The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) is a provincial immigration program that allows the province of British Columbia to nominate foreign nationals who have the skills and experience needed by the province’s labour market for permanent residency in Canada. The BCPNP is designed to support the province’s economic growth and to address the shortages of skilled workers in specific industries and regions.
The BCPNP offers various streams through which foreign nationals can apply for nomination, each with its own eligibility criteria and application process.
These streams include:
Skills Immigration:
This stream is for skilled and semi-skilled workers in high-demand occupations in BC. It is divided into the following subcategories:
- Skilled Worker Category: This stream is for individuals who have a job offer from a British Columbia employer in a skilled occupation. To be eligible, the job offer must be for a permanent, full-time position, and the employer must demonstrate that they were unable to find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill the position.
- Healthcare Professional Category: This stream is for individuals who have a job offer from a British Columbia employer in one of several designated healthcare occupations, including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals. The job offer must be for a permanent, full-time position, and the applicant must have the necessary qualifications and work experience for the position.
- International Graduate Category: This stream is for individuals who have graduated from a recognized Canadian university or college within the past 3 years and have a job offer from a British Columbia employer in a skilled occupation. The job offer must be for a permanent, full-time position.
- International Post-Graduate Category: This stream is for individuals who have graduated from a recognized Canadian university or college within the past 3 years with a Master’s or Doctoral degree in a natural, applied, or health sciences field. There is no job offer requirement for this stream, but applicants must have a valid job offer within their field of study, meet the minimum language proficiency requirements, and have the necessary qualifications for the job.
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category: This stream is for individuals who have a job offer from a British Columbia employer in an eligible occupation within the tourism/hospitality, food processing, or long-haul trucking industries. The job offer must be for a permanent, full-time position.
Express Entry BC:
This stream is for skilled workers who have been accepted into the federal Express Entry system and who have a valid job offer in BC. It is also divided into the following subcategories:
- Skilled Worker Category
- Healthcare Professional Category
- International Graduate Category
- International Post-Graduate Category
Entrepreneur Immigration:
This stream is for experienced entrepreneurs who are ready to invest and want to establish a new business or purchase an existing one in British Columbia. It is divided into the following subcategories:
- Entrepreneur Immigration Stream: The Entrepreneur Category is designed for experienced business people who are ready to invest in and actively manage a business in British Columbia. To be eligible for this stream, candidates must have:
- Have a minimum net worth of CAD 600,000, legally obtained.
- Have a minimum of 3 years of experience as an active business owner-manager or 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the last 5 years.
- Invest a minimum of CAD 200,000 in the business.
- Create a minimum of one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- Participate in the day-to-day management of the business
- A minimum of 16 years of education or a combination of education and experience
- Strategic Projects Category: The Strategic Projects Category is designed to attract foreign-controlled companies that are interested in setting up an operation in British Columbia. This category is intended to support the establishment of large-scale projects that will create jobs for British Columbians. To be eligible for this stream, candidates must:
- Have a minimum net worth of CAD 50 million, legally obtained
- Be willing to invest a minimum of CAD 10 million in the business project
- Have a detailed business plan for the project
- Create a minimum of 75 new jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents
- Meet the program’s economic development priorities for the province
- Regional Pilot Category: The Regional Pilot Category is designed to support economic development in smaller communities in British Columbia. This category is intended for entrepreneurs who are interested in starting a new business in one of the participating regional communities. To be eligible for this stream, candidates must:
- Have a personal net worth of at least CAD 300,000
- Invest at least CAD 100,000 in the new business
- Create at least one new job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in the community
- Demonstrate that they have visited the community and conducted research on the local market and business environment
- Have a minimum of 3 years of experience as an active business owner-manager or 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the last 5 years
BC PNP Tech Pilot Program:
The Tech Pilot stream is a fast-track immigration pathway for in-demand foreign tech workers who want to immigrate to Canada and settle in British Columbia. The stream is designed to attract skilled workers in the 29 tech occupations that are in high demand in the province.
The Tech Pilot stream operates through the existing BC Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP). Applicants must first create an online profile with the BCPNP and register under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). The SIRS is a points-based system that assesses candidates based on factors such as education, work experience, language ability, and wage.
Employers must be registered with the BC PNP to be able to offer jobs to foreign nationals through the Tech Pilot stream. The job offer must be for a minimum of one year and have at least 120 days remaining at the time of application to the BC PNP.
To be eligible for the Tech Pilot stream, candidates must:
- Have a valid job offer from a BC employer in one of the 29 designated tech occupations.
- Meet the minimum language requirements (CLB 4 for NOC C and CLB 5 for NOC 0 and A)
- Have at least one year of full-time work experience (or equivalent) in the tech occupation they are being offered a job in.
- Have a degree, diploma, or certificate from a recognized post-secondary institution in their field of study.
- Demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents in BC.
- Receive a nomination from the BCPNP.
Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Program:
The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Program is one of the streams offered by the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) that aims to attract international graduates who have completed their studies in Canada and want to start a business in British Columbia.
To be eligible for this program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Graduation from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada within the last three years with a degree, diploma, or certificate.
- Minimum of one year of full-time work experience in their own business that was established in British Columbia after graduation from the eligible post-secondary institution. The business must have been actively managed and operated by the applicant.
- Personal net worth of at least CAD 300,000.
- Minimum investment of CAD 100,000 in the business within 18 months of arriving in British Columbia.
- A minimum score of 4.0 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in English or French in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
- A viable business proposal that demonstrates the ability to create jobs and contribute to the economy of British Columbia.
- If an applicant meets all the eligibility criteria, they can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the BCPNP and enter the pool of candidates. The highest-scoring candidates will be invited to submit a full application to the program.
If the application is approved, the applicant and their dependent family members will be issued a two-year work permit to operate their business in British Columbia. After successfully operating the business for at least one year, the applicant can apply for permanent residency through the BCPNP’s Entrepreneur Immigration stream.