British Columbia is one of the most diverse provinces in all of Canada. British Columbia's natural environment, with expansive forests and a unique coastal climate, is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Canada, and indeed the world.
Through The British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), prospective immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by the province may receive a British Columbia Provincial Nomination Certificate, which will allow that foreign national to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The main BC PNP immigration streams under Skills Immigration (including Express Entry British Columbia) are further divided into categories. There are two main Category for BC PNP programs:
- Skills Immigration
- Express Entry
To apply for most BC PNP immigration categories, potential candidates must first register for free to the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) by completing all sections of the online registration. An offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from a B.C. employer is necessary before registering to the SIRS.
Candidates may proceed with the registration if they and their employer meet the program requirements and the employer is prepared to support the application process. Once registration is complete, a candidate is assigned a registration score based on an assessment of the offer of employment, location in B.C., education, language ability, and wage.
By registering to the SIRS, candidates are making an expression of interest to apply to the BC PNP for a provincial nomination; they are not yet applying for permanent residence.
A candidate's registration score determines whether or not a candidate will be issued an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination. Periodically, the BC PNP conducts draws to invite the highest-scoring registrants under each category to apply for a provincial nomination.
Candidates who have entered the selection pool will be ranked alongside other registrants in the chosen category. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite candidates from the selection pool for each category to apply. The number and frequency of Invitations to Apply is based on annual nomination allocations and processing capacity.
Candidates who are invited to apply will have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BC PNP online system. Candidates who are invited to apply but do not submit a complete application within 30 days will have their registration removed from the selection pool and invitation canceled.
An invitation to apply does not guarantee that an application will be approved for nomination.
The BC PNP may refuse an application if:
- the information in the registration is different from the information submitted in the application;
- the candidate is not eligible to receive the points assigned to him or her at the time of registration; or
- the application does not meet applicable category requirements in effect at the time the application was made.
Candidates who have not been invited to apply within 12 months of registration will be automatically removed from the selection pool. A new registration may be made at this point.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify for Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.