The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Skilled Worker category can help skilled workers in high-demand occupations such as management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation gain permanent residence in B.C.
To qualify, you must first accept a valid job offer from a B.C. employer and have the relevant training and experience.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible, you MUST meet ALL the following criteria:
1. EMPLOYMENT FROM A B.C. EMPLOYER
Have accepted a full-time or indeterminate job offer (a permanent job, or one with no set end date) from a B.C. employer.
The occupation must be at either the managerial (Skill Level 0), professional (Skill Level A) or technical (Skill Level B) levelthe Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) .
2. WORK EXPERIENCE
Have 2 years of work experience in the skilled occupation that has been offered to you in the job offer.
This means you have worked at least 30 hours per week for 2 years in the skilled occupation.
| Example | Full Time | Part Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours worked per week* | 30 hrs | 15 hrs | |
| Weeks | 104 | 208 | |
| Total | 3,120 hrs | 3,120 hrs | |
* Any hours over 30 is not eligible; part-time workers can work more or less than 15 hours per week as long as it adds up to 3,120 hours.
The work experience must have been in a managerial (Skill Level 0), professional (Skill Level A) or technical (Skill Level B) job.
You must show that you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the National Occupational Classification. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed. Additionally have a wage offer in line with B.C. wage rates for the occupation.
Experience obtained in paid co-op work terms is eligible if it was at least 30 hours per week of work and was at a NOC skill level equal or greater to the NOC code of the job offer.
3. EMPLOYMENT OFFER
Have accepted in writing a full-time, indeterminate job offer (a permanent job, or one with no set end date) in an ELSS-eligible occupation from an eligible B.C. employer.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Job offer (Full-Time) | Job offer must:
|
Employers cannot make any deductions from your pay or require you to pay any fees for recruitment or retention.
4. EDUCATION
Show proof of at least your secondary (high school) education credential whether earned in Canada or in another country.
Having a valid post-secondary education credential improves your selection scoring under the Comprehensive Ranking System.
| Locale | Education |
|---|---|
| Canada |
|
| Foreign |
|
5. PROOF OF FUNDS
You must show that you have sufficient income to support your family's cost of living in the B.C. community where you will reside and work.
| Family Income Threshold by Area of Residence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of family members | Greater Vancouver Regional District | Rest of B.C. |
| 1 | $22,804 | $19,006 |
| 2 | $28,390 | $23,659 |
| 3 | $34,902 | $29,087 |
| 4 | $42,376 | $35,316 |
| 5 | $48,062 | $40,054 |
| 6 | $54,205 | $45,175 |
| 7 or more | $60,350 | $50,296 |
6. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE LEVEL
If your job offer is for a Skill Level 0 or A occupation, you are not required to submit valid language test results though the BC PNP may require valid test results to verify sufficient language proficiency to perform he duties fo the position.
If your job offer is for a Skill Level B occupation, you must submit valid test results for least one of Canada's official languages, English or French, showing you have obtained a minimum score equal to or greater than Benchmark 4 in all four language abilities: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
| First Official Language | Abilities | Minimum level for NOC B Occupations* |
|---|---|---|
| English or French | Speaking | 4 |
| Listening | 4 | |
| Reading | 4 | |
| Writing | 4 |
* If English is First Official Language: Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)
If French: Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC)
Language tests results are valid for two (2) years after the date of the test result.
Your test results must be valid on the day your immigration application is submitted.
7. WHERE YOU CAN LIVE IN CANADA
Plan to live in British Columbia. For you to qualify for a provincial nominee program you must reside in the province that nominates you.
8. ADMISSIBILITY
Be admissible to Canada. You and your family members must not be inadmissible to Canada for security, criminal or medical reasons.
