BC PNP – Skills Immigration – International Graduate Stream

What is BC PNP – SKILLS IMMIGRATION – International Graduate Stream?

The main objective of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) International Graduates Streams is to attract foreign students who have completed their undergraduate education in B.C. or another Canadian province and would like to apply for a work permit and/or permanent residence in Canada. BC International Graduate prioritizes immigrants with an offer for skilled employment.

Eligibility

To qualify for the Skills Immigration – International Graduate category, you must have the following:

1. Job offer

Candidates must have a full-time, indeterminate job offer that typically requires a university or college education. The position must be classified as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). 

Positions that require the employee to spend the majority of time outside of B.C. do not qualify. Your employer is responsible to demonstrate that the job offer is valid and legitimate. 

Notably, the supervisor or management positions are only obtained through progressively increasing experience or responsibilities. 

If you have been offered one of the two positions, you and your employer must demonstrate that you have obtained enough experience to be qualified for the position. If not, your application may be refused. This experience must be demonstrated in your resume. 

If the offered job requires mandatory certification, licensing or registration, you must provide documentation at the time of application, showing that you meet these requirements, or how these requirements will shortly be met. Furthermore, your employer must provide you with a written offer of employment on official company letterhead. 

The letter must be: 

• Signed and dated by an employee, or owner, of the company who is authorized to hire employees 
• Signed and dated by you confirming that you accept the job offer 

The offer of employment must include: 

• Job title and duties 
• Rate of pay 
• Standard hours of work 
•  The indeterminate and full-time position (at least an average of 30 hours a week, year-round) 
• Any discretionary benefits in addition to those required by law 
• A reference to the agreement if the position is covered by a collective agreement

Your employer cannot make any deductions from your pay or require you to pay any fees for recruitment or retention, or what is normally paid by the employer. 

2. Qualification to perform job duties

You must be qualified for the offered position. The BC PNP may refer to the NOC, WorkBC (https://www.workbc.ca/) or industry standards to determine the minimum qualifications for an occupation. 

3. Settlement Funds

Candidates for this stream must meet the settlement funds requirement as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).  

 You must meet minimum income requirements according to your: 

• Income and employment prospects;
• Location of intended residence in B.C.; and
• Information on the number of dependents.

The following are the minimum income thresholds depending on family size. Bonuses, commissions, tips, living allowances, or overtime in the calculation of the annual wage.

Greater Vancouver Regional District:

1 person: $22,804 CAD

2 persons: $28,390 CAD

3 persons: $34,902 CAD

4 persons: $42,376 CAD

5 persons: $48,062 CAD

6 persons: $54,205 CAD

7 persons or more: $60,350 CAD

Rest of B.C.

1 person: $19,006 CAD

2 persons: $23,659 CAD

3 persons: $29,087 CAD

4 persons: $35,316 CAD

5 persons: $40,054 CAD

6 persons: $45,175 CAD

7 persons or more: $50,296 CAD

4. Eligibility for legal immigration 

The BC PNP will not process or nominate any cases whose candidates belong to one of the following situations: 

• Prohibited from entering Canada;
• Currently in Canada and are out of status. If an applicant’s status has expired and he or she cannot demonstrate that they have applied for a restoration of status with 90 days, the applicant will be considered out of status. 
• Currently working in Canada without authorization;
• Have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada; or
• Under a removal order in or outside of Canada.

5. Level of Education

Applicants must have completed a degree or diploma from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada in the past three years.

• Degree: 

Your undergraduate or graduate degree must be from a Canadian post-secondary institution authorized to grant degrees. 

For a list of degree programs offered in B.C., check the Education Planner: https://www.educationplannerbc.ca/.

For a list of authorized degree programs offered by B.C. private post-secondary institutions, use the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training website: https://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/psips/public/report/recommendationsDecisions.faces.

• Diploma:

If you have a diploma or certificate, it must be from a public post-secondary institution in Canada. Diplomas and Certificates from private institutions are not eligible. Language training does not qualify. 

Your program must have been at least 8 months (two semesters) of full-time equivalent coursework (excluding co-op work terms, practicums, and internships). The full-time equivalent study is defined by the post-secondary institution which issued the credential.

Co-op work terms, practicums, and internships may be completed, provided the 8-month requirement of coursework has been met. 

You may be requested to provide a letter from your educational institution that confirms your program meets this requirement. 

You must submit your registration within three years of the date shown on your official transcript indicating. Your education is not eligible if it is a distance education learning program either from abroad or from within Canada.

6. Language Proficiency

Candidates with a job offer at NOC level B, C, or D occupations must provide language test results in English or French language proficiency at a minimum score equal to or greater than a benchmark 4 under the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in all four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

Test results will be considered valid for two years from the date of issuance. Test results must be valid at the time of registration and application.

No language test results are required for NOC level 0 and An occupation unless you are claiming points for language. The BC PNP, however, may request valid language test results at its discretion, to determine whether you have the language proficiency for the position.

If you are claiming points for language under the registration system, you must provide a copy of your language test results at the time of application, regardless of the NOC Skill Level of your job offer.

7. Wage offer

The wage stated on your offer of employment must be at market rate and comparable to other workers with a similar level of experience and training for equivalent jobs in B.C. It must also be consistent with the wage compensation structure of your employer. 

To check your market wage rates by occupation, please visit the Job Bank website (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home)

The BC PNP will not consider bonuses, commissions, profit-sharing distributions, tips/gratuities, overtime wages, housing allowances, room, and board, or other similar payments to be part of your wage. 

If you were originally hired based on a federal Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), the wage you are earning at the time of application must be equal to or greater than the wage stated in the offer of employment and on the LMIA.

Eligibility for the employer

The Skills Immigration streams of the BC PNP require the support of an eligible employer. This means your employer must meet the eligibility criteria and fulfill certain responsibilities for their job offers to be considered valid.  

1. General requirements

Your employer must:

• Be established as an employer in good standing in B.C. and have been operating for at least one year
• Provide full-time, indeterminate (permanent with no set end date) employment
  • Inside Vancouver: At least five full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees.
  • Outside Vancouver: At least three full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees.
• Have a history of good workplace and business practices
• Sign an employer declaration stating that all of these requirements are met
• Meet domestic labor market recruitment requirements, where applicable
• Make you a full-time, indeterminate job offer
• Offer you a wage in line with industry standards

The employer must show that reasonable efforts were made to recruit a Canadian before offering the position to a foreign national. Notably, under the BC PNP, employers are not required to obtain an LMIA for their positions to be valid.

2. Employer responsibilities

As well as meeting the general employer requirements, your employer must:

• Give you a written job offer
• Complete the employer sections 
• Notify the BC PNP if there are any changes in your employment status, includes promotion or termination.

3. Public sector and non-profit employers

Applications from the following public sector and non-profit organizations with a permanent presence are also accepted in B.C.:

• Provincial and regional health care authorities and agencies
• Public post-secondary education and training institutions
• Private, non-profit post-secondary institutions that are registered with The Private Career Training Institutions Agency of BC
• Institutions supported by the Government of Canada or the Province of B.C. that research in natural and applied sciences, engineering, computer and information systems, or health sciences
• Provincial/federal/municipal government organizations and agencies
• Other non-profit groups registered as charitable organizations and incorporated 

Ineligible employers

The BC PNP will not approve applications from:

• Employers involved in producing, distributing or selling pornographic or sexually explicit products, or providing sexually oriented entertainment or services
• Employment agencies and similar firms, unless they are establishing an employer/employee relationship with the applicant
• Any other type of business that tends to bring the BC PNP or the Government of B.C. into disrepute

How to apply?

There are four important stages for the Skills Immigration – Healthcare Professional category:

Step 1. Registration

To start the process, register with Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) –  a management system that allows the BC PNP to select high-impact candidates for the province. It is not an application for permanent residence. 

To register:

• Create an online profile with BCPNP Online
• Complete all sections 
• Submit your registration

You are responsible for updating your contact information and ensuring all required information is current and up-to-date. For more information on registering and applying online, please see the BC PNP Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Technical Guide (PDF, 1MB).

After you submit your registration, you will receive a score based on the information you provide. Your registration will also enter the selection pool for up to twelve months, or until you receive an invitation to apply.

Your registration is considered successfully submitted once you receive a confirmation email that includes your BC PNP registration number. If you do not receive this email, check your email’s “junk” or “spam” folder or set up a new profile using a Gmail email address and re-confirm.

Notably, during the processing time, some factors can affect your score. You need to keep in mind the following: 

Key economic factors:

• The NOC skill level of your job offer. 
• The annual wage you are offered. 
• The location of your employment. 

Factors that influence your ability to settle in B.C.:

• Directly related work experience
• Level of education
• English language proficiency

The BC PNP reserves the right to make changes to SIRS without prior notice, including changes to the scoring grids, the length of time your registration remains in the selection pool, and the number and frequency of registrants invited to apply. 

Step 2. Invitation

Invitations are issued based on the BC PNP’s annual nomination allocation and processing capacity. However, registration does not guarantee that you will be invited to apply.

Your registration score will be ranked alongside others. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite the highest-scoring registrants to apply under the SISR. 

If you have not been invited to apply within 12 months of registration, your registration will be automatically removed from the selection pool. You may wish to improve your score and register again. 

Step 3. Application

If you are invited to apply, you have up to 30 days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via BCPNP Online. Your application requires a $700 processing fee. 

If you are invited to apply but do not submit a complete application by the deadline, your registration will be removed from the selection pool and your registration and invitation will be canceled. You may submit a new registration at any time. 

Your application will be assessed according to the Provincial Immigration Programs Act and Provincial Immigration Programs Regulation and the specific criteria of your Skills Immigration category. If approved, you will receive a nomination that you can use to apply for permanent residence. 

Step 4. Nomination

If your application is approved, you or your authorized representative will receive:

• Confirmation of nomination
• A nomination package of the next steps to submit your federal application for permanent residence 

After receiving your BC PNP confirmation of nomination, please submit a complete application for permanent residence to the designated IRCC visa office. You must submit your application before the expiry date listed on your nomination certificate.

A nomination by the BC PNP does not authorize you to work while IRCC is processing your application. If you want to work in B.C. during this period, ensure you have the authorization to work while in Canada.

If you do not have a work permit or your work permit has expired (or is about to expire), you must apply to IRCC for a work permit. The BC PNP cannot apply for a work permit on your behalf. However, they may provide a work permit support letter for your application.

Requests for work permit support letters from provincial nominees are accepted if all of the following are met:

• Nominated by the BC PNP
• Submitted your application to IRCC before your nomination certificate expired
• Continue to meet the conditions of nomination
• Current work permit expires within 120 days

Supporting documents

The following documentation is required for both you and your employers when submitting a Skills Immigration application to the BCPNP Online system. 

The nominee applicant must provide: 

• Copy of Canadian immigration records (if applicable) 
• Valid B.C. drivers license (if required by the employment offer) 
• Copy of biographical page of the passport 
• Current photograph 
• Copy of LMIA (if applicable)
• Copy of education and/or training certificates 
• Copy of official education transcripts 
• Copy of Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) (if applicable) 
• Copy of Official Language Test Results (if applicable) 
• Current resume/CV 
• Spouse or Common-Law partner’s B.C. employment record (if applicable) 

The B.C. employer must provide: 

• BC PNP job offer form 
• Employer recommendation letter 
• Copy of the offer of employment 
• Detailed job description 
• Company information 
• Copy of the Certificate of Incorporation (or legal equivalent) 
• Copy of the valid municipal 
• Business License Evidence of recruitment efforts (if applicable)

If your documents are not in English, you must provide a certified translation with photocopies of the originals. Documents must be stamped and certified by an authorized person to notarize documents as accurate translations.

Cost

If invited to apply, you must submit the $700 application fee before your application is processed. Incomplete applications will not be approved, and application fees will only be refunded if you withdraw your application before the BC PNP begins to assess it.

You may contact the BC PNP by sending an email to withdraw your application and find out if you are eligible for a refund. Provide your full name, date of birth, and BC PNP application file number in your email. Withdrawal requests submitted in-person or through voicemail will not be accepted.

After the application

If the BC PNP refuses an application, that person has a right to request a review of the decision. All requests must be made within 30 days of the date of the decision notice if the applicant is a resident in Canada, or 60 days if the applicant is not a resident in Canada. 

For a request for review, residence in Canada is determined by the applicant’s residential address on the request form. 

A new registration/application to the BC PNP may not be submitted until your request for review is withdrawn or otherwise resolved. A person whose approval has been withdrawn is not entitled to have that decision reviewed by the BC PNP. 

The complete request for review must: 

• Be in writing and submitted through BCPNP Online 
• Identify the grounds for the request 
• Provide any information the BC PNP requests 
• Pay the $200 non-refundable fee 

A review is not a chance to submit new evidence or re-argue the evidence submitted in your application. Being unsatisfied with the final decision or a component of the decision is not sufficient grounds to vary or reverse a decision. 

Important information for those who choose to submit a request for review: 

• Only the applicant named on the decision notice may request a review. 
• An applicant may only submit a request to review. The review process is limited to Skills Immigration nomination refusals. 
• The residential address provided in the online request for review form must be the applicant’s current residential address. Forms whose authorized representative’s address will not be processed. 
• The applicant is responsible for outlining how the decision was unreasonable or procedurally unfair. The review will be based on this information. 
• The review will be conducted based on the program criteria and evidence available at the time the application was declined. 
• You will receive an email confirming your request has been received.