By Canadian Immigration News |
By Canadian Immigration News |
The month of March has so far been another busy one when it comes to immigration to Canada’s western provinces. Recent activity among the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) out west will allow a diverse range of workers and graduates to immigrate to a region that is becoming increasingly popular among new immigrants to Canada, with job opportunities and high living standards cited as reasons for this trend.
So far this month, there have been draws in British Columbia (BC) and Manitoba — these provinces continue to invite individuals and families, both in Canada and abroad, to apply for a provincial nomination certificate. In addition, Alberta continues to process applications through its various streams and categories. Further, Saskatchewan introduced an application fee for two of its popular international skilled worker streams — a sign that these streams will continue to open for new applications throughout 2017.
Together, these four provinces make up the region of Western Canada.
By obtaining a provincial nomination, an individual and his or her family, if applicable, may apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status. This year, Canada plans to welcome up to 51,000 newcomers through the PNPs, around a seven percent increase on the 2016 target.
British Columbia
On March 8, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) conducted its fourth draw for foreign workers and graduates in just five weeks. Another draw then took place on March 22. In total, 2,074 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to the BC PNP have been issued since the beginning of February. Around half of these ITAs were issued to international graduates who completed their studies in Canada.
All 377 ITAs issued on March 8 were issued across a range of BC PNP sub-categories managed under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), a unique system used to rank and select candidates under certain BC PNP sub-categories.
The March 22 round of invitations included 12 candidates who had made an Expression of Interest under the Entrepreneur Stream, which is not managed through the SIRS. The remaining 425 ITAs were issued under SIRS sub-categories of the BC PNP.
Some invited individuals are now in a position to submit their BC PNP provincial nomination application through one of the enhanced BC PNP sub-categories aligned with the federal Express Entry selection system, thereby benefiting from an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, which in turn means the candidate is first in line to receive an ITA at the federal Express Entry level. The remaining candidates will have their applications for permanent residence processed outside the Express Entry system.