Immigrate to BRITISH COLUMBIA

There are 5 categories of application under the Skills Immigration stream:

1. Skilled Worker

• you have a job offer in BC in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (no LMIA required)
• min 2 years of work experience in same position
• must meet min income requirements
• job offer in NOC TEER 2 or 3 requires min CLB 4 on a valid language test

2. Health Authority

• you have a job offer with a public health authority in BC as a physician, nurse, or other health professional such as lab tech, radiation tech, sonographer, pharmacist, occupational therapist, midwife or physiotherapist (no LMIA required)
• you have a min 2 years of work experience in same position
• you meet min income requirements

3. International Graduate

• you have graduated from a public Canadian University or College within the past 3 years in a program of a minimum duration of 8 months
• you have a job offer in BC for a position that normally requires post-secondary education (no LMIA required)
• you meet min income requirements
• job offer in NOC TEER 2 or 3 requires min CLB 4 on language test results

4. International Post-Graduate

• you have achieved a Masters degree in natural, applied or health sciences or PhD in any field of study from a BC University within the past 3 years
• you don’t require a job offer
• there are no minimum income requirements to meet

5. Entry Level And Semi-Skilled

• you are currently working in BC in an eligible occupation in the tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, food processing industry or healthcare sectors, OR
• you are currently working in the Northeast Development Region in any NOC TEER 4 or 5 occupation, except live in caregivers (NOC 44100)
• you have a job offer from an eligible BC employer (new LMIA not required)
• you have been working full time for at least 9 consecutive months before applying, with the BC Employer who has made you the job offer
• long haul truck drivers require a min of 2 years previous work experience in the last 3 years (outside or within Canada) and 9 months with BC employer
• eligible healthcare occupation requires the registration and/or license to work in that occupation in BC
• you meet min income requirements
• you have completed education that is equivalent to a Canadian High School Diploma
• you scored a min CLB 4 on a valid language test

The Express Entry BC program is connected with IRCC’s Express Entry system, and enables qualified individuals to gain the additional 600 CRS points for a Provincial Nomination if they are chosen by the BC PNP.

You must first qualify to submit a profile under Express Entry, which means you meet the minimum criteria for one of the 3 qualifying federal programs – the Federal Skilled Worker Program, The Federal Skilled Trades Program, or the Canadian Experience Class.

The general process to apply for Permanent Residence under Express Entry BC is as follows:

1. submit an Express Entry Profile
2. obtain a job offer in BC
3. create an online profile with BC PNP & register for the program
4. receive an invitation to apply based upon your score with BC PNP
5. receive a BC Provincial Nomination Certificate
6. apply for Express Entry as a Provincial Nominee

All applicants must:

• be qualified to perform the duties encompassed by their job offer,
• meet minimum income requirements depending on family size, and
• meet minimum language requirements

There are 4 categories of application under the EE BC stream:

1. Skilled Worker

• you have a job offer in BC in NOC TEER 0,1, 2 or 3 (no LMIA required)
• you have at least 2 years of directly related work experience

2. Health Authority

• you have a job offer in BC as a physician, nurse, or other health professional such as lab tech, radiation tech, sonographer, pharmacist, midwife, occupational therapist or physiotherapist
• you have at least 2 years of directly related work experience
• you can apply directly to BC PNP, no invitation is required

3. International Graduate

• you have graduated from a Canadian University or College within the past 3 years
• you have a job offer in BC in NOC TEER 0,1, 2 or 3

4. International Post-Graduate

• you have achieved a Masters degree in natural, applied or health sciences or PhD from any field from a BC University within the past 3 years
• you don’t require a job offer
• you can apply directly to the BC PNP, no invitation is required

This stream is for businesspeople with significant financial resources who want to operate a business in British Columbia.  To apply under the BC Entrepreneur program, you must first register in the BC points-based selection system, and receive an invitation to apply.  There are 3 BC PNP Entrepreneur streams.

BC PNP Entrepreneur – Base Category Requirements

Note: The Entrepreneur Immigration – Base category remains temporarily paused and BC PNP is not accepting new registrations at this time.

To qualify you need at a minimum:

• personal net worth CAD $600,000
• previous business management experience: 3+ years as an active business owner-manager; or 4+ years as a senior manager; or a combination of at least 1 year as an owner and at least 2 years as a senior manager
• min education requires a post-secondary credential or 3 years out of past 5 years as active business owner
• min CLB 4 on a valid language test

And you must be willing/able to do the following:

• establish a new business or purchase an existing business in BC (min 33 1/3 % ownership)
• invest at least CAD $200,000 into the business
• actively manage the business while living in BC
• create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian resident

Application fees: CAD $300 registration, $3500 application fee

BC PNP Entrepreneur – Regional Pilot Requirements

This pilot program is designed to encourage foreign entrepreneurs to start new businesses in smaller B.C. communities, and has been extended until March 31, 2024.  

To qualify you need at a minimum:

• personal net worth CAD $300,000
• previous business management experience: 3+ years as an active business owner-manager; or 4+ years as a senior manager; or a combination of at least 1 year as an owner and at least 2 years as a senior manager
• min education requires a post-secondary credential or 3 years out of past 5 years as active business owner
• achieve a min of CLB 4 on a valid language test (English or French)

And you must be willing/able to do the following:

• visit the intended community to meet with officials and explore your business concept
• establish a new business in a BC community with a population of less than 75,000 people
• invest at least CAD $100,000 into the business
• maintain at least 51% ownership in the business
• actively manage the business while living in BC
• create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian resident

Application fees: CAD $300 registration, $3500 application fee

BC PNP Entrepreneur – Strategic Projects Requirements

The Strategic Projects stream is for foreign corporations intending to establish a subsidiary or branch office in B.C which aligns with their core business. The stream allows the corporation to obtain Permanent Residence for their key staff. The project must provide significant economic benefit by making a high value investment in B.C.

To qualify, the company must meet the following requirements:

• be well-established and in good financial standing
• demonstrate investment readiness and capacity for international expansion into B.C.

The criteria for the key staff members are as follows:

• must be a current senior employee of the foreign corporation who have the qualifications and experience necessary to establish the business in B.C.
• are being appointed to an executive, senior managerial or specialized knowledge position in B.C.
• will be paid a wage commensurate with their expertise and consistent with industry norms

Application fees: CAD $300 registration, $3500 application fee plus $1000 for each key staff

The BC PNP Tech is not a separate BC PNP stream – applicants need to apply to BC PNP under one of the existing categories detailed above. However, if you have a job offer in BC that is for one of the 29 identified tech occupations, then you qualify for expedited processing under the Tech Pilot

• min one-year job offer needed; job offer must also have at least 120 days remaining at the time of application to BC PNP
• tech-only draws, faster processing+

Application fees: CAD $1,150

Individuals who are interested in settling in British Columbia, and who have some connection to the Province by way of a BC job offer, post secondary education completed in BC, or the desire to operate a business in BC are eligible to apply for the BC PNP. The program utilizes an invitation to apply system for most categories of applicant, meaning that the candidate first has to complete a BC PNP Registration, and then wait to see if British Columbia will extend an invitation to apply for BC Provincial Nomination. It is not necessary to have an Express Entry profile in order to apply for BC PNP, however many of the streams have an Express Entry pathway available. Candidates can indicate whether they wish to apply through the Express Entry system or the regular pathway when completing their profile in the skills immigration registration system.

Most BC PNP application streams take approximately 3 months to process applications. Tech Pathway applications are processed more quickly, and entrepreneur applications usually take longer. As well, several application streams require the candidate to first receive an invitation to apply, and then submit a completed application for BC Provincial Nomination. The processing times mentioned start after submission of a completed application for nomination.

Most BC PNP Programs require applicants to have a job offer from a BC employer. Both the job and the employer must meet certain requirements. The employer who wishes to nominate foreign workers must have been in operation in BC for at least 1 year (2 years if the job offer is entry level), must be incorporated or registered as a partnership in BC, have between 3-5 employees (depending on location), must have a valid business license, must have a physical work location in BC, must have attempted to hire local skilled workers, and must be able to show how your position provides economic benefit to British Columbia.

The job offered must be for a full time position (30 hours per week) and meet certain requirements regarding the hourly wage rate that will be paid. The appropriate wage will vary depending on the location of the job, the type of position, and the number of immediate family members the applicant has. Generally speaking, the wage rate must be between the lowest and median wage rate for that NOC code in the region of employment, and must be sufficient to meet the Family Income Threshold level published by the BC PNP.

Yes, immediate family members like your spouse or common law partner and your single children under the age of 22 should be included on the application for Permanent Residence that you submit to IRCC after you receive your BC PNP Nomination. It is also possible for your spouse or partner to receive an open work permit on the basis of your British Columbia Provincial nomination certificate.