Good news to those who work out of metro Vancouver area
The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has been updated to help regional employers retain people with experience working or studying outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District.
People with experience working or studying outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District may claim additional points if they have a qualifying job offer in that region. We have also adjusted eligibility for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to include job offers from a regional employer in B.C. in any skilled occupation.
In addition, eligibility for the International Post Graduate stream has been expanded to any field of study for doctoral level programs. Professors and postdoctoral fellows on limited term employment contracts at B.C. universities are now eligible for the Skilled Worker stream.
Both of these criteria changes are intended to retain more innovators and experts that can bring their deep expertise to the province.
The BCPNP Online system has been updated and is now using the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Applications received before November 16, 2022 will continue to be processed using NOC 2016. All registrations and applications submitted on or after November 16, 2022 will need to use NOC 2021.
Some key changes are below:
- Up to 40 points for people with 5 years of related work experience, as well as 1 year in the same NOC in Canada and currently working for the company
- The wage is now calculated per hour, not annually
- There is an increase in the points awarded for the education credentials
- There is a slight increase in points awarded for the English/French and an additional point being awarded if the candidate has both English and French tests
- 5 extra points are awarded for candidates that have a professional designation in BC
- Additional points are awarded if the candidate has previous experience of 1 year outside Metro Vancouver in the past 5 years, or a previous course of study outside Metro Vancouver in the last 3 years
- No points are awarded anymore for the NOC level