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BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
BC Provincial Nominee Program permits B.C. to select foreign workers and international graduates who have the skills and experience to contribute to B.C.'s economy. This program also selects entrepreneur who are interested to invest in business and create jobs for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
The BC PNP is operated by the British Columbia Province in partnership with the federal government through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The BC PNP assesses applications and nominates candidates for permanent residence. CIC takes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to potential applicants. The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) targets to accelerate the process for applicants wishing to obtain Canadian permanent resident status.
There are twomain streams under BC Provincial Nominee Program:
Skills Immigration Stream;
Entrepreneur I Immigration Stream;
SKILLS IMMIGRATION STREAM
There are five sub- categories under this stream:
Skilled Workers
To be eligible under this the following requirements must be met:
Candidate must have been offered a job by an employer from B.C. in a skilled occupation;
There must be a positive demand and/or outlook for the particular occupation;
The wages offered must be comparable to what is commonly offered in B.C. for the occupation;
The candidate must have the education and experience required to perform the job offered;
The employment offer must be written and meet certain criteria, including being for a full time and indeterminate position;
The employer must meet certain criteria, such as having a place of business in the province;
The candidate must be supposed to have the ability to become economically established in B.C.;
Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Workers
This category is targeted at temporary foreign workers who are already in B.C. working in the following occupations: hospitality/tourism services, long-haul trucking and food processing. The two year "Northeast Pilot Project" allows a broader range of semi-skilled occupations based on the location of employment. To be eligible under this the following requirements must be met:
Employment offer in a qualifying occupation such as Tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking or food processing industries. (Other occupations under NOC Skill levels C and D may qualify if the employment is in the Northeast Development Region);
Candidate has been employed full time by the B.C. employer making the job offer for at least 9 consecutive months;
Wages offered are comparable to prevalent wages for the occupation in B.C;
Candidate has completed minimum 12 years of formal education;
Candidate proves basic proficiency in one of Canada's official languages;
Candidate must meet any regulatory or licensing requirements for the position offered;
Candidate is deemed to have the ability to become economically established in B.C.;
Employer must meet certain criteria, such as having a place of business in B.C.
International Graduates
This category is targeted at foreign nationals who have graduated from Canadian post-secondary institutions. The following are the requirements under this category:
Must have obtained an eligible degree or diploma from a Canadian post-secondary institution following a program of at least 12 months of full time studies within the two years preceding application;
Have a full time job offer from a B.C. Employer for an occupation under NOC Skill Levels O, A, or B. Other occupations may be considered under certain circumstances;
Wages offered should be equivalent to prevailing wages for the position in B.C.;
The candidate must have the required education and experience to perform the job offered, but no previous experience is required;
The employer must meet certain criteria, such as having a place of business in the province;
The candidate must be supposed to have the ability to become economically established in B.C.;
International Post-Graduates
International Post-Graduates category allows certain graduates of B.C. post-secondary institution to settle in the province. No job offer is mandatory to apply in this category. Potential applicants will meet the following requirements:
Completed an eligible Masters or Doctoral degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in B.C. in a designated field of study within the 2 years preceding their application submission;
Establish their intention to settle in B.C.;
Must have the ability to become economically established in B.C.
Health Care Professionals
Applicants under this category can be nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurses,registered nurses, physicians or allied health professionals, recruited by provincial and regional health authorities administered through Health Match BC and who meet the following requirements:
Registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners must have a full-time and indeterminate job offer from one of B.C.'s regional health authorities or the Provincial Health Services Authority, and be registered with the College of Registered Nurses of B.C. or with the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of B.C.;
Physicians must be sponsored by one of B.C.'s regional health authorities or the Provincial Health Services Authority and need a positive assessment from their supervising physician attested by a letter from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.;
Midwives must be registered with the College of Midwives of B.C. and have been accepted into an established practice group in B.C. for at least 6 months;
Allied health professionals must have a full-time indeterminate employment offer from one of B.C.'s regional health authorities or the Provincial Health Services Authority and must be registered with the provincial licensing department that regulates their profession.
BUSINESS IMMIGRANTS
This category is aimed to accelerate immigration for qualified entrepreneurs wishing to establish business in B.C. and become Canadian permanent residents. The PNP establishes nomination aims for the program and, as such, priority is given to candidates demonstrating the highest prospective to create a successful business and to contribute economic benefits. Currently, successful applicants must sign a performance agreement with the province. They are invited by province on a work permit to establish their business and only nominated for permanent residence once the terms of the agreement have been met.There are three sub-categories of Business Immigrants, a processing fee of CAD 3000 being charged to candidates in each of the three categories.
Entrepreneur Category
Candidates under this category must meet the following criteria:
Must prove a personal net worth of at least $800,000;
Must make a personal investment of at least $400 000 to establish or purchase and expand an eligible business in B.C.;
Participate in the day-to-day management and direction or the business;
Must create at least three jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents;
Sign a performance agreement with B.C. prior to nomination;
Candidates in the Entrepreneur category is eligible to sponsor a key staff member for Canadian permanent residence.
Regional Entrepreneur Category
Business candidates under this category must meet the following criteria:
Must demonstrate a personal net worth of at least $400,000;
Must make a personal investment of at least $200,000 to establish or purchase and grow an eligible business in B.C. outside the Vancouver metropolitan area and the Abbotsford metropolitan area;
Must create at least one new job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
Participation in the day-to-day management and direction or the business;
Sign a performance agreement with B.C. prior to nomination.
Strategic Projects Category
This category permits foreign-controlled companies establishing an eligible business in B.C. with the timely entry of foreign key managerial, professional or technical staff who are interested to become permanent residents of Canada and settle in B.C. The key requirement is that they must make a minimum equity investment of $500,000.