British Columbia Nominee Program
British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
British Columbia is located in the far western part of Canada with the Pacific Ocean to the west, mountains to the east and thick forest to the north.
This province has the Skills Immigration Stream that identifies specific skill sets that are required in the province and that are processed on a much needed basis.
- For example, B.C. has a critical need for more health care workers and early childhood educators (ECEs). Priority access is achieved through direct-to-apply streams, such as workers employed by a Health Authority, or targeted draws for qualified workers with a job offer as an ECE or in one of the following in-demand occupations in healthcare.
Care economy: Healthcare occupations
30010 Managers in health care
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31110 Dentists
31201 Chiropractors
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31203 Occupational therapists
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32101 Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
41300 Social workers
42201 Social and community service workers
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31202 Physiotherapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32112 Dental technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
31200 Psychologists
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants / health care aides are eligible under NOC 33102.
Care economy: Childcare occupations
42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
Other priority occupations
31103 Veterinarians
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
- BC PNP Tech provides B.C. tech employers with the ability to recruit and retain international talent in tech occupations when local skilled workers are unavailable. This initiative gives in-demand foreign workers and international students a pathway to permanent residence, so they can help grow our economy and build a great life in B.C.
BC PNP Tech helps ensure B.C. can continue to attract and retain the talent needed to sustain and grow the technology sector in the province. For Employers: PNPConcierge@gov.bc.ca
BC PNP in demand Tech Occupations
10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21100 Physicists and astronomers
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231 Software engineers and designers
21232 Software developers and programmers
21233 Web designers
21234 Web developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22110 Biological technologists and technicians
22220 Computer network and web technicians
22221 User support technicians
22222 Information systems testing technicians
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
50011 Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
52112 Broadcast technicians
52113 Audio and video recording technicians
52120 Graphic designers and illustrators
53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators
Priority Occupations
This section contains priority occupations that may be invited to apply in periodic targeted draws.
- BC PNP Tech occupations
- Care Economy: Healthcare occupations
- Care Economy: Childcare occupations
- Other priority occupations
https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/About-The-BC-PNP#OtherOccupations
Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)
Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a points-based system gives candidates a registration score that determines whether they may be invited to apply. The score is based on a number of factors — such as level of education, years of direct work experience and a B.C. employment offer — that reflect an individual’s ability to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the provincial economy.
SIRS Scoring
The factors outlined below determine the number of points allocated to a candidate who has registered under SIRS. If and when a candidate is invited to apply, all the information provided in the registration will be verified against the information provided in the application.
|
Scoring Sections |
Maximum Points |
Economic Factors (80) |
Hourly Wage of the B.C. Job Offer |
55 |
Regional District of Employment |
25 |
|
Human Capital Factors (120) |
Directly Related Work Experience |
40 |
Highest Level of Education |
40 |
|
Language |
40 |
|
Total Points Available |
200 |
Processing times & Fees
Program processing times are from the date we receive your complete application, and are based on 80 per cent of cases. Processing times are subject to change according to program capacity.
We will not refund application fees after we have begun reviewing your application.
Skills Immigration estimated processing time: 3 months
Post-nomination requests estimated processing time: 3 months
Stage |
Estimated Processing time |
Registration score notification |
6 weeks; from the date registration received |
Application decision notification (at work permit stage) |
4 months; from the date application completeness |
Application decision notification (at final report stage) |
4 months; from the date final report completeness confirmed |
BC PNP fees
Applicants will need to pay the fees upon registration or application in the BCPNP Online system.
Be aware that fee payments can only be made in the BCPNP Online application system. We do not accept payment in another form (for example, cheques, bank transfers, wire transfers, or gift cards).
Skills Immigration Fees
Registration |
No Fee |
Application |
$1,150 |
Request for Review |
$500 |
Entrepreneur Immigration Fees
Registration |
$300 |
Application |
$3,500 |
Request for Review |
$500 |
Strategic Projects Fees
Registration |
$300 |
Application |
$3,500 |
Key Staff |
$1,000 |
Request for Review |
$500 |
Guides, forms and information sheets relating to the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams of the BC PNP:
BC PNP guides
- Skills Immigration Program Guide (PDF, 1MB) (updated January 23, 2022)
- Skills Immigration Technical Guide (PDF, 1MB) (updated November 16, 2022)
- Skills Immigration Post-Nomination Guide (PDF, 1MB) (updated August 29, 2022)
BC PNP International Post-Graduate (IPG) Programs of Study
- BC PNP IPG Programs of Study in Eligible Fields (PDF, <1MB)
3. Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)
Permanent Resident pathway for skilled refugees that have registered and applied under economic immigration pathways
The Process
B.C. employers looking to recruit an EMPP candidate for a vacancy in one of the BC PNP Tech occupations, that cannot be filled locally, can contact a designated NGO partner directly.
For assistance please complete a generic Pre-Qualification (Assessment) or navigate to our home page and you can choose which country you are immigrating from in the drop down.