The province of British Columbia in Canada has announced plans to update its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) selection criteria, by introducing 3 new immigration streams that will take effect from January 2025.
The new immigration streams will replace the current International Graduate and International Post-Graduate streams.
The aim of this is to bolster the province’s economy and provide support to international workers and students.
Nairametrics learns that the province will still maintain its focus on inviting candidates with job offers in priority occupations such as healthcare, construction, and early childhood education.
About the 3 immigration streams
These immigration streams are:
The Bachelor’s stream which will target recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions and a full-time job offer.
Master’s Stream which will cater to recent graduates with master’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions, regardless of field of study, coupled with a minimum one-year full-time job offer.
Doctorate stream is designed for graduates and candidates of PhD programs from eligible post-secondary institutions.
In addition, language requirements will be heightened for most streams, aiming for a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark level 8 in the new graduate streams, while current levels vary by occupation/category but are generally lower.
Detailed updates will be provided by the government in late 2024, with ongoing reporting on relevant developments.
What to know about BC Provincial Nominee Program
The B.C Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an economic immigration program. It lets the Province select economic immigrants who will live in B.C. and help fill job vacancies or operate businesses.
The program is designed to bring immigrants who are skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors and workers in sectors with labour shortages.
Anyone who is nominated, can apply with their family to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence in Canada.
The BC PNP has two main components:
- Skills Immigration is for workers and recent graduates with the skills, experience and qualifications needed by B.C. employers.
- Entrepreneur Immigration is for experienced entrepreneurs who intend to create and actively manage a business in the province.
