BC provincial nominee program
British Columbia (BC), where the UCIC office is located, is one of the most appealing places to settle within Canada. From breathtaking scenery to rich cultural diversity, from top-ranking schools to great job opportunities, BC has much to offer. The province is home to Canada’s third largest city, Vancouver and is one of the most diverse provinces in all of Canada.
People from around the world have moved here to pursue new lives in our welcoming and beautiful province. Our diverse, strong and growing economy is creating many opportunities for individuals and businesses. If you wish to make BC your home, the BC PNP offers 3 pathways to immigrate to BC. Each pathway contains different categories, targeting workers and international graduates with skills, education, experience which are in high-demand in BC.
If you wish to immigrate to British Columbia under the province’s nominee program, you have three options to choose from:
1. Skills Immigration
2. Express Entry B.C.
3. Entrepreneur Immigration
SKILLS IMMIGRATION
The BC PNP Skills Immigration Stream is intended for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, international graduates, and post-graduates, entry-level and semi-skilled workers who have skills, experience, and qualifications needed by BC employers.
The Skills Immigration Stream is a points-based invitation system. For some of the categories, candidates are not required to have prior work experience and even work experience from abroad may be considered.
The Skills Immigration Stream is divided into five categories
Skills Immigration - Skilled Worker
This category is for candidates who have received an eligible job offer from a BC employer in a skilled occupation (NOC Skill type 0, Skill levels A or B) and have directly related work experience.
Skills Immigration - Healthcare Professional Category
This category is for candidates who are physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses, or allied health professionals with eligible job offers or midwives.
Skills Immigration - International Graduate Category
This category is for international students who have graduated from an eligible Canadian university or college in the past three years. Candidates must have a job offer from a BC employer in a skilled occupation (NOC Skill type 0, Skill levels A or B).
Skills Immigration - International Post-Graduate Category
This category is for international graduates with a master’s or doctorate degree in the natural, applied, or health sciences from an eligible educational institution in BC in the past three years. No job offer is required under this category
Skills Immigration - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Category
Foreign workers working in BC in certain entry-level or semi-skilled occupations (NOC Skill levels C or D) in the tourism/hospitality, food processing, or long-haul trucking industry or those in any entry-level or semi-skilled occupations (except live-in caregiver) working in the Northeast Development Region of BC, may be eligible for this category.
General Requirements for all categories in the Skills Immigration Stream
- Have a full-time job offer from a BC employer (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Offered wage must be in line with the provincial wage rates (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Meet minimum income requirements to support yourself and your family (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Meet minimum language requirements – CLB level 4 (for job offer under NOC Skill levels B, C, D)
- Employer must meet eligibility criteria (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
***Beside general requirements, additional requirements specific to the Skills Immigration Stream must also be met. Please contact us for further information.
EXPRESS ENTRY British Columbia (BC)
The Express Entry BC Stream is one of the quicker ways for eligible skilled workers to immigrate to BC.
The Express Entry BC stream is a points-based invitation system that connects to the federal Express Entry system. It allows eligible candidates priority processing of their permanent residence applications at both provincial and federal levels.
Four categories can be processed through the Express Entry BC stream:
1. Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker
2. Express Entry BC – Healthcare Professional
3. Express Entry BC – International Graduate
4. Express Entry BC – International Post-Graduate
General Requirements for all categories in the EXPRESS ENTRY BC STREAM
- Meet criteria for one of the federal Express Entry programs
- Have a valid profile with the federal Express Entry system, and a Job Seeker Validation Code
- Have a full-time job offer from a BC employer (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Offered wage must be in line with the provincial wage rates (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Meet minimum income requirements to support yourself and your family (except for the International Post-Graduate Category)
- Meet minimum language requirements for the federal program you are eligible under
- Employer must also meet eligibility criteria (except for the International Post-Graduate Category).
ENTREPRENEUR IMMIGRATION
The Entrepreneur Immigration Stream a points-based system to immigrate experienced entrepreneurs who want to actively manage a business in B.C. A maximum of 200 registrations may be accepted per month. Periodically, BC PNP will invite the highest scoring registrants to submit their applications.
This pathway was designed to attract experienced international entrepreneurs from across the globe, for purpose of boosting Canada’s economy with leading innovation, advancement, and growth.
The Entrepreneur Immigration Stream offers three options
Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Category
This category is for experienced senior managers or business owners who intend to invest funds into a prospective business and actively manage a valid business in BC.
General Requirements:
- Experience: Must have experience within last 10 years: 3+ years as a business owner-manager, OR 4+ years as a senior manager, OR a combination of 1+ year as a business owner-manager and 2+ years as a senior manager.
- Net Worth: Have a net worth of a minimum $600,000 CAD that is verifiable (including cash, assets, real properties, investments, fixed deposits, etc.). Which can include your spouse or common-law partner, and your dependent children, if applicable.
- Education: Have post-secondary credential or experience as an active business owner-manager for at least three of the last five years with 100% ownership in the business.
- Business Proposal: Must submit a business proposal to establish a new business or purchase and improve an existing business in British Columbia with at least one-third (33.33%) ownership. If your proposed ownership is less than 33.33%, you must make an equity investment of at least $1,000,000.00 CAD.
- Investment: Minimum investment $200,000.00 CAD.
- Job Creation: Must create at least one full-time equivalent job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Location: Proposed business can be located anywhere in BC
- Language Requirement: Score a minimum of at least CLB 4 for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in one of Canada’s official languages (English or French) from one of the IRCC approved language tests. (Must submit a copy of valid language proficiency test results at final report, if not previously submitted)
- Exploratory Visit: This is not required, but BC PNP encourages applicants to make an exploratory visit to BC to learn about the opportunities and the local business environments.
- Business Proposal must also demonstrate the intention to actively fulfil an ongoing management role in the day-to-day operations of the business.
- Franchises may be considered as eligible businesses, if you can demonstrate that the proposed franchise is well-established.
- For highly regulated industry sectors, you must demonstrate that you are aware of, and will be able to meet local, provincial, and federal regulatory requirements.
For more information on the eligible and ineligible businesses under this category, contact our office for further information.
Entrepreneur Immigration - Regional Pilot Category
This category is for experienced senior managers or business owners who intend to invest funds into a prospective business and actively manage a valid business in BC.
General Requirements:
- Experience: Must have experience within last 10 years: 3+ years as a business owner-manager, OR 4+ years as a senior manager, OR a combination of 1+ year as a business owner-manager and 2+ years as a senior manager.
- Net Worth: Have a net worth of a minimum $600,000 CAD that is verifiable (including cash, assets, real properties, investments, fixed deposits, etc.). Which can include your spouse or common-law partner, and your dependent children, if applicable.
- Education: Have post-secondary credential or experience as an active business owner-manager for at least three of the last five years with 100% ownership in the business.
- Business Proposal: Must submit a business proposal to establish a new business or purchase and improve an existing business in British Columbia with at least one-third (33.33%) ownership. If your proposed ownership is less than 33.33%, you must make an equity investment of at least $1,000,000.00 CAD.
- Investment: Minimum investment $200,000.00 CAD.
- Job Creation: Must create at least one full-time equivalent job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Location: Proposed business can be located anywhere in BC
- Language Requirement: Score a minimum of at least CLB 4 for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in one of Canada’s official languages (English or French) from one of the IRCC approved language tests. (Must submit a copy of valid language proficiency test results at final report, if not previously submitted)
- Exploratory Visit: This is not required, but BC PNP encourages applicants to make an exploratory visit to BC to learn about the opportunities and the local business environments.
- Business Proposal must also demonstrate the intention to actively fulfil an ongoing management role in the day-to-day operations of the business.
- Franchises may be considered as eligible businesses, if you can demonstrate that the proposed franchise is well-established.
- For highly regulated industry sectors, you must demonstrate that you are aware of, and will be able to meet local, provincial, and federal regulatory requirements.
For more information on the eligible and ineligible businesses under this category, contact our office for further information.
Strategic Projects Category
Through this category, foreign companies who have strategic investment to BC can set up operations by transferring key staff with the corporate knowledge and expertise to BC permanently. Up to five current senior staff members of the company who will actively manage the BC operation may be nominated for permanent residence in the province.
General Requirements:
The foreign corporation:
- Must provide evidence of good business practices with excellent company financials, and have successful business operations outside of Canada that would be relevant to the proposed BC Business
- Must make an equity investment of at least $500,000 CAD directed toward its operation in BC
- Establish a new business or purchase and expand an eligible business in BC
- Create at least three full-time equivalent jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents for each foreign key staff member proposed.
The foreign key staff:
- Must be current senior employees of the foreign corporation who have the qualifications and experience that are essential to establish and operate the business in BC
- The foreign key staff is being appointed to an executive, or senior managerial position, or has specialized knowledge essential to the proposed BC operation
- The foreign key staff will be employed permanently, and full-time. With an offered wage that is comparable with his/her expertise and consistent with industry standards and corporate compensation
- The foreign key staff members must have or be eligible for immigration status in Canada.
Exploratory Visits: Senior executives representing the foreign company are encouraged to visit BC and explore to learn about the opportunities and the local business environments.
bc pnp tech
The BC PNP Tech Stream was an initiative that started in 2017, as a pilot program to address BC’s labour shortage in the tech sector. This program’s remarkable success has led it to become a permanent program in June 2021. This program is for skilled workers who have a job offer in B.C. in one of 29 eligible occupations. The job offer also must be at least one year in duration and have 120 calendar days remaining at the time of applying. British Columbia frequently holds Tech draws, where they invite eligible skilled tech workers to apply for a provincial nomination.
BC PNP Tech provides a prioritized pathway to permanent residency for international skilled workers in 29 tech occupations, which can help grow BC’s technology sector. The BC PNP Tech is only open to applicants who are already eligible for either the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC stream of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program. Applications submitted through this stream are processed on a priority basis and there are weekly tech draws to invite the highest scoring registrants to apply.
A valid job offer for at least one year duration, in 29 eligible occupations from a BC technology employer is required to qualify under the program. A job offer that is longer than a year will also be eligible for the Tech. The job offer must also be full-time and from an eligible employer in the province.
29 Eligible Occupations for the BCPNP Tech
