WHAT IS BCPNP?

BRITISH COLUMBIA PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM (BCPNP)

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) is an economic immigration program that allows qualified candidates to acquire permanent residence status in British Columbia. The province nominates certain individuals that can fill up the labour shortages or who are planning to establish or purchase a business in British Columbia. This program is operated by British Columbia government and federal government, so the whole application is usually divided into two sections; one for British Columbia and the other for federal application.

There are total 3 major pathways under BCPNP; Skills Immigration, Express Entry BC and Entrepreneur Immigration. Skills immigration is for skilled or semi-skilled foreign workers in high-demand occupations in BC. Express Entry BC is for eligible skilled workers and the process is usually faster than skills immigration. Entrepreneur immigration is for experienced entrepreneurs who are intending to operate a business in BC.

If the eligible applicant applies for one of the above three streams and his/her work permit expires soon, then the applicant may be allowed to extend their work permits. For instance, if the applicant already has a nomination from British Columbia and have already submitted a federal application, then the applicant can use this to apply for a work permit (Bridging Open Work Permit).

The eligibility requirements, processing times, required government fees and documents are all different for each stream, so keeping a close attention to the required details are essential for the success of the candidate’s application.