About The BC Provincial Nominee Program
This page was last updated on
June 2, 2023.
The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an economic immigration program administered by the Government of British Columbia’s Immigration Programs Branch.
The program enables the province to select and nominate foreign workers, international students and entrepreneurs to help meet B.C.’s labour market needs, support government priorities, and help grow B.C.’s economy. If you are nominated, you and your family can apply to IRCC to become a permanent resident of Canada.
Topics on this page:
Strategic Priorities & Initiatives
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an immigration program jointly administered by the Province and Canada under the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement (CBCIA). Through the BC PNP, B.C. nominates applicants who help address the province’s unique labour market needs and contribute to economic development.
B.C. is allocated a set number of nominations each year. Strategic priorities and initiatives help to ensure that the BC PNP is most effectively administered in a way that it remains aligned with the
StrongerBC Economic Plan while maintaining program integrity and supporting qualified applicants for success.
The Province will continue to monitor and evaluate the BC PNP to ensure it is aligned with recovery efforts to support stronger, more resilient communities.
Supporting B.C.’s Care Economy
B.C. has a critical need for more health care workers and early childhood educators (ECEs). Under the BC PNP,
these occupations are prioritized, increasing support for the care economy. Healthcare workers in select occupations and ECEs will be given priority access to apply, which provides a better chance for assessment under the program’s eligibility criteria.
Registrants whose occupation is on a pre-determined list of in-demand health occupations and ECEs, and who have a qualified, permanent job offer in B.C., will be given priority access to the BC PNP. The Health Authority stream is open to any occupation.
Priority access is achieved through direct-to-apply streams, such as workers employed by a Health Authority, or targeted draws for qualified workers with a job offer as an ECE or in one of the in-demand occupations in healthcare. As registrants / applicants and employers must continue to meet
all relevant program criteria, please carefully review the BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide for specific details.
BC PNP Tech
BC PNP Tech provides B.C. tech employers with the continued ability to recruit and retain international talent in tech occupations when local skilled workers are unavailable. This initiative gives in-demand foreign workers and international students a pathway to permanent residence, so they can help grow our economy and build a great life here in B.C.
BC PNP Tech has supported more than 6,000 tech workers to be nominated for permanent residence since its launch in May 2017. BC PNP Tech helps ensure B.C. can continue to attract and retain the talent needed to sustain and grow the technology sector in the province.
Key Features
BC PNP Tech key features are based on
service,
timeliness,
prioritization and
engagement in response to the needs of the industry.
We offer an employer concierge service for companies wishing to support an applicant under BC PNP Tech. If you are a tech employer in B.C. and want to know more about the program or this initiative, please contact our office by emailing
PNPConcierge@gov.bc.ca.
We conduct targeted tech-only draws to ensure that skilled tech applicants have priority access to the program. We also assign files to a dedicated team, resulting in more timely processing of tech applications.
We continue to proactively engage technology employers and industry stakeholders through targeted outreach and other activities, to keep up to date with the issues facing the tech sector in B.C.
Benefits to applicants:
- an immigration pathway that does not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
- work permit support letters for nominees so they can apply for a new work permit or renew their current work permit and continue to work throughout the federal permanent residence process
- client support services through email and phone until permanent residence
Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)
In 2018, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to provide complementary pathways to permanent residence for skilled refugees.
The EMPP helps employers find skilled refugees for positions that can’t be filled domestically due to British Columbia’s labour shortages. Successful EMPP applicants arrive in the province as permanent residents and contribute their skills and experience to their new employer and B.C.’s labour market.
The pilot partners include IRCC, the Province of B.C. (BC PNP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and designated non-government organization partners (NGOs).
IRCC’s role
IRCC will continue intake of EMPP applications under economic immigration pathways. IRCC is also responsible for operational oversight and policy direction of the EMPP.
The BC PNP’s role
Our role is to process registrations and applications from EMPP candidates who have the skills and experience to qualify.
As of Nov. 16, 2022, eligibility for EMPP has expanded to include permanent full-time job offers in a skilled occupation outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD).
The Province will initially target up to 50 EMPP skilled refugees who meet the program criteria and who are referred to the BC PNP by a designated NGO partner.
We are accepting registrations and applications from candidates with the skills and experience to qualify under:
The role of designated NGO partners
Designated NGO partners will assist in identifying candidates abroad with in-demand skills and qualifications, and will facilitate a match with local opportunities. They also provide the preparation and submission of immigration applications for EMPP candidates.
Designated NGO partners can help employers find skilled refugee candidates abroad who meet the EMPP eligibility requirements. They match those candidates with the skills and qualifications for specific job vacancies. They also help with the preparation and submission of immigration applications for EMPP candidates.
The designated NGO partners for the EMPP are:
Eligibility
To be eligible for EMPP, candidates must:
More information about eligibility, requirements and process can be found in the
BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide.
Process
B.C. employers looking to recruit an EMPP candidate for a vacancy in one of the BC PNP Tech occupations, that cannot be filled locally, can
contact a designated NGO partner directly.
More information
If you are an employer hiring for one of the occupations eligible for BC PNP Tech and would like to learn more about EMPP, please email us at
PNPConcierge@gov.bc.ca for more information.
Visit the IRCC website for
information about the EMPP, the federal eligibility requirements and the process to apply.
Entrepreneur Immigration
Entrepreneur Immigration streams enable B.C. to attract and select investment-ready entrepreneurs with business expertise and nominate them for permanent residence to live in B.C. and manage their own business. International entrepreneurs support the growth of B.C.’s economy and, together with their families, help to create diversity in urban and rural communities throughout the province.
To support balanced and strong economic development throughout the province, the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot was launched in 2019. The EI Regional Pilot is based on collaboration between communities and the provincial government to attract and identify foreign entrepreneurs proposing businesses that are in line with community economic development priorities.
Under EI Base, applicants may propose to either start a new or purchase an existing business. To support a balance, periodic invitations may be targeted at either start-up or purchase of existing businesses, particularly for those in smaller centres.
Specific business sectors may also be prioritized to apply under EI Base. As these are confirmed, they will be added to this page in advance of a targeted invitation to apply draw.
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Priority Occupations
This section contains priority occupations that may be invited to apply in periodic targeted draws.
For
more information on draws, visit the Invitations to Apply page. For a
description of the main duties for each occupation, visit the National Occupational Classification.
BC PNP Tech Occupations
10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21100 Physicists and astronomers
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231 Software engineers and designers
21232 Software developers and programmers
21233 Web designers
21234 Web developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22110 Biological technologists and technicians
22220 Computer network and web technicians
22221 User support technicians
22222 Information systems testing technicians
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
50011 Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
52112 Broadcast technicians
52113 Audio and video recording technicians
52120 Graphic designers and illustrators
53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators
Care economy: Healthcare occupations
30010 Managers in health care
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31110 Dentists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31200 Psychologists
31201 Chiropractors
31202 Physiotherapists
31203 Occupational therapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32101 Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32112 Dental technologists and technicians
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32124 Pharmacy technicians
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
41300 Social workers
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
42201 Social and community service workers
*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants / health care aides are eligible under NOC 33102.
Care economy: Childcare occupations
42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
Other priority occupations
31103 Veterinarians
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
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COVID-19 information
We encourage you to visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website for the most up-to-date information about federal temporary policy changes if you’re a visitor, temporary worker or international student impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Up to-date information can be found on:
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Processing times
Processing times indicate how long it takes for us to process applications to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). This page has the current estimated processing times.
Program processing times are from the date we receive your complete application, and are based on 80 per cent of cases. Processing times are subject to change according to program capacity.
We will not refund application fees after we have begun reviewing your application.
Skills Immigration
| Estimated processing time |
| 3 months |
Post-nomination requests
| Estimated processing time |
| 3 months |
For time-sensitive requests, we strongly encourage you to submit your requests early to allow us enough time to process.
For
more information about post-nomination requests, please refer to the Nominees page.
Entrepreneur Immigration registrations/applications
| Stage |
Estimated processing time |
| Registration score notification |
6 weeks
(from the date registration received) |
Application decision notification
(at work permit stage) |
4 months
(from the date application completeness confirmed) |
Application decision notification
(at final report stage) |
4 months
(from the date final report completeness confirmed) |
Need more information?
Please contact the BC PNP if you have questions about processing times. We do not respond to status update requests if we are within the above processing times.
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BC PNP fees
We charge fees to process BC PNP applications. These fees cover the cost to administer the program and helps to provide services and supports to clients through the entire immigration process.
Applicants will need to pay the fees upon registration or application in the
BCPNP Online system.
Be aware that
fee payments can only be made in the BCPNP Online application system. We do not accept payment in another form (for example, cheques, bank transfers, wire transfers, or gift cards).
If you are asked to pay the BC PNP fees in another way, please report this to
PNP.fraud.tips@gov.bc.ca. Visit the
Immigration Fraud and Scams section for more information.
Skills Immigration Fees
| Registration |
No fee |
| Application |
$1,150 |
| Request for Review |
$500 |
Entrepreneur Immigration Fees
| Registration |
$300 |
| Application |
$3,500 |
| Request for Review |
$500 |
Strategic Projects Fees
| Registration |
$300 |
| Application |
$3,500 |
| Key Staff |
$1,000 |
| Request for Review |
$500 |
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Fees
BC PNP fees are to process a BC PNP registration, application, or request for review. You will also need to pay a fee when you submit your application for permanent residence to IRCC. You may also have to pay other fees such as applying for or extending your work permit.
Please see
IRCC’s Fees page for more information about federal immigration fees.
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Contact the BC PNP
Your privacy
As per the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the BC PNP may only share information about an applicant/application with the applicant or their authorized representative. The BC PNP cannot share information about an application with unauthorized third parties. This includes local business owners interested in a BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration application related to the potential sale of their business.
General inquiries
We’re here to help. Please email us at:
PNPInfo@gov.bc.ca: For questions about Skills Immigration application requirements, criteria and process
En.Imm@gov.bc.ca: For questions about Entrepreneur Immigration and Strategic Projects application requirements, criteria and process
PNPPostNom@gov.bc.ca: To tell us about a job loss, or a change in your immigration status or family makeup
PNPConcierge@gov.bc.ca: If you are a tech employer, Health Authority staff, or a community representative or economic development representative
We cannot:
- review, pre-assess or help with an application
- give advice about your immigration options
- endorse your case to a decision-maker
If you have a question about the status of your application,
check the estimated processing times first. We will only provide a status update if processing has gone beyond the posted processing standard.
If you have been nominated by the BC PNP, you can
access post-nomination support via your dashboard in
BCPNP Online. For post-nomination request processing times, check the
processing times.
If you have immigration fraud questions or concerns, visit our
Immigration Fraud and Scams section.
You can also contact us at:
BC Provincial Nominee Program Office
450 - 605 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3
Canada
Our current office hours for in-person inquiries are:
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 8:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-4:30pm
Thursday: 8:30am-4:30pm
Friday: closed
These hours are subject to change.
Fax: 604-660-4092
Phone: 604-775-2227 (This is a voicemail line)
For healthcare professionals
If you are a healthcare professional, you may wish to contact Health Match BC. They offer free recruitment services for select healthcare professions on behalf of B.C.’s health authorities.
Health Match BC
300 – 2889 East 12
th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5M 4T5
Canada
Tel: 604-736-5920
HealthMatchBC
Media inquiries
Please use the Media Contact information for the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
IRCC
To contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC),
please visit their website.
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