B.C. Holds Largest PNP Draw Since Start Of Coronavirus Pandemic

The province of British Columbia has issued 314 invitations through its Express Entry BC and Skills Immigration categories.

British Columbia has invited 314 Express Entry and Skills Immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination in a new invitation round held June 30.

Today’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw was the largest held by BC since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the second largest overall of 2020. The largest draw took place prior to the start of the pandemic, on March 10, and saw 332 invitations issued.

The BC Express Entry stream is aligned with the federal government’s Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three main economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and their applications for permanent residence are processed through the Express Entry system, which has a guaranteed processing time of six months or less.

Skills Immigration candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination from the BC PNP in this round were drawn from the stream’s Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Entry Level and Semi-Skilled categories.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BC once again excluded certain occupations from today’s draw, predominantly related to tourism, hospitality, and retail.

The minimum score requirements in today’s draw ranged between 79 and 100 for the five EEBC and SI categories that were involved.

More specifically, the minimum scores were:

• SI – Skilled Worker: 98
• SI – International Graduate: 100
• SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled: 79
• EEBC – Skilled Worker: 98
• EEBC – International Graduate: 100

In order to receive an invitation through the EEBC, candidates must be registered under both the federal Express Entry system and B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Skills Immigration candidates only need to be registered with the SIRS.