PNP draws: British Columbia attracts talented workers and entrepreneurs

On August 17, British Columbia staged four draws as part of its PNP

Every month since February, British Columbia has held two distinct rounds of invites for its PNP program. A general draw combined with another draw for the retail and wholesale retail managers along with restaurant and foodservice managers is held by the province. The government stated in a press release that the second draw is due to a significant number of persons enrolled in the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) with these two professions. BC hopes to balance the demands in all areas of the provincial labour market by hosting these extra draws.

Candidates from the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) under the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams were invited to the general draw. Invitations to individuals under the skilled worker, international graduate, entry level and semi-skilled categories of SI and EEBC streams were made. Minimum scores for that draw varied from 73 to 91 points. A total of 363 people were invited.

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For applicants whose occupations are lying under the NOC 0621 or NOC 0631, a separate draw has been held under the SI and EEBC categories. The draw yielded 64 invites with a total score of 106. In addition, British Columbia issued eight invitations under its Entrepreneur Immigration Base Category and less than five invitations under its Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Category. So far this year, British Columbia has issued around 7527 invites through various BC PNP streams.

More about the BC PNP

The BC PNP seeks to recruit foreign employees in high demand in the province who want to become permanent residents of Canada. The BC PNP has two immigration streams i.e., Skills Immigration and Express Entry, both of which are subdivided. These streams are handled by British Columbia's Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). You must first create an account in order to apply through the SIRS. After that, you will be given a score based on factors such as education, job experience, and language abilities.

When British Columbia has one of its regular draws, the top scorers in each sub-category are invited to apply for a provincial nomination to apply for permanent residency. After the invitation, the candidate will have nearly 30 days from the date of the invitation to apply for the BC PNP using its online system. After submitting a comprehensive BC PNP application, you will get a decision from the province within two to three months. If your nomination is accepted, you will be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Provincial Nominee Class with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This nomination will be valid for six months from the date of confirmation. As a provincial nominee, you may get an additional 600 points under the CRS, giving you a high enough score to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a future federal Express Entry draw.