BC PNP – Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker Stream

What is BC PNP – Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker?

The Skills Immigration (SI) – Skilled Worker category of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is for people with the skills, experience, and qualifications needed by B.C. employers. It is a way for workers to gain permanent residence in B.C.

BC Skilled Worker prioritizes the nomination of immigrants who have an offer of employment and a high likelihood of contributing to the BC labor force.

Requirements / Eligibility

 To qualify for this category, applicants in the Skills Immigration stream must:

• Have accepted a full-time, indeterminate job offer (a permanent job with no set end date) from a B.C. employer. 
• Be qualified to perform the duties of the job
• Have at least two years of directly related work experience
• Have proof of supporting yourself and your dependents
• Be eligible for legal immigration status in Canada
• Meet minimum language requirements (for NOC skill level B occupations) 
• Have a wage offer in line with B.C. wage rates for the occupation

1. Job offer

Candidates must have a valid job offer for full-time, indeterminate employment from a B.C. employer. Positions that require the employee to spend the majority of time outside of B.C. do not qualify.

Notably, the BC PNP job offer does not need to be supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). But instead, it must be for work at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0, A, or B.

The job offer must include the following:

• Job title and duties 
• Rate of pay
• Standard hours of work 
• The indeterminate, 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

Search for your offered job and its NOC, using this link: http://noc.esdc.gc.ca/English/noc/welcome.aspx?ver=16

Also, 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 your acceptance for the job offer 

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

2. Qualification for the job

The BC PNP may refer to the NOC, Work BC or industry standards to determine the minimum qualifications for an occupation. If a person wants to apply under the BC PNP – Skill Immigration – Skilled Workers category, he or she should check to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B). 

3. Work Experience

Candidates must have at least two years of directly related full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in the same occupation as the job offer. 

Experience obtained in paid work must meet the following criteria: 

• Full-time work (minimum of 30 hours per week) and 
• A NOC skill level equal to or greater than the NOC code of the job offer. At the time of application, you must demonstrate how this work experience is directly related 

Unpaid work and experience in a lower skill level NOC is not considered eligible. The experience may be from work performed within Canada or abroad.

If the offered position requires mandatory certification, licensing or registration, you must provide documentation at the time of application to the BC PNP, showing that you meet these requirements, or how these requirements will shortly be met.

4. Settlement Funds

All candidates for this stream must meet the minimum income requirements and pay for housing and living expenses in B.C by providing:

• The annual wage in B.C.
• Location of residence in B.C.
• 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

5. Eligibility for legal immigration 

The BC PNP will not process any cases whose the applicant is not eligible for legal immigration status in Canada. Please review carefully the program and the category requirement.

Candidates will not receive a nomination if they:

• Are prohibited from entering Canada;
• Are currently in Canada but out of status. If an applicant’s status has expired and they cannot demonstrate their application for a restoration of status with 90 days, the applicant will be considered out of status. 
• Are currently working in Canada without authorization;
• Have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada; or
• Are under a removal order in or outside of Canada.

6. Language Proficiency

For occupations classified as NOC level B, applicants must demonstrate sufficient language proficiency in English or French by submitting language test results with 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.

For occupations classified as NOC level 0 or A, no language test results are necessary unless the applicant is claiming points for language. However, the BC PNP may require language test results as its discretion to determine whether the applicant has the language proficiency to perform the duties of the position.

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

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

7. Wage offer

The wages for the position must be competitive when compared to average provincial wages for the occupation. It must be at the market rate and consistent with the wage compensation structure of your employer. 

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

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

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. 

The employer’s eligibility 

Your employer must meet specific requirements to support your application. He or she may be required to provide financial statements or other documents as supporting evidence. 

1. General employer requirements:

Your employer must:

• Be established as an employer in good standing in B.C. and have operated for at least one year
• Provide full-time, indeterminate employment with the minimum employee requirements:
• Inside Vancouver: at least five full-time employees
• Outside Vancouver: at least three full-time employees
• Have a history of good workplace and business practices
• Sign an employer declaration
• 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

2. Employer responsibilities: 

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

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

3. Public sector and non-profit employers:

The 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 under 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

4. 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 registrant and/or applicant
• Any other type of business that tends to bring the BC PNP or the Government of B.C. into disrepute.

Besides, the BC PNP may consider an application where the employer does not meet the minimum requirements, including but not limited to, registered businesses that are regular partnerships or sole proprietorships. To be considered, the employer must, at the time of application, make a compelling business case in writing that demonstrates how the nomination will generate significant economic benefits to B.C.

Finally, the employer must demonstrate that reasonable efforts were made to recruit a Canadian to fill the position before offering the position to a foreign national. 

How to apply?

There are four important stages in the Skill Immigration process:

1. Registration

To start the process, please register for the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) for the assessment of your conditions. You are responsible for updating contact information in your profile and ensuring that all required information is current and up-to-date. 

Registration is not an application to the BC PNP or a guarantee that you will be invited to apply. 

To register:

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

There is no registration fee. Only one registration is active at a time and it is valid for the category that you have selected.

When submitting, you get a registration score based on various factors. You then go into a selection pool for your chosen category and stay there for up to 12 months, or until you receive an invitation to apply.

Many factors can affect your score. Make sure you carefully review the program and category requirements before registering. 

Some factors you need to keep in mind are: 

Key economic factors:

• The NOC skill level of your B.C. 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 has the right to make changes 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 invited registrants. 

Please ensure that you have received a confirmation email that includes your BC PNP registration number after you have completed your registration. 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.

If you need to make changes to the information in your registration, withdraw your registration and submit a new one with the updated information. This will be done using your existing profile. 

For more information on registering and applying online, please refer to the BC PNP Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Technical Guide (PDF, 1MB).

2. Invitations 

Candidates who have entered the selection pool will be ranked alongside others in the chosen category. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite the highest-scoring registrants to apply. The number and frequency of invitations are based on annual nomination allocations and processing capacity. Information about invitations is posted shortly after the date of issuance. Please check back frequently, you just need to log into your BC PNP profile.  

Invited candidates will have up to 30 days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BC PNP online system. Those who are invited but do not submit a complete application within 30 days will have their registration removed from the selection pool and invitation canceled.

An invitation to apply does not guarantee that an application will be approved for nomination. Candidates who have not been invited to apply within 12 months of registration will be automatically removed from the selection pool. You can prepare a new registration at this point.

3. Application 

After receiving an invitation to apply, Skilled Worker candidates can apply online. You have 30 calendar days to apply through BC PNP Online. 

For information about how to apply online, please refer to the BC PNP Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Technical Guide (PDF, 1MB).

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

The BC PNP may refuse an application if:

• The information in the registration is different from the one in the application;
• The candidate is not eligible to receive the points; or
• The application does not meet applicable category requirements in effect at the time the application was made.

4. Nomination

If the application is approved, candidates then have six months from the date of confirmation of the provincial nomination to apply to IRCC for permanent resident status. During the process, you and your employer must also include the following documentation to the BC PNP as a requirement of online application. 

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 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 a person officially authorized to notarize documents as accurate translations. It must also contain the date of translation, the translator’s signature, and certification number.

Cost

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

Contact the BC PNP through email to withdraw your application. 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.

Change of information

Please note that the information in your registration was locked when you submitted your registration. The BC PNP will not make corrections, and will not change the category under which you registered. Make sure your information is up-to-date, as differences between the information in your registration and your application may lead to refusal.  

 Inform the BC PNP if there is a change in your circumstances. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Change of employer
• Change of job title and duties
• Decrease in salary
• Change in the number of dependants
• Change in immigration status

After the application

If the BC PNP refuses an application, he or she 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 of the date of the decision notice if the applicant is not a resident in Canada.  

A new registration/application 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 under the internal review process. 

The complete request for review must: 

• Be in writing and submitted through BC PNP 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 is not sufficient grounds to vary or reverse a decision. 

For those who choose to submit a request for review: 

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