw | 140 | 85 | 85 | – | 85 | 85 |
2022/2/8 | NOC 0621/ 0631 draw conducted separately. See below | 188 | 110 | 96 | 77 | 120 | 106 |
2022/2/8 | NOC 0621/0631 | 10 | 120 | 120 | – | 120 | 120 |
2022/2/1 | Tech draw | 126 | 80 | 80 | – | 80 | 80 |
2022/1/25 | NOC 0621/ 0631 draw conducted separately. See below | 264 | 105 | 93 | 77 | 114 | 97 |
2022/1/25 | NOC 0621/0631 | 25 | 114 | 114 | 114 | 114 | 114 |
2022/1/18 | Tech draw | 91 | 80 | 80 | – | 80 | 80 |
2022/1/11 | NOC 0621/ 0631 draw conducted separately. See below | 201 | 103 | 90 | 78 | 110 | 92 |
2022/1/11 | NOC 0621/0631 | 31 | 110 | 110 | – | 110 | 110 |
2022/1/4 | Tech draw | 102 | 80 | 80 | – | 80 | 80 |