The Process

BC Provincial Nominee Program - Strategic Occupations – The Process

After You Have Applied to the BC PNP

0. When your application is accepted, it will be assigned to a BC PNP advisor who will review it according to the requirements for the specific stream you have applied to under Strategic Occupations.

   We will notify you if we need more information to process your application. You will have 15 business days to provide any missing information that we request. If you are unable to provide the outstanding information within 15 business days, a decision will be made on your application based on the information provided. If you would like to proceed with the same application at a later date, you will have to resubmit it and pay the application fee again.

0. If the application is approved, it is “nominated”. See the section below “After You are Nominated” for further information.

   If the application is refused, you will receive a letter stating the reasons for the decision. You may re-apply to the BC PNP, however we recommend that you do so only after all the reasons for a previous refusal have been resolved. Nomination is at the sole discretion of the Province of British Columbia and there is no appeal process.

After You Are Nominated

Once an applicant has been nominated the BC PNP will:

• Send you (the Nominee) or, if applicable, your Authorized Representative, a letter of acceptance and a nomination package advising you of the next steps for applying for a permanent resident visa.
• Send the nomination certificate to the appropriate visa office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
• After receiving your BC PNP letter of acceptance, you (the Nominee) are responsible for completing and submitting a completed permanent resident visa application to the CIC visa office to which we have instructed you to apply. This must be done within 180 days of the date of your nomination or you must re-apply to the BC PNP. The BC PNP does NOT extend nominations.
• If you intend to work in BC while waiting for the processing of your permanent resident visa application, you are responsible to apply for and to keep your work permit valid up until you become a permanent resident. Nomination by the BC PNP does NOT authorize you to work legally while awaiting processing of your permanent resident visa. If required, we may issue you, (the Nominee), a work permit support letter which will assist you in applying to CIC for a new or renewed work permit full-time employment in a specific job with a BC employer.

Withdrawal of Your Nomination

The Province of British Columbia can withdraw its nomination at any time prior to CIC issuing a permanent resident visa. 

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