Persons who immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them. They are ready to establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada.

To apply under the Provincial Nominee Program, applicants must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory.

British Columbia  PNP

Provincial Nominee Program
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) offers accelerated immigration for qualified skilled workers and experienced entrepreneurs who wish to settle in British Columbia (BC) and become permanent residents of Canada.

The Provincial Nominee Program selects and nominates potential immigrants for permanent residence who have the ability to become economically established in B.C. and who will provide significant economic benefits to the province.

Individuals nominated by the Province of B.C., together with their spouse and dependent children, are eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa from Citizenship and Immigration Canada in the Provincial Nominee Class. Citizenship and Immigration Canada gives priority to processing permanent resident visa applications for provincial nominees. Citizenship and Immigration Canada makes the final decision on these applications.

Strategic Occupations
The Strategic Occupations component of the Provincial Nominee Program supports B.C. employers who need to recruit or retain qualified foreign workers to help meet their current and future skill needs, and whose activities contribute to the Province’s economic development objectives. The employer and the prospective employee (nominee candidate) submit a joint application to the program

Designated Health Professionals
Applications in this category are limited to:

• Registered nurses, psychiatric nurses and physicians recruited by provincial and regional health authorities administered through Health Match BC, and who meet the Provincial Nominee Program’s requirements.
• Midwives who meet the Provincial Nominee Program’s requirements

International Graduates
Nominee candidates in this category must have satisfied the requirements for an eligible degree or diploma conferred by a recognized post-secondary institution in BC before accepting an offer of employment.

Eligible Degree Programs
An undergraduate or graduate degree awarded from a post-secondary institution in British Columbia that:
a.    has been established under an Act of British Columbia legislature; or,
b.    has completed the required government-mandated quality assessment process and has obtained Ministerial consent under the Degree Authorization Act (DAA).

Eligible Diploma Programs
A program of study, offered by a B.C. public post-secondary institution, that is normally greater than 12 months of full-time equivalent study.

Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled Pilot Project
This 2-year pilot project applies to select occupations and eligible employers in the tourism/hospitality, food processing and long-haul trucking industries, and to qualifying foreign workers. Note: The pilot project was expanded to include the food processing industry as of October 20, 2008.

The tourism/hospitality, food processing and long-haul trucking industries were selected for this pilot project as they play a key role in B.C.’s export-oriented economy, and are experiencing acute and persistent labour shortages.