British Columbia has now invited close to 9,000 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination this year.

British Columbia invited 256 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence in a draw held December 8.

Invitations issued in this draw went to candidates registered in the Skilled Workers and International Graduates categories of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)’s Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams.

Candidates in the Skills Immigration: Entry-level and Semi-skilled Workers category were also invited.

The BC PNP Express Entry categories are open to candidates with a profile in the federal Express Entry system. The federal system manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic immigration programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

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

The minimum score requirements in today’s draw ranged between 77 and 97 for the five EEBC and SI categories that were involved.

The following is a breakdown of the minimum scores:

• SI – Skilled Worker: 95
• SI – International Graduate: 95
• SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled: 77
• EEBC – Skilled Worker: 97
• EEBC – International Graduate: 97

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).

Applicants who received an invitation to apply now have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BC PNP Online registration system. An invitation to apply does not guarantee that applicants will be approved for a nomination.

In order to be considered under the BC PNP, most candidates must have an indeterminate, full-time job offer from an employer in the province who is willing to support them through the application process.​

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.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.