New Skilled Immigration System In BC

VICTORIA – The province has launched a new intake system for the Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) so it is aligned with British Columbia’s labour market and economic development priorities.

B.C. is expected to lead the country in economic growth in 2016 and will continue to rely on immigration to support job opportunities in our growing economy. The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is the Province’s only direct economic immigration tool for bringing in new British Columbians to assist in filling the nearly one million job openings due to retirements and economic growth.

The BC PNP’s new Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a points-based system that gives candidates a registration score that determines whether they are invited to apply. Their score is based on a number of factors that reflect an individual’s ability to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the provincial economy such as level of education, years of direct work experience and a B.C. employment offer.

For example, B.C.’s tech sector is consistently growing faster than the overall economy.

For many employers their need for talent is urgent, especially in highly specialized areas. The new registration system allows employers to access skilled labour quickly to bring highly-skilled newcomers into the Province to support continued growth in the industry.

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour:

“We need to bring high-demand skilled workers and investment-ready entrepreneurs to B.C. to continue to grow our diverse economy. We’ve heard from the businesses that are helping drive our economy to be the best in Canada.  They tell us that having immigration programs be timely and efficient to bring the right people into B.C. is what they need to keep their businesses growing.

And for those skilled immigrants applying to the BC PNP, they need a transparent system that’s easy to understand and gets them working in B.C. as soon as possible. Our government believes the targeted changes we’ve made to the BC PNP will keep our economy moving forward.”

The full news release can be found here.