The Canadian province of British Columbia issued a total of 340 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination in its first draws of 2018, which took place on January 3 and 10.
In these draws, which included a tech-focused draw, the number of invitations increased and the cut-off score for four out of the five categories involved decreased. The January 10 draw only invited candidates through the province's Tech Pilot initiative. BC did not specify how many ITAs have been issued in the tech-only draw.
The cut-off scores in the latest draw were:
• Skills Immigration — Skilled Worker: 75
• Skills Immigration — International Graduate: 70
• Skills Immigration — Entry Level and Semi-Skilled: 40
• Express Entry BC — Skilled Worker: 75
• Express Entry BC — International Graduate: 70
A portion of the candidates in the January 3 draw received an invitation through one the BC PNP's Express Entry-aligned sub-categories. Those candidates are now in a position to apply as a selected applicant for PR. A successful nomination results in applicants receiving 600 additional points under the pointing system and an invitation to apply at a subsequent draw from the federal Express Entry pool. It is important to note that an invitation to apply for the BC PNP is not the same as the ITA issued at the federal Express Entry level.
The remaining candidates under the Skilled Immigration sub-categories will have their applications for permanent residence processed outside Express Entry if they receive a nomination from BC.
Individuals interested in immigrating to Canada, and who meet the eligibility criteria for one of the BC PNP's categories, are required to create an online profile and complete all sections of the BC PNP registration form. Applicants receive a score based on the information they supply and are entered into the selection pool for the immigration category they selected.
In order to be considered under the BC PNP, most candidates must have an indeterminate, full-time job offer from an employer in the province who is willing to support them through the application
