British Columbia Skilled Worker

One of the PNP streams of British Columbia that can be both aligned or not with Express Entry

Table of Contents
Last edited:
August 24, 2024

The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP), the Skilled Worker (SW) stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.

BC Skilled Worker – Overview

There are two Skilled Worker (SW) streams under British Columbia’s PNP:

  • one that is aligned with Express Entry (Express Entry BC category), which means that a candidate needs a valid Express Entry profile to be eligible to the stream, and
  • one that is not aligned with Express Entry (Skills Immigration category), meaning that the candidate cannot enjoy the faster processing times of Express Entry.

Both streams have virtually the same eligibility requirements. 

The SW streams have minimum eligibility requirements, however, British Columbia does not send Invitations to Apply to every candidate that meets these minimum criteria. In fact, BCPNP conducts periodic SW draws, and each draw has its own minimum threshold score (out of 200, details in section below) for each of the two SW streams. 
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.

If nominated under the Express Entry category, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply.

BC Skilled Worker – Eligibility

As said earlier, meeting the following minimum eligibility requirements does not necessarily mean that you will receive an invitation to apply from the BCPNP. Each draw has a minimum threshold score, and you will receive an invitation only if your score is equal or above the threshold score. 

There are 4 categories of general eligibility requirements under the Skilled Worker (SW) stream, summarized below.

Job Offer

You must hold an offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from an eligible BC employer. The Job Offer must be in an NOC TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3.
Your job offer does not need to be indeterminate if it is in an eligible tech occupation, or is in NOC 41200 (university professors and lecturers).

The wage stated on your Job Offer must be at market rate and comparable to the rate paid to workers with a similar level of experience and training for equivalent jobs in BC (bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not considered part of your wage).
Depending on the NOC code of the job offer, additional qualification requirements may apply. 

Work experience

You need at least 2 years of directly related full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in your Job Offer’s NOC code (NOC TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3), and, if applicable, the credentials and qualification requirements of the position. 
If the experience was in a co-op work, it can still be eligible if it was paid and full-time.
You can find more information about directly related work experience in the SIRS below.

Language

If the Job Offer’s NOC code is of TEER Category 0 or 1, you do not need language results to be eligible (BCPNP can still ask you to pass a language test, at their own discretion). However, to claim points in the sub-factor of the SIRS, you need French or English language test results. 
If the Job Offer’s NOC code is of TEER Category 2 or 3, you will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 to be eligible.

More information about language proficiency is available in the SIRS section below.

Minimum income

You must demonstrate that you meet minimum income requirements according to your (i) gross annual wage in the Job Offer, (ii) location of residence in BC, and (iii) number of dependants.
You can include your spouse/partner’s gross annual wage if they work in BC.
Bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not included when calculating your wage. 
The annual wage is calculated as: (hourly rate) x (hours worked per week (max 40h)) x (52 weeks a year).

The minimum income requirements as set by BCPNP are presented in the table below.


Specific requirements for the Express Entry category

You need to qualify to one of the three federal programs to be eligible to the SW stream. To understand the eligibility criteria of these three programs, click either on FSWFST or CEC

There are discrepancies between the minimum requirements under the federal programs and the SW stream, so you need to satisfy to the strictest of the two. Language proficiency and level of education requirements are examples of such discrepancies.

If you need to understand how the Express Entry system works, you can follow our 10-step guide

The Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)

You need to register on BCPNP Online (through the SIRS) and fill in the various forms, then you are given a score out of 200 points, that depends on two factors and five sub-factors. Below is the summary table that will let you know how the score is calculated:

 
Each sub-factor’s point distribution is explained in detail below.

1. Human Capital Factors
1.(i). Directly Related Work Experience
You can earn up to 40 points on this sub-factor if you have work experience in the same NOC code as the one related to your Job Offer, either inside or outside Canada. You may still earn these points if your work experience (i) ​is in an NOC code related to the one in the Job Offer, and (ii) if its NOC TEER Category is equal or above the one of the Job Offer’s NOC code. 

1.(ii). Highest Level of Education
You can earn a maximum of 40 points with your highest educational credential. 
The duration of study must exceed six (6) months. Your education is not eligible for points if it is a distance education learning program.

Eligible professional designations in BC

​1.(iii). Language Proficiency in English or French
You can earn up to 40 points depending on your language proficiency in French or English. You need to pass an approved language test, and your scores can be translated to Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Points are awarded according to the lowest CLB score obtained in each of the four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

2. Economic Factors
2.(i). Hourly Wage of the BC Job Offer
The points of this sub-factor depend on the hourly wage in the Job Offer. You can claim up to 55 points.
The BCPNP does not consider bonuses, commissions, profit-sharing distributions, tips/ gratuities, overtime wages, housing allowances, room and board or other similar payments to be part of your wage.
2.(i). Hourly Wage of the BC Job Offer Points
70.00 CAD or more 55
69.00 to $69.99 CAD 54
68.00 to $68.99 CAD 53
67.00 to $67.99 CAD 52
66.00 to $66.99 CAD 51
65.00 to $65.99 CAD 50
64.00 to $64.99 CAD 49
63.00 to $63.99 CAD 48
62.00 to $62.99 CAD 47
61.00 to $61.99 CAD 46
60.00 to $60.99 CAD 45
59.00 to $59.99 CAD 44
58.00 to $58.99 CAD 43
57.00 to $57.99 CAD 42
56.00 to $56.99 CAD 41
55.00 to $55.99 CAD 40
54.00 to $54.99 CAD 39
53.00 to $53.99 CAD 38
52.00 to $52.99 CAD 37
51.00 to $51.99 CAD 36
50.00 to $50.99 CAD 35
49.00 to $49.99 CAD 34
48.00 to $48.99 CAD 33
47.00 to $47.99 CAD 32
46.00 to $46.99 CAD 31
45.00 to $45.99 CAD 30
44.00 to $44.99 CAD 29
43.00 to $43.99 CAD 28
42.00 to $42.99 CAD 27
41.00 to $41.99 CAD 26
40.00 to $40.99 CAD 25
39.00 to $39.99 CAD 24
38.00 to $38.99 CAD 23
37.00 to $37.99 CAD 22
36.00 to $36.99 CAD 21
35.00 to $35.99 CAD 20
34.00 to $34.99 CAD 19
33.00 to $33.99 CAD 18
32.00 to $32.99 CAD 17
31.00 to $31.99 CAD 16
30.00 to $30.99 CAD 15
29.00 to $29.99 CAD 14
28.00 to $28.99 CAD 13
27.00 to $27.99 CAD 12
26.00 to $26.99 CAD 11
25.00 to $25.99 CAD 10
24.00 to $24.99 CAD 9
23.00 to $23.99 CAD 8
22.00 to $22.99 CAD 7
21.00 to $21.99 CAD 6
20.00 to $20.99 CAD 5
19.00 to $19.99 CAD 4
18.00 to $18.99 CAD 3
17.00 to $17.99 CAD 2
16.00 to $16.99 CAD 1
15.99 CAD or less 0
2. (ii). Area of Employment within BC
This sub-factor allocates points based on the region of employment specified in the Job Offer, and additional points based on previous work experience and studies in BC. You can claim up to 25 points.

BC Skilled Worker – Application Process

For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the two Skilled Worker (SW) streams.

(i) For the Express Entry category, candidates must: 

  1. Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSWFST or CEC programs.
  2. Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting “British Columbia” or “All Provinces and Territories”.
  3. Qualify for the minimum SW stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in BCPNP Online.
  4. Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their BCPNP Online profile.
  5. Apply to the SW stream within 30 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
  6. Accept the British Columbia provincial nomination (after the BCPNP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile. 
  7. Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
  8. Apply for permanent residence through your Express Entry profile.

You can check out our 10-step guide for Express Entry for more detailed information and advice.

(ii) For the Skills Immigration category (not aligned with Express Entry), candidates must:

  1. Qualify for the minimum SW stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in BCPNP Online.
  2. Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their BCPNP Online profile.
  3. Apply to the SW stream within 30 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
  4. Apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination. Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from BCPNP.

BC Skilled Worker – Application Fees

The fee for this stream is set at 1,150 CAD. It can only be paid by a credit or debit card.

Application fees can only be refunded if the applicant withdraws his/her application before processing starts. 

BC Skilled Worker – Processing Times

As of July 15, 2024, based on 80% of cases, the processing times for a Skilled Worker stream application are estimated to be around 7 months. However, some applications may need more time to be processed if more complex or necessitate more documents and/or information.

BC Skilled Worker – Latest News & Data

You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw history on both Skilled Worker (Express Entry and Skills Immigration categories) streams, as well as for all the other PNP streams.

BC Skilled Worker – In-Demand Occupations?

Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the Skilled Worker stream, it is a special case:

  • Under BCPNP Tech, if your job offer is in one of the NOC Tech codes, your application can enjoy faster processing times. 
  • A list of NOC codes in certain sectors prioritized by British Columbia are targeted in the BCPNP draws for this stream. 

You can find out about the Tech NOC codes and the provinces’ targeted jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.

Do I have to stay in the Province?

This is a tricky question and there are multiple situations that can happen. You can learn more about this subject on our dedicated article: Can I move to another province?