British Columbia invited 407 immigration candidates through a provincial nominee program draw held on September 15, 2020.

The new invitations went to candidates from the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams, specifically the Skilled Worker, International Graduate as well as the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled categories.

The minimum scores for this draw ranged between 75 and 95 points.

The EEBC category is for candidates with a valid profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system, which is Canada’s main pathway for skilled immigrants who are hoping to obtain Canadian permanent residence.

The SI category is for skilled and semi-skilled workers whose occupations are in high demand in the province of B.C.

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) categories are managed under BC’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). In order to apply through the SIRS, eligible candidates are first required to register an account.  Once they complete that step, candidates are assigned a score based on factors like education, work experience and language proficiency.

Candidates with the highest scores are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination when BC holds another one of its frequent draws.

Categories that are managed under the SIRS require candidates to have a job offer from an employer in BC.

Express Entry is the federal government’s application management system. Express Entry candidates are given points based on human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English or French.

Candidates invited under the EEBC: Skilled Worker and EEBC: International Graduate categories, can obtain an additional 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) at a later federal Express Entry draw if they are successful with their nomination.

Express Entry draws continue to be held on a bi-weekly basis despite current border closures and travel restrictions. In fact, the latest Express Entry draw, held earlier today, resulted in 4,200 invitations to apply for permanent residence – the second-largest round of invitations since the system’s launch in 2015. So far this year, IRCC has issued 74,150 ITAs and has stated that it will continue to make efforts to welcome high levels of new immigrants in the coming years and beyond.

The province of B.C. holds weekly draws, with the previous one having taken place on September 8. In total so far this year, B.C. invited over 6,000 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination through regular PNP and Tech Pilot draws.

Tech Pilot candidates are exempt from the permanent, full-time job offer requirement that applies to most immigration categories under the BC PNP. However, Tech Pilot candidates must demonstrate a job offer that is at least one year in duration and has at least 120 calendar days remaining at the time they apply for a provincial nomination.