Vancouver as seen from Grouse Mountain

While the skilled worker program under British Columbia  Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) is closed until early January 2016, a new sub category stream has been introduced to qualified applicants.

On September 1st, 2015, the Skilled Immigration stream stopped accepting applications. However, as of November 10, 2015, the Skilled Immigration category has seen an addition of 50 applications to attract some in demand jobs. The 50 additional spots are aimed at bringing in more high-wage ($100,000+) workers, think for example: engineers, software developers, and managers. For those out there with a pending application do not worry, the extra applications will not delay the processing time of current applications.

There is no change to the Entrepreneur Immigration stream, it will remain open for new applications, up to a maximum of 200 new applications per month.

What to expect in 2016:

• The Province receives a new allocation of BC PNP nominations from the Federal government in January 2016.  
• At that time, the BC PNP will have a new points-based skills intake system requiring an invitation to apply.  
• Points will be given to applicants whose skills and experience line up with B.C.’s economic development priorities