News
Check back often for the latest news about the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), including numbers of invitations issued, program changes, and more.
November 21, 2019
Service Outage Notice: Monday, November 25, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Monday, November 25 from 12:30pm (PT) to 4:00pm (PT) due to server maintenance.
Service will be restored by 4:00pm (PT) on November 25. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
November 19, 2019
November 12, 2019
November 5, 2019
November 4, 2019
Service Interruption: Monday, November 4, 2019 (Updated: November 14, 2019)
BCPNP Online is currently experiencing a problem with replacing existing attachments, and with request for review submissions.
If you are seeking a decision review within the 30 days of your decision notification, or your ITA is about to expire and you are having difficulties uploading required attachments, please contact us at PNPinfo@gov.bc.ca.
October 30, 2019
Service Outage Notice: Monday, November 4, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Monday, November 4 from 7:00am (PT) to 11:30am (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 11:30am (PT) on November 4. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
UPDATE, OCTOBER 31: This was originally posted on October 30th as 8:00am-12:00noon. On October 31, the time was updated to 7:00-11:30am.
October 29, 2019
Skills Immigration, Express Entry BC, and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories, and to Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category and Entrepreneur Immigration - 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.
October 22, 2019
October 15, 2019
October 8, 2019
October 3, 2019
New webpage: Immigration Fraud and Scams
The BC PNP is aware of increasing scams over the internet, email, and telephone that take advantage of those wanting to come to Canada. To help people protect themselves from this type of immigration fraud, we have produced a new webpage that details the many types of immigration scams that exist, and how to detect and avoid them.
For more information, please visit the page:
Immigration Fraud and Scams
October 1, 2019
September 30, 2019
New communities added to EI Regional Pilot
The following communities are now participating in the EI Regional Pilot: Akisqnuk First Nation, Canal Flats, Invermere, Parksville, Peachland, Radium Hot Springs, Regional District of East Kootenay (Area F, Area G), and Shuswap Indian Band.
The community profiles for each of these communities have been added to
the EI Regional Pilot – Community Profiles page.
For more information, please visit the
EI Regional Pilot page.
September 24, 2019
September 17, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories, and to Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category and Entrepreneur Immigration - 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.
September 16, 2019
Service Outage Notice – September 17, 2019
The WelcomeBC website will not be available on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, from 9:00am (PT) to 12:00noon (PT) due to scheduled maintenance. Service will be restored by 12:00noon (PT) on September 17. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Please note: this website service outage
will not affect BCPNP Online. To access BCPNP Online during the WelcomeBC website outage, please use this direct link:
http://www.pnpapplication.gov.bc.ca/
September 10, 2019
September 3, 2019
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 and to the
Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide.
*A previous version of this news post indicated that Entrepreneur Immigration registrants were also invited. That error has been corrected.
August 27, 2019
August 20, 2019
Updates to BC PNP SI & EEBC Post-Nomination Guide
The BC PNP has introduced a new version of the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Post-Nomination Guide. These changes include updates related to post-nomination policies and processes, and updates to the BCPNP Online system.
View the
guide here or on our
documents page.
August 20, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants
in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories, and to Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category and Entrepreneur Immigration - 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.
August 13, 2019
August 6, 2019
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.
August 1, 2019
BC PNP 2018 Statistical Report released
On August 1, 2019, the BC PNP released the statistical report for the year 2018. The report provides a range of data about the program, including nominations, occupations, salaries, countries of origin, and regional distribution of nominees in the province.
The 2018 statistical report can be
viewed here. This report, as well as the 2016 and 2017 reports, can also be found on the
documents page.
July 31, 2019
New communities added to EI Regional Pilot
The following communities are now participating in the
Entrepreneur Immigration - Regional Pilot: Hope, Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (Electoral Area A – Smithers Rural, Electoral Area B – Burns Lake Rural, Electoral Area C – Fort St. James Rural, Electoral Area D – Fraser Lake Rural, Electoral Area E – Francois/Ootsa Lake Rural, Electoral Area F - Vanderhoof Rural, and Electoral Area G – Houston Rural), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, Osoyoos, and Sayward.
The community profiles for each of these communities have been added to
the EI Regional Pilot – Community Profiles page. We anticipate further additions to the list of communities in August 2019.
For more information, please visit
the EI Regional Pilot page.
July 30, 2019
July 29, 2019
Service Outage Notice – August 1, 2019
The BCPNP Online payment system will not be available on Thursday, August 1, 2019, from 8:00am (PT) to 9:00am (PT) due to server maintenance. Please note: this service outage will not affect access to BCPNP Online, however, users will not be able to submit paid cases during the outage.
Service will be restored by 9:00am (PT) on August 1. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
July 23, 2019
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.
July 23, 2019
Service Outage Notice – July 24, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Wednesday, July 24th from 7:30 a.m. (PT) to 10:30 a.m. (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 1:30 p.m. (PT) on July 24th. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
July 16, 2019
July 9, 2019
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.
July 2, 2019
June 25, 2019
June 25, 2019
Statistics Canada invites participation in NOC 2016 Variant – STEM perspective
Statistics Canada is seeking input into the newly created Variant of the National Occupational Classification 2016 Version 1.2 – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Perspective. This invitation is aimed at data users and data producers, representatives of business associations, government bodies at the federal, provincial and local levels, academics and researchers, as well as any other interested parties.
For more information, the participation notice can be found at the following link:
Participate in the consultation for the Variant of NOC 2016 Version 1.2 - STEM Perspective
June 18, 2019
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.
June 14, 2019
Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
On June 13, 2019, the BC PNP issued invitations to apply to Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category and to
Entrepreneur Immigration - 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
Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide.
June 11, 2019
June 4, 2019
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.
June 3, 2019
BC PNP extends the Tech Pilot to 2020
The BC PNP Tech Pilot has been extended for another year to provide B.C. tech employers with the continued ability to recruit and retain international talent.
The pilot will continue until June 2020 with the existing job offer criteria:
- the job offer must be for a single job in one of the 29 occupations eligible under the BC PNP Tech Pilot;
- the job offer must be at least one year in duration (365 days); and
- there must be at least 120 calendar days remaining on the job offer at the time of application
- longer duration job offers, including indeterminate (permanent, or with no set end date) job offers, will continue to be eligible.
Employers in B.C.’s tech sector with questions about how to support tech applications through the program can access the concierge service any time by emailing
PNPTechEmployers@gov.bc.ca.
For more information about the pilot, including downloadable information sheets and FAQs, visit the
BC PNP Tech Pilot page.
May 28, 2019
May 24, 2019
New communities added to EI Regional Pilot
The following communities are now participating in the EI Regional Pilot: 100 Mile House, Campbell River, Clinton, Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (Sorrento and Electoral Area C, Falkland and Electoral Area D, Malakwa and Electoral Area E, Scotch Creek and Electoral Area F), McBride, Penticton, Salmon Arm, Thompson-Nicola Regional District (Area I – Spences Bridge, Area M – Nicola Valley North, Area N –Nicola Valley South).
The community profiles for each of these communities have been added to the
EI Regional Pilot - Community Profiles page.
The final list of communities is expected to be available by the end of July 2019.
For more information, please visit
the EI Regional Pilot page.
May 22, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued
On May 21, 2019, the BC PNP 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.
May 14, 2019
May 7, 2019
May 3, 2019
Service Outage Notice – May 8, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Wednesday, May 8th from 7:30am (PT) to 10:00am (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 10:00am (PT) on May 8th. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
April 30, 2019
April 23, 2019
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.
April 16, 2019
April 11, 2019
BC PNP Launches Immigration Insights newsletter
We have launched our latest communication tool, Immigration Insights. This newsletter will deliver relevant, in-depth information about the BC PNP and other immigration programs on a quarterly basis.
B.C. employers, associations, third-party representatives, and economic development staff who haven’t yet received the newsletter can visit our
sign up page to:
- Sign up for the Immigration Insights newsletter
- Receive program news and announcements
- Be notified of upcoming webinars
Visit the subscription preferences page to:
- Unsubscribe from PNPCommunications emails at any time
- Update your email address
- Update which communications emails you receive
April 9, 2019
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.
April 2, 2019
March 26, 2019
March 20, 2019
Service Outage Notice – March 21, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Thursday, March 21st from 9:30am (PT) to 10:30am (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 10:30am (PT) on March 21st. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
March 19, 2019
March 14, 2019
BC PNP launches the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot
The Province has launched the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot. The pilot is focused on attracting entrepreneurs from around the world to establish businesses in regional communities. This will help meet the communities’ economic development needs and encourage investments outside urban areas.
“Due to an aging workforce and a preference for city living, some smaller towns can face challenges growing their local economies,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology. “This pilot will attract new businesses that create jobs and spread investment around the province so more British Columbians can benefit from shared prosperity.”
Over 30 communities have joined the pilot. To be eligible to participate, the community must have settlement and business supports in place to help newcomers successfully integrate.
The new pilot complements the existing BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category that is currently in place, but has different applicant criteria to reflect the lower cost of starting a business in a smaller centre.
The pilot will be delivered for an initial two-year period.
Read the news release here:
Immigration pilot program helps drive economic growth
For more information:
March 12, 2019
Service Outage Notice – March 13, 2019
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Wednesday, March 13th from 7:30am (PT) to 10:30am (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 10:00am (PT) on March 13th. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
March 12, 2019
March 5, 2019
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.
February 27, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
On February 26, 2019, 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. On February 27, 2019, the BC PNP issued invitations to entrepreneur immigration 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 or the Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide.
February 19, 2019
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.
February 12, 2019
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.
February 6, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC Invitations Issued
On February 5, 2019, 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.
January 30, 2019
The Immigration Programs Branch will be hosting an information session via webinar for foreign entrepreneurs, third-party representatives and other interested parties who would like to learn more about the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Program including the new EI Regional Pilot.
This webinar will provide general information about the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) category and the EI Regional Pilot. A particular focus will be on the applicant criteria and process, highlighting the differences of each between the two categories.
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019
Time: 10:30am – 12:00noon (PT)
To register: EI Regional Pilot: Information Session for Foreign Entrepreneurs
Who should attend this session?
Foreign entrepreneurs, third party representatives and other interested parties will benefit from attending this information session.
Attendees will:
- Understand the applicant criteria and process for the EI category and the EI Regional Pilot
- Learn more about the objectives of the pilot
- Understand the differences between the two BC PNP categories for entrepreneurs
- Know where to start if interested in applying for the pilot
General information is available on the EI Regional Pilot page. A Regional Pilot Program Guide will be available in late February 2019. Please note that the elements of the Entrepreneur Immigration - Regional Pilot are subject to change, and any updates to the pilot will be posted on our website.
January 30, 2019
Skills Immigration & Express Entry BC and Entrepreneur Immigration Invitations Issued
The BC PNP has issued invitations to apply to qualified registrants in Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories, and to Entrepreneur Immigration 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 or the Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide.
January 29, 2019
Post-Nomination Support now Available Through BCPNP Online
Nominees who require post-nomination support from the BC PNP can now make requests directly in BCPNP Online by accessing post-nomination support under their dashboard.
For full information, please refer to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Post-Nomination Guide.
January 28, 2019
Service Outage Notice – Tuesday, January 29th:
The BCPNP Online application system will not be available on Tuesday, January 29th from 6:00am (PT) to 10:00am (PT) due to server maintenance. Service will be restored by 10:00am (PT) on January 29th. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
January 23, 2019
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.
January 16, 2019
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.
January 9, 2019
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.
January 2, 2019
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.
Archived BC PNP news items from 2018 are available in this document.
Archived BC PNP news items from 2017 are available in this document.
Archived BC PNP news items from 2015 to 2016 are available in this document.
Archived BC PNP news items from 2010 to 2014 are available in this document.