British Columbia is regarded as the westernmost of the 10 Canadian provinces. The province is also one of the last regions in North America to be explored and settled subsequently. While Yukon and the North-western territories lie to the north of the province, the US states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana lie towards the south. Alberta makes another neighbor on the east side. Most of the western side of British Columbia is taken up by the Pacific Ocean.
Prominent cities in British Columbia:
British Columbia is part of the British Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The British Columbia PNP program- the BC Provincial Nominee Program [BC PNP]- Offers a pathway for high-demand foreign workers, International graduates, and experienced entrepreneurs to acquire permanent residency in BC.
British Columbia announces Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Stream as Permanent one. Apply now!
British Columbia has made the Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Stream a permanent one.The program is now known as Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Stream. This route will provide international entrepreneurs to set-up their business through Entrepreneur immigration programs.Entrepreneur immigration programs will provide temporary status at first, eventually transforming it into Canada PR once they start the business.
As announced in Jan 2024, the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is inter-changing the current two streams (International Graduate and Post-Graduate Streams) with three new streams.The three new streams are the Bachelor’s stream, Master’s stream, and Doctorate stream.
The following are the categories offered by the British Columbia PNP program:
This category is meant for semi-skilled and skilled foreign workers in occupations with high demand in PNP Canada British Columbia. British Columbia immigration uses a points-based system to invite eligible candidates. Candidates have to go online to register and apply to the BC PNP. To become a Canadian permanent resident, the candidate must apply on paper.
It may not be required of immigration candidates to have previous work experience for certain categories. Skilled workers will come with considerable foreign work experience. Semi-skilled or entry-level applicants could need work experience from British Columbia.
For international graduates entering work after graduation through this program may not need work experience. This will depend on the job offered.
Category |
Job offer required? |
Currently, accepting applications? |
Requirements |
Skilled Worker |
Yes (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, 3) |
Yes |
2 years of work experience as a skilled professional |
Healthcare Professional |
Yes |
Yes |
2 years of work experience as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals. |
International Graduate |
Yes |
Yes |
Should be graduated from an eligible university or college in the last three years. |
International Post-Graduate |
Not required |
Yes |
Should have a Master’s or PhD from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences programs of study. |
Entry-level and Semi-skilled worker |
Yes |
Yes |
Should have work experience in tourism, food processing, or long-haul trucking or must be living and working in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia |
An immigration candidate qualified for a federal economic program, also a skilled worker willing to immigrate to BC can apply for immigration under this category. The process of registration and application for BC PNP and permanent residency are web-based.
Candidates aren’t required to have any work experience from British Columbia. But they will need to meet other requirements like language and education.
Category |
Job offer required? |
Currently, accepting applications? |
Requirements |
Skilled Worker |
Yes |
Yes |
2 years of work experience in TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 |
Healthcare Professional |
Yes |
Yes |
2 years of work experience as physicians, nurses, psychiatric nurses or allied health professionals, or a midwife with a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in B.C. |
International Graduate |
Yes |
Yes |
Should be graduated from an eligible university or college in the last three years. |
International Post-Graduate |
No |
Yes |
Should have a Master’s or PhD from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences programs of study. |
This program is for Entrepreneurs who want to actively start or manage a business. This can be used as an Entrepreneur Immigration Category. The candidate is required to have the necessary personal funds or funds for investments. Companies trying to expand their business to British Columbia could attempt to fetch Canada PR for their key employees.
Other BC PNP immigration programs
Canadian Experience Class – This program lets individuals with Canadian work experience become permanent residents.
*Want to migrate to Canada? Talk to Y-Axis for complete guidance
An individual needs to score at least 85 points out of 190 points:
Several factors can give different points to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the British Columbia PNP draw:
Eligibility criteria factors |
Max points |
Economic Factors |
110 |
Skill Level of the B.C. Job Offer |
50 |
Wage of the B.C. Job Offer |
50 |
Regional District of Employment |
10 |
Human Capital Factors |
80 |
Directly Related Work Experience |
25 |
Highest Level of Education |
25 |
Language |
30 |
Grand total 190 |
Step 1: Check you eligibility through Canada Immigration Points Calculator
Step 2: Select the BC PNP Stream
Step 3: Arrange the checklist of requirements
Step 4: Apply for BC PNP
Step 5: Migrate to British Columbia
BC PNP stream |
Processing time |
Skills Immigration Stream |
2 – 3 Months |
Express Entry BC |
2 – 3 Months |
Entrepreneur Immigration Stream |
4 Months |
Month | No. of draws | Total no. of Invitations |
November | 4 | 115 |
October | 5 | 759 |
September | 5 | 638 |
August | 5 | 622 |
July | 4 | 333 |
June | 4 | 277 |
May | 4 | 308 |
April | 4 | 350 |
March | 4 | 663 |
February | 2 | 421 |
January | 4 | 994 |
All PNP draws in 2023 | |||
Total no. of candidates: 38,321 | |||
Total draws: 86 | |||
Month | Province | No. of draws | No. of candidates |
May | BC | 5 | 854 |
Manitoba | 2 | 1065 | |
Ontario | 5 | 6890 | |
Quebec | 1 | 802 | |
Saskatchewan | 2 | 2076 | |
PEI | 2 | 280 | |
April | Alberta | 4 | 405 |
BC | 4 | 678 | |
Manitoba | 3 | 1631 | |
Ontario | 5 | 1184 | |
Quebec | 1 | 1020 | |
Saskatchewan | 1 | 1067 | |
PEI | 1 | 189 | |
March | Alberta | 1 | 134 |
BC | 4 | 968 | |
Manitoba | 2 | 1163 | |
New Brunswick | 1 | 144 | |
Ontario | 6 | 3,906 | |
PEI | 3 | 303 | |
Quebec | 2 | 1636 | |
Saskatchewan | 2 | 550 | |
February | Ontario | 4 | 3,183 |
Manitoba | 2 | 891 | |
Saskatchewan | 1 | 421 | |
British Columbia | 4 | 909 | |
PEI | 1 | 228 | |
Alberta | 1 | 100 | |
January | Ontario | 6 | 3,591 |
Manitoba | 2 | 658 | |
Saskatchewan | 1 | 50 | |
British Columbia | 5 | 1,122 | |
PEI | 2 | 223 | |
Total | 86 | 38,321 |
Invitation Dates | Number of Invitations issued | CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate |
19th December 2023 | 230 | 60-95 |
12th December 2023 | 197 | 60-116 |
5th December 2023 | 193 | 60-94 |
28th November 2023 | 760 | 29-80 |
21st November 2023 | 161 | 60-94 |
16th November 2023 | 224 | 60-115 |
October 31, 2023 | 208 | CRS 91-113 |
October 24, 2023 | 162 | CRS 60-90 |
October 17, 2023 | 152 | CRS 60-113 |
October 11, 2023 | 190 | CRS 60-90 |
October 4, 2023 | 110 | CRS 91-113 |
September 26, 2023 | 82 | CRS 60 |
September 19, 2023 | 147 | CRS108-111 |
September 12, 2023 | 261 | CRS 60-89 |
September 6, 2023 | 222 | CRS 60-110 |
August 29, 2023 | 155 | CRS 60-88 |
August 24, 2023 | 168 | CRS 302 |
August 22, 2023 | 230 | CRS 88-109 |
August 16, 2023 | 300 | CRS408 |
August 15, 2023 | 158 | CRS 60-88 |
August 9, 2023 | 195 | CRS 60-110 |
August 1, 2023 | 67 | CRS 60-88 |
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