The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program held a new set of provincial nomination draws on January 25. A total of 289 new invitations got issued to apply for Canada immigration. The eligible candidates include foreign workers and international students. They are already registered under the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) provincial nominee program streams.
The provincial nominee program of British Columbia held two draws simultaneously on January 25: one general draw and another occupation-specific draw. This has been in practice since February this year.
The first general draw issued a total of 264 invitations to apply for Canada immigration. Candidates with the minimum provincial scores between 77 and 114 points only received invitations. They include Skilled Workers, recent International Graduates or Entry Level, and Semi-Skilled workers.
Active profiles in the federal Express Entry pool also received invitations to apply for Canada immigration under this Provincial Nominee Program draws.
The second specialist provincial draws targeted two in-demand occupations:
- retail and wholesale trade managers (NOC 0621), and
- restaurant and foodservice managers (NOC 0631)
About 25 invitees are eligible to apply for Canada immigration with scores of 114 and above.
The provincial nominee program’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) manages applications under the two skilled immigration programs. Registration and profile assessment based on education, work experience, and language skills form the core selection criteria.
Permanent Residency in Canada through Provincial Nominee Program
The “two-step migration” process is now the most preferable pathway for economic-class immigrants to apply for Canada immigration.
Eligible candidates may qualify for a temporary resident visa and gain work experience in Canada. Based on their Canadian work experience, they may apply for permanent residence either through the provincial nominee program or Canada Experience Class (CEC).
Recent statistics show that the share of those admitted within the provincial nominee program is at 46% and the share of those landing via CEC increased from 8% to 19%, since 2015. |
The provincial nomination from British Columbia is valid for approximately six months from the date of confirmation.
During this time period, you can apply with IRCC under the Provincial Nominee Class and receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence through fortnightly Express Entry nomination draws. You may receive an additional 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of the Express Entry system.
In fact, the recent Express Entry draws targeted a record-breaking 1,036 candidates with prior provincial nominations. All the invites had a minimum CRS score of 745. It meant that they required only 145 points to score on CRS to qualify. The remaining 600 points were to be added automatically for receiving provincial nominations.
British Columbia has issued over 11,000 invitations to apply for Canada immigration in 2021. The province is only expected to increase its intake levels in 2022.
Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for provincial nominee programs in Canada.
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