BC Invites 377 Workers and Graduates to Immigrate in March 8 BC PNP Draw

A total of 377 candidates for immigration to British Columbia, Canada have been invited to apply to the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) in a draw that took place on March 8. This is the third such draw to have taken place in the last three weeks, with other candidates having been invited to apply on February 17 and February 23, respectively.

All Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued on March 8 were issued across a range of BC PNP sub-categories managed under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), a unique system used to rank and select candidates under certain BC PNP sub-categories.

Some individuals issued ITA are now in a position to submit their BC PNP provincial nomination application through one of the enhanced BC PNP sub-categories aligned with the federal Express Entry selection system. The remaining candidates will have their applications processed outside the Express Entry system at the federal level.

Please note that the ITA with respect to the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.

Graduates continue to benefit

Similar to the previous draw, the the majority of ITAs issued on March 8 were issued to international graduates who had completed their studies in Canada.

International students and post-graduate workers in Canada can join the CanadaVisa Study Hub to access a range of tools and resources to assist in studying, working, and settling in Canada permanently.

March 8 BC PNP Draw

The only sub-category that saw a change in the number of points required in order for a candidate to receive an ITA since the previous draw was the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled sub-category.

Stream/category Minimum score Points Difference Since Feb 17 Draw Number of invitations Aligned with Express Entry?
Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker 90 None 68 Yes
Express Entry BC – International Graduate 70 None 99 Yes
Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker 90 None 60 No
Skills Immigration – International Graduate 70 None 112 No
Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled 65 -5 38 No
Express Entry BC Stream

This stream of the BC PNP is aligned with the Express Entry system, and applications under this stream may receive priority processing at the provincial and federal levels. Consequently, individuals in this stream must be eligible for one of the three Federal economic programs — Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) — in order to enter the federal Express Entry pool. Individuals in the Express Entry pool who have a provincial nomination certificate from BC receive 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which means the individual will receive in an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker

The Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category is for international skilled workers who have post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a professional, management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation. Candidates must be eligible to enter the federal Express Entry pool. This category is aligned with the federal Express Entry system.

Learn more about the Express Entry BC – Skilled Worker category.

Express Entry BC – International Graduate

International graduates who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within the past two years may be eligible to apply under the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category. Interestingly, this category is open to eligible graduates who graduated from a university or college in any location in Canada; it is not restricted to graduates from BC universities and colleges. This category is also aligned with the federal Express Entry system.

Learn more about the Express Entry BC – International Graduate category.

Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker

This base category is open to workers with post-secondary education or training and employment experience in a skilled occupation. A job offer is required.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker category.

Skills Immigration – International Graduate

This category is for international students who have graduated from a Canadian university or college within two years of applying to the BC PNP. While applicants do not necessarily need prior work experience, applicants are required to obtain a job offer from a B.C. employer.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – International Graduate category.

Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled

This category is open to candidates who may not be eligible for other Canadian immigration programs, as it allows certain non-skilled workers to apply for permanent residence. Candidates must work in an eligible occupation within the tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, or food processing industries, or in a NOC skill level C or D occupation in the Northeast Development Region of the province.

Learn more about the Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category.

Guaranteed Invitations
Candidates who achieve or exceed the following registration scores will receive an Invitation to Apply in the next draw for his or her chosen category.

Category Minimum score
Skills Immigration - Skilled Worker 135
Skills Immigration - International Graduate 105
Skills Immigration - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled 95
Express Entry BC - Skilled Worker 135
Express Entry BC - International Graduate 105