News

BC PNP Issues Invitations to Apply, March 30, 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an impact on the provincial economy in an unprecedented way. Businesses throughout the province have reduced services, laid off staff, and in some cases have closed.
Notwithstanding the uncertainty in our current economic situation, B.C. faces a demographic reality that over the next 10 years we will continue to need new immigrants to help fill the jobs so B.C.’s economy can continue to grow. Now, it is even more important that we do not lose sight of our long-term objectives and the role that immigration plays to support quality economic growth across all regions of B.C.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to all British Columbians to consider the immediate impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on B.C. businesses and the provincial economy. We know that some sectors have been affected more significantly than others and by extension, certain occupations in these sectors have been particularly vulnerable to changes in employment status.

In consideration of the above, the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has issued Invitations to Apply, however we have excluded the following from this current draw:

• Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) category
• Other tourism, hospitality and retail-related occupations as well as other select occupations where we have more recently approved a high volume of applicants which include:

0621 - Retail and wholesale trade managers
0631 - Restaurant and food service managers
0632 - Accommodation service managers
0651 - Managers in customer and personal services, n.e.c.
1123 - Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
1221 - Administrative officers
1241 - Administrative assistants
3236 - Massage therapists
6211 - Retail sales supervisors
6311 - Food service supervisors
6313 - Accommodation, travel, tourism and related services supervisors
6321 - Chefs
6322 - Cooks
6341 - Hairstylists and barbers
 
For details on scores on each category, please visit our Invitations to Apply page.

We have posted frequently asked questions on our website that contains answers to the impact of COVID-19 on BC PNP clients. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

New BC PNP webpage:  COVID 19 Updates

The BC PNP is closely monitoring the impacts of the COVID 19 outbreak on our clients, staff and operations. We have created a new webpage where we will post relevant information and updates for clients. For more information, please visit the page: COVID 19 Updates.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

BC PNP Operations Update

The health and safety of BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) staff, clients, and the community in which we operate is our top priority. As we face this difficult challenge, we are taking steps to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on the BC PNP, while doing our best to give timely and accurate information about our operations.

We have made some changes to our processes:

• We have temporarily closed our Vancouver office to in-person inquiries. Questions about the BC PNP can be sent to us by email. If you would like to speak to a program representative, please send us an email. In the email, tell us you would like to speak to BC PNP staff, and give us the telephone number you would like us to use. One of our staff will call you at the number you give us.  See BC PNP contact information below. Please do not courier or drop off materials to our office at this time, further instructions will be provided when available.  Canada Post continues to deliver regular mail, but staff do not have access to mailed items.
• We understand that some registrants or applicants are having trouble getting information to BC PNP staff. This can include delays with submitting documents, applying, responding to Procedural Fairness letters, and other program deadlines. If you are experiencing delays, please email us and tell us your specific circumstances. We will take the information into consideration when assessing your application.

Regular Operations:

• Inquiries - we will continue to respond to email and telephone inquiries within 5 business days.
• Invitations to Apply - we will continue to issue Invitations to Apply to the BC PNP. Weekly draws will continue for the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Other draws will also continue but may be less often.
• Applications - we continue to receive and process all applications for both Entrepreneur and Skills Immigration categories. You can still submit registrations and applications using the BCPNP Online system.
• Interviews - in-person interviews for Entrepreneur Immigration have been cancelled and will be re-scheduled when possible. We continue to assess final reports from Entrepreneur applicants. You can still submit your final report using the BCPNP Online system.
• Post-nomination support - we will continue to process post-nomination requests for work permit support letters and changes of employment. The post-nomination guides tell you how to do this. These are found on our Documents page.  
• Updates: We will post further updates on our website as they are available.

BC PNP Contact Information:

• Email PNPInfo@gov.bc.ca for questions about the Skills Immigration stream, including the BC PNP Tech Pilot
• Email En.Imm@gov.bc.ca for questions about the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) stream, including the EI – Regional Pilot
• Email PNPPostNom@gov.bc.ca for questions about work permit support letters, changes related to employment, etc.
• Email PNPTechEmployers@gov.bc.ca for questions from tech employers
• Telephone: 604-775-2227 (Please note that this is a voicemail line)
• Website: www.WelcomeBC.ca/PNP       

Government of Canada:
 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

• Special measures to help temporary and permanent residents and applicants affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
• IRCC on Twitter
• IRCC on Facebook

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Notice re: Employment Insurance

COVID-19 Information Sources:
We are closely monitoring the situation as it continues to evolve. Up-to-date information can be found on:

• BC Centre for Disease Control : http://www.bccdc.ca/about/news-stories/stories/2020/information-on-novel-coronavirus
• Healthlink: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-feature/coronavirus 
• Public Health Agency of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/canadas-reponse.html?&utm_campaign=gc-hc-sc-coronavirusoutbreak-1920-0165-9221800776
• Canada.ca/coronavirus or contact the coronavirus information line at 1-833-784-4397.

Our hearts go out to those who have been affected during these unprecedented times. We appreciate the people working in healthcare, local communities, and governments around the world who are on the frontlines working to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Guaranteed invitation scores removal – FAQs document

We have prepared a document that answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the recent removal of the guaranteed invitation scores.
 
You can read the FAQs document here.
 
You can also find historical and current invitations to apply (ITA) scores on our invitations to apply page.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Guaranteed ITA Scores Removed

As of February 19, 2020, there will no longer be BC PNP guaranteed invitation scores.
 
We introduced the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) in 2016. This is a points-based system that enables the Province to periodically invite the highest scoring registrants to apply while maintaining 2-3 month processing times. In the past, a guaranteed invitation score for each category was posted (subject to change) to illustrate the minimum points that an individual would need to be guaranteed an invitation to apply. The points were based on a sampling of pre-2016 BC PNP applications.
 
Since 2016, we have posted the scores for each draw. Applicants are able to view current and historical invitation to apply scores on our website which we will continue to update.
 
We encourage you to check our website often for program updates.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Service Outage Notice – February 14, 2020 

The BCPNP Online application system was not available on Friday, February 14, 2020 from 9:00am (PT) to 11:45am (PT) due to server maintenance.  We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration, Express Entry BC, and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot, and to Entrepreneur Immigration Base and Regional Pilot registrants. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide and to the Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Changes to the Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category

B.C. has made changes to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category. These changes are effective from January 29, 2020.
 
New language requirement
We have introduced a minimum language requirement for Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) – Base Category candidates. This change supports the successful business establishment of immigrant entrepreneurs and helps their integration into B.C. communities, as well as meeting our agreement with the federal government.

Entrepreneur candidates are now required to submit proof of language proficiency by nomination to demonstrate that their language ability meets a Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4.

Research shows that proficiency in one of Canada’s official languages has a significant impact on the economic and social integration of immigrants into their new country. The timing of language requirement by nomination allows strong entrepreneur candidates an opportunity to improve their language ability once they arrive in B.C. to establish their business.
 
Elimination of Key Staff option
Applications to the EI - Base Category will no longer be able to include key staff. This option of the EI stream has continued to diminish since 2015. This change will allow the principal applicant to be more involved in the day-to-day operations of the business, increasing the interaction with suppliers and customers, which will help in improving language proficiency. 

Key staff will continue to be eligible under the Strategic Projects category.

These changes are in effect for new applications and do not impact those who have already registered/applied to the BC PNP EI – Base category.
 
Where can I find more information?

• Download our EI – Base Category Changes FAQs document.
• The full criteria and requirements for the EI - Base category and the EI - Regional Pilot are in the program guides. These can be found on our documents page.
• We will deliver a webinar on February 12, 2020 to provide more information about these changes. Visit the webinar registration page here. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Service Outage Notice – January 29, 2020 

The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 from 7:45am (PT) to 12:00noon (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 12:00noon (PT) on January 29. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

On January 21, 2020, the BC PNP issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Service Outage Notice – January 21, 2020

The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 from 8:00am (PT) to 11:30am (PT) due to server maintenance.  Service will be restored by 11:30am (PT) on January 21. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration, Express Entry BC, and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued

On January 14, 2020, the BC PNP issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants with job offers in the 29 key technology occupations of the BC PNP Tech Pilot, and to Entrepreneur Immigration Base and Regional Pilot registrants. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide and to the Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued

The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories. Please refer to the Invitations to Apply page for a full breakdown of minimum scores and total invitations issued. 

For more information on the invitation and application process, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide.