British Columbia’s provincial nominee program (BC PNP) has invited 437 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. If approved, a BC PNP nominee will be allowed to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
BC PNP
Renowned for a beautiful Pacific Ocean coastline and breathtaking mountainscapes, British Columbia is Canada’s third most populous province. In order to receive an invitation through the Express Entry British Colombia (EEBC), candidates must be registered under both the federal Express Entry system and B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).
Only candidates with competitive profiles and who rank highly will receive invitations to apply.
Candidates who receive a provincial nomination earn an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points which virtually guarantees that they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence under IRCC’s Express Entry system.
CRS Cut-Off Scores
The BC PNP draw held on August 7 invited candidates from both their EEBC and SIRS programs with CRS scores as follows:
Express Entry BC Categories:
- Skilled Worker: 97
- International Graduate: 98
Skills Immigration Categories:
- Skilled Worker: 97
- International Graduate: 98
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker: 76
Increase in BC PNP fees as the program expands
Fees have increased from $700 to $1,150 effective August 6. BC PNP still maintains competitive application fees when compared to other provincial programs. For example, Ontario charges between $1,500 to $2,000 for processing fees in addition to the fees charged by the federal government to process the application for permanent residence.
BC PNP has experienced significant growth over the last decade. Since 2009, B.C.’s annual PNP allocation from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has more than doubled from 3,000 nominations to 6,750 in 2019.
The program also assists nominees with immigration and employment-related requests while they await permanent residence, and these requests have increased by 50% in recent years. There are currently more than 9,500 nominees in B.C. waiting to become permanent residents.