British Columbia Invites 464 Candidates Under PNP in Two New Draws

British Columbia, a Canadian province, invites applications from 365 Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates to get provincial nomination. The invitations were sent under the Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration categories of its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Reportedly, the provincial government had to hold a separate draw to balance the needs in the labor market. Accordingly, 99 candidates with scores of 105 were invited as a result of the second draw. This, in turn, increased the total number of invitees to 464. The imbalance was caused by a large number of applications in some occupations under the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System.

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The second draw was conducted under the SI and EEBC categories and focused on skills under National Occupational Classification (NOC) 0621 or NOC 0631. Both the draws were held on 14 September. 

The BC PNP has already invited over 8,500 candidates under the EEBC (express entry) and SI (Skills Immigration) categories in 2021. While Skilled Workers had a cut-off score of 86, it was 75 for International Graduates for Express Entry BC (EEBC). The province sends out weekly invitations with some specifically meant for the technology sector.

The cut-off scores for the Skills Immigration (SI) subcategories were 90, 77, and 69 for Skilled Worker, International Graduate, and Entry Level/Semi-Skilled respectively.

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What is the International Graduate category?

The International Graduate residency program of the BC PNP is for graduates from Canadian institutions to live and work in the province of British Columbia. It is available under both Express Entry and Skills Immigration.

Candidates should have completed the graduation in the last three years and should have a full-time/non-timebound job contract from a BC employer. The work must be classified under the Skill Type 0 or level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). 

The Express Entry BC (EEBC) International Graduate candidates need an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code to fulfill the requirements of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). They have to submit their applications through the Express Entry system of the IRCC (Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada).

However, candidates under Skills Immigration (SI) – International Graduate category do not have such requirements. They also don’t have to register via the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Candidates invited under Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) get an additional 600 CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) points making it easier to get permanent residence.