British Columbia now offers a new chance at PR to foreign students

The Canadian province of British Columbia has some good news for international students. Foreign students who graduate from BC are now eligible for Canada immigration even if they have completed 50% of their Canadian graduation from their home country.

This means that students who enrolled in a course with a Canadian university can complete up to half the course sitting in their home country, online without losing on the opportunity to get a Canada PR. This is a boon for those students who had to stay back home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They may now be eligible to immigrate to BC.

To put this more specifically, international students who graduated before March 1, 2020, must have completed at least half their studies on-campus in Canada. But those who graduated on or after March 1, 2020, must have completed at least 50% of their studies while living in Canada, but not necessarily on-campus.

Documents like bank statements, tenancy agreements, and utility bills can be used to prove that the student completed his/her studies from within Canada.

This offer is not available for students who did Canadian study programs through distance learning.

Though international students are exempted from travel restrictions in Canada, factors such as airport closures are affecting their ability to arrive in Canada. As of now, only 4 airports are open to international flights in Canada.

In such a situation, these students are not missing their classes but attending online lectures to compensate for their non-presence at the campus in Canada. The motivation to travel to Canada for international students could be affected by the stricter measures taken by the Canadian government. This includes the requirement to take a PCR test for COVID-19 upon arrival in Canada besides the need to stay for 3 days in quarantine at a hotel. This will be at a cost of $2,000, which has to be paid by the traveler.

But through all the challenges, BC still works on its immigration programs by holding PNP draws regularly. It was only recently that the province invited 216 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

International graduates can become eligible to immigrate to BC via 2 streams and their 4 categories in all:

• Express Entry BC Stream
  • International Post-Graduate Category
  • International Graduate Category
• Skills Immigration Stream
  • International Post-Graduate Category
  • International Graduate Category

If an international graduate has a profile in the Express Entry system, he/she can attempt immigration via the Express Entry BC stream. This stream is aligned with the federal Express Entry system. So, the candidates with profiles in the system must be eligible for one of the economic class immigration programs in Canada namely FSTP, CEC, and FSWP.

For an international graduate to immigrate to BC via the Express Entry stream, it’s required that the candidate must have graduated from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada that’s deemed eligible. The candidate must also have a job offer from an employer in Canada. Besides, they must also satisfy the requirement of the minimum income for the job offer.

International graduates that participate in the immigration draw via the Skills Immigration stream if they have graduated in the last 3 years. They must also meet the language requirement for the job offered in Canada. Besides all this, they must also prove that they can support themselves and their family.

If you are an international post-graduate wanting to immigrate to BC via any of the pathways we just mentioned, you will need a Master’s or Ph.D. degree. This could be in a field like healthcare, engineering, and physical sciences or any other considered eligible. You will also have to prove your intention to permanently live in BC. You must also note that you won’t need a job offer to immigrate to Canada.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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Note:

BC – British Columbia

FSTP – Federal Skilled Trades Program

FSWP – Federal Skilled Worker Program

CEC – Canadian Experience Class