By Canada Immigration Newsletter |
By Canada Immigration Newsletter |
As 2017 progresses, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are becoming increasingly active. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) increased its target for the number of newcomers arriving in Canada through the PNPs to 51,000 for 2017, representing an increase of seven percent over the target for 2016. Several provinces have made moves to meet these increased targets by opening and expanding various categories and streams of their respective PNPs.
The PNPs allow provinces and territories to set their own eligibility criteria, and select potential newcomers to Canada who meet each province’s individual labour market needs.
British Columbia
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued a total of 1,260 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for a provincial nomination certificate in February over the course of three separate draws. Of these, 28 were issued to candidates in the Entrepreneur Immigration category, while the remaining 1,232 were issued to candidates in the Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC streams of the BC PNP. It is important to note that the ITAs issued by the BC PNP are not the same as the ITAs issued by IRCC in its draws from the Express Entry pool. Rather, the BC PNP issues ITAs to apply for a provincial nomination certificate. Candidates who receive a certificate may then apply for Canadian permanent resident status.
The number of ITAs issued in February’s draws are as follows.
It is interesting to note that international graduates form a significant share of those candidates invited to apply. BC is one of the few provinces in which international graduates who have studied outside the province may be eligible to apply through the dedicated streams for international graduates.