What is EEBC – Healthcare Professional?
In an effort to attract more health care professionals, the Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) – Healthcare Professional allows eligible applicants to put their valuable skills to work in the province and get permanent residence.
EEBC also connects to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry system, which results in significantly reduced processing times of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) application and permanent residence application for potential candidates.
Health Match BC
EEBC has a free health recruitment and placement service called Health Match BC. To help find a job in your field with one of B.C.’s health authorities. This center is very recommended if you are looking for opportunities to work as a health care professional in B.C.
Besides, the staff can answer your questions about the BC PNP and assist you with your application.
You can reach for their help via this link.
Eligibility
To qualify for the EEBC – Healthcare Professional category, you must have the following:
- An Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code from the IRCC Express Entry system
- An offer of full-time, indeterminate employment from a public health authority
- Qualify to work in your occupation in B.C
- At least two years of directly related full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience
- Proof of your ability to support yourself and your dependents
- Eligibility for legal immigration status in Canada
- Minimum language requirements
- A wage offer in line with B.C. wage rates for the occupation
Let’s get into detail.
1. An Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code
Applicants can get their Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code from the IRCC Express Entry system. These are specific numbers assigned only to you. This shows you meet the minimum criteria for one of the eligible federal economic immigration programs:
2. An offer of employment
You must have the support of or a full-time, indeterminate job offer (a permanent job with no set end date) from a public health authority as a:
- physician
- specialist
- registered nurse
- registered psychiatric nurse
- nurse practitioner
- allied health professional such as a:
- diagnostic medical sonographer
- clinical pharmacist
- medical laboratory technologist
- medical radiation technologist
- occupational therapist
- physiotherapist
Or:
- midwife:
- have a letter of confirmation from an established practice group in B.C. confirming you as an affiliated midwife for at least six months. This letter must be on the official letterhead and signed by you and the head of the practice group.
- must be registered, or eligible to be registered, with the College of Midwives of British Columbia (more information about the condition here.
3. Qualification to work in B.C.
The BC PNP may refer to the National Occupational Classification (NOC), WorkBC or industry standards to determine the minimum qualifications for an occupation. If a person wants to apply under the EEBC- Health Care Professional category, they should check to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B).
4. Work experience
Applicants must have minimum two years of directly related full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in the skilled occupation that has been offered, and, if applicable, the credentials and qualification requirements of the position.
If the offered position requires certification or licensing, you must provide documentation at the time of application, showing that you meet these requirements, or how it will shortly be met. This experience may be from work performed within Canada or abroad.
5. Minimum Income Requirements
The following are the minimum income thresholds depending on family size. Applicants must show that their, and their spouse’s, if applicable, annual wage in B.C. meets the income requirement. Bonuses, commissions, tips, living allowances, or overtime are 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
6. Eligibility for legal immigration
The BC PNP will not nominate someone who does not meet the eligibility for legal immigration status. Please review carefully the program requirements and beware of cases that you cannot apply.
Candidates should not apply when:
- Prohibited from entering Canada;
- Out of status. If an applicant’s status has expired and he or she cannot demonstrate 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.
7. Minimum language requirements
You must meet the minimum language requirements for the Health Care Professional category and provide results from an agency designated by IRCC. Applicants must have adequate knowledge of either English or French to immigrate or work in Canada.
To do this, you must:
- Schedule your test with an agency approved by IRCC and pay the costs
- Enter the test results
- Include the results with your application if you are invited to apply. If you do not include it, your application will not be processed.
Designated language-testing organizations and language tests that are accepted by IRCC:
- English:
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program: the CELPIP-General test.
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System: the General Training option
- French:
- TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français.
- TCF Canada: Test de Connaissance du français.
The language test results are valid for two years. They must be valid throughout your application process, as well as when you submit a complete application to IRCC for permanent residence. Please note that IRCC will decline EEBC applications with expired language test results.
If you already had the test results from one of the approved testing agencies above. Use these tools to calculate your CLB level:
8. A wage offer
The wage stated on your offer of employment must be at market rate and comparable to the rate for workers with a similar level of experience and training for equivalent jobs in B.C. It needs to be consistent with the wage compensation structure of your employer as well.
The BC PNP will not consider bonuses, commissions, profit-sharing distributions, tips/gratuities, overtime wages, housing allowances, or other similar payments to be part of your wage.
If you were originally hired based on a positive federal Labour Market Impact Assessment, 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 Labour Market Impact Assessment.
To check your market wage rates by occupation, use the Job Bank website.
The employer’s eligibility
The Skills Immigration and EEBC streams require the support of an eligible employer. Meaning your employer must meet the eligibility criteria and fulfill certain responsibilities to support your BC PNP application.
1. General employer’s requirements
Your employer must:
- Be in good standing in B.C.
- Provide full-time, indeterminate (permanent with no set end date) employment
- Have a history of good workplace and business practices
- Sign an employer declaration
- Meet domestic labor market recruitment requirements
- Make you a full-time, indeterminate job offer
- Offer 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
Applications from the following public sector and non-profit organizations with a permanent presence in B.C. are also accepted:
- Provincial and regional health care authorities and agencies
- Public post-secondary education and training institutions
- Private, non-profit post-secondary institutions in 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 under the Society Act or the Canada Corporations Ac
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 have an employer/employee relationship with the applicant
- Any other type of business that by association would tend to bring the BC PNP or the Government of British Columbia into disrepute.
How does it work?
EEBC — HealthCare Professional applicants do not need to register and may proceed directly to the application via BCPNP Online with the Express Entry profile number and a Job Seeker validation code received earlier. Please carefully review the program and category requirements before completing your registration.
To apply:
- Create an online profile with BCPNP Online
- Complete all sections
- Submit your application
After application, you get a score based on various factors. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite the highest-scoring registrants. However, during processing, many factors can affect your score. Be extra careful with these sections.
- Key economic factors:
- NOC skill level of the B.C. job offer.
- The annual wage of the offered job.
- The location of employment
- Factors influence your ability to settle in B.C.:
- Directly-related work experience
- Level of education
- English language proficiency
Important notes:
- One active registration at a time
- Your application is valid only for the category that you have selected
- After you have completed your application, you will receive a confirmation email includes your BC PNP registration number. If you do not receive this email, please 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, withdraw your registration and submit a new registration with the updated information. This will be done using your existing profile.
- The email and contact information provided in your profile will be used for communication. So the email address must match the one entered for the applicant or the representative in the BCPNP Online profile.
- Make sure your profile and registration information is up-to-date, as it may lead to refusal of your application.
- Check the most up-to-date information regarding the status of your registration at any time by logging in to see your profile dashboard
- If you would like confirmation that your e-mail messages to the BC PNP have been received, please enable delivery receipts and/or read receipts in your email client.
For more information about how to complete the online registration and application, please refer to the BC PNP Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Technical Guide (PDF, 1MB).
Your application will be processed according to the Provincial Immigration Programs Act and Provincial Immigration Programs Regulation and the criteria specific to your Express Entry BC category. If approved, you will receive a nomination that you can use to apply for permanent residence.
Please note that if at the time your application is assessed, your points total is determined to be lower than the minimum draw score at the time you were invited to apply, your application will be refused.
Nomination Decision
If your application is approved, you will receive a nomination for permanent residence. You have six months from the date on your confirmation of nomination to apply to IRCC for a permanent resident visa. IRCC will assess your application and determine whether you will be granted a permanent resident visa.
However, you must maintain the conditions of your nomination while you are waiting for a decision.
If IRCC approves your permanent residence application, you will be issued a permanent resident visa which will enable you to become a permanent resident of Canada.
Once you have become a permanent resident or your application has been refused, your BC PNP file will be considered closed and no additional BC PNP support will be provided.
Required documentation
The following list is for when submitting an EEBC application.
The nominee applicant must provide:
- Copy of Canadian immigration records (if applicable)
- Copy of biographical page of the passport
- Current photograph
- Copy of LMO / LMIA (if applicable)
- Copy of Official Language Test Results (if applicable)
- Copy of education and/or training certificates
- Copy of Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) (if applicable)
- Current resume/CV
- Copy of Express Entry Candidacy from IRCC
Your employer from the B.C. Health Authority must also provide:
- BC PNP job offer form (midwives can upload their letter of confirmation from the practice group instead)
- Employer recommendation letter
- Copy of the offer of employment
Cost
Your application requires a $700 processing fee. You can pay it on the BC PNP Online after fulfilling all the information. Incomplete applications will not be approved, and you can only get a refund if you withdraw the application before the processing.
You may contact the BC PNP to withdraw your application and find out if you are eligible for a refund. Please provide your full name, your date of birth, and your BC PNP application file number in your email request. Withdrawal requests submitted in-person or through voicemail will not be accepted.
Once the payment is successful, your application will be submitted and you will receive an emailed receipt. You will also see receipt details on your dashboard.
When Not to Apply
Cases candidates should not apply:
- Prohibited from entering Canada;
- Out of status. If an applicant’s status has expired and he or she cannot demonstrate 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.
Request for Review
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 of the date of the decision notice if the applicant is not a resident in Canada.
The residence in Canada is determined by the applicant’s residential address indicated on the request for review 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 under the internal review process.
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:
- Only the applicant named on the decision notice may request a review.
- The residential address provided in the online request must be the applicant’s current residential address. The authorized representative’s address will not be considered.
- The applicant is responsible for outlining how the decision was unreasonable or procedurally unfair. The review will be based on the information provided by the applicant.
- The review will be conducted based on the program criteria and evidence available at the time the application was declined.
- Applicants will receive an email confirming your request has been received.
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