British Columbia Invites 370 Candidates in New PNP Draw

Canada is currently focusing on increasing its immigration numbers to make up for the losses suffered last year. All the provinces are hosting Provincial Nominee Program draws to invite suitable candidates.

Provincial Nominee Programs or PNPs allow Canadian provinces to browse the talent pool and select candidates who can fill their labor gaps. British Columbia has already issued close to 5000 invitations this year, allowing larger batches of candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

On May 25, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued a total of 370 invitations through two different PNP draws. The province has been following this method ever since February 2021.

Details of the draw

The general draw involved candidates belonging to the Express Entry BC or EEBC and Skills Immigration or SI streams. The province especially targeted candidates belonging to certain sub-categories of the two streams: Skilled Worker, Entry Level and Semi-Skilled and International Graduate. British Columbia invited 323 people through the general draw, and the required score ranged from 76 to 94 points.

British Columbia uses the second draw to invite restaurant and foodservice managers, retail and wholesale trade managers. This draw also took place in connection with the EEBC and SI categories. A total of 27 candidates received invitations and they had a minimum score off 111.

The reason why the province is conducting this separate draw is that many people with profiles in the British Columbia PNP SIRS have these professions. British Columbia is trying to balance their intake and cater to all industries.