To coincide with the launch of a new National Occupational Classification system for Canada immigration, British Columbia has introduced a comprehensive overhaul of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program.
As well as updating codes in line with NOC 2021, the province has made wholesale changes to its points scoring system for Skills Immigration, removing points for job skill level and adding points for language skills, education and experience, which increase if they are outside Metro Vancouver.
The top wage for maximum points has also increased by nearly 50 percent, from $100,000 to more than $145,000.
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Further changes announced on Wednesday include:
- The expansion of the BC PNP Tech stream, from 29 to 35 occupations under the new NOC 2021.
- University professors and lecturers now eligible for Skilled Worker stream.
- International Post-Graduate stream expanded to include doctoral graduates and PhD candidates in any field of study.
- Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) eligibility expanded to any skilled occupation outside Metro Vancouver.
Under the changes, the whole structure of the scoring system is overhauled, with the weighting split between human capital factors, which score a maximum of 120 points, and economic factors which score 80.
Sub-categories for under human capital include work experience, education and language proficiency in English or French, each scoring a maximum of 40 points.
Sub-categories for under-economic are hourly wage, scoring up to 55 points, and area within British Columbia, with a maximum score of 25 points.
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Directly Related Work Experience
Maximum points: 40
Candidates with five or more years of work experience directly related to their job offer score 20 points, dropping to zero points for those with no work experience. This experience may be from work within Canada or abroad. The work experience must be in the last 10 years.
An additional 10 points are available if at least one year of the work experience was in Canada, while 10 further points can be scored for working full-time in British Columbia on the job and for the employers who are supporting the application.
Highest Level Of Education
Maximum points: 40
A candidate with a doctoral degree as their highest level of education scores 27 points, down to zero for a candidate with a high school education or lower.
A further eight points are available for a post-secondary education completed in British Columbia, and six points for elsewhere in Canada.
Lastly, a further five points are available for an eligible professional designation in British Columbia.
Professional designations can be for:
- Any Trade
- Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians: NOC 32104
- Dental Assistants: NOC 33100
- Dental Hygienists: NOC 32111
- Dental Technicians: NOC 33100
- Denturists: NOC 32110Â
- Early Childhood Educators (ECE): NOC 42202
- Health Care Aide: NOC 33102
- Pharmacy Technicians: NOC 33103
- Practical Nurses: NOC 32101
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists: NOC 32200
Language Proficiency In English Or French
Maximum points: 40
Candidates scoring a Canadian Language Benchmark of nine or better in the four competencies of listening, speaking, reading, and writing score 30 points under the new system.
The available points drop to zero for candidates with a score of below four, or who failed to submit test results.
Candidates with a score of CLB four or higher in all four proficiencies in both English and French score an extra 10 points.
Hourly Wage Of The B.C. Job Offer
Maximum points: 55
Candidates score 55 points if the hourly wage of their job offer in British Columbia is $70 or more.
For a 40 hourly week, this equates to an annual salary of $140,600.
The points for hourly wage cascade down to zero for a job offer of $16 an hour or less.
Previously, the top points were available for an hourly wage equating to $100,000. This represents one of the biggest changes in the whole of the British Columbia overhaul.
Area of employment within B.C.
Maximum points: 25
In a move to increase immigration to lower populated areas, the points system overhaul allows candidates to score more for a job offer outside the Metro Vancouver area.
Metro Vancouver jobs offers score zero points under this factor.
Five points are available for jobs offer in any one of Squamish, Abbotsford, Agassiz, Mission, or Chilliwack.
The points rise to 15 if the job offer is in none of the above-mentioned areas.
A further 10 points are available in this category if the candidates has at least one year of work experience outside Metro Vancouver, or graduated from a public B.C. postsecondary institution within the last three years outside the Metro Vancouver area.
BC PNP Tech
As part of the update, British Columbia has also increased the number of occupations that qualify for its successful BC PNP Tech stream.
BC PNP Tech allows British Columbia immigration officials to expedite the processing of immigration candidates in key in-demand technology occupations.
Weekly invitations are issued to candidates in one of the occupations in the B.C. technology sector.
Technology employers get access to a concierge service that includes a guaranteed next-business-day assignment of applications in one of the outlined occupations.
BC PNP Tech prioritizes technology sector applications for existing B.C. categories. This means candidates still need to meet the basic requirements of each British Columbia immigration category, including a minimum one-year job offer from a B.C. employer.
The program mainly draws from BC’s streams for Skilled Workers and International Graduates.
New BC PNP Tech Occupations
- 10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
- 20012 Computer and information systems managers
- 21100 Physicists and astronomers
- 21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
- 21211 Data scientists
- 21220 Cybersecurity specialists
- 21221 Business systems specialists
- 21222 Information systems specialists
- 21223 Database analysts and data administrators
- 21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
- 21231 Software engineers and designers
- 21232 Software developers and programmers
- 21233 Web designers
- 21234 Web developers and programmers
- 21300 Civil engineers
- 21301 Mechanical engineers
- 21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
- 21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- 21320 Chemical engineers
- 21399 Other professional engineers
- 22110 Biological technologists and technicians
- 22220 Computer network and web technicians
- 22221 User support technicians
- 22222 Information systems testing technicians
- 22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
- 50011 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
- 22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
- 51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
- 51112 Technical writers
- 51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
- 52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
- 52112 Broadcast technicians
- 52113 Audio and video recording technicians
- 52120 Graphic designers and illustrators
- 53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators.
Other Priority Occupations
Meanwhile, the latest update also introduced a slew of other occupations, mainly health care, identified by British Columbia as being in short supply in the province.
These are set to be given priority in regular British Columbia immigration draws.
The new priority occupations are listed below:
Care Economy: Healthcare Occupations
- 30010 Managers in healthcare
- 31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- 31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- 31102 General practitioners and family physicians
- 31110 Dentists
- 31201 Chiropractors
- 31120 Pharmacists
- 31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
- 31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- 31203 Occupational therapists
- 32120 Medical laboratory technologists
- 32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- 32121 Medical radiation technologists
- 32122 Medical sonographers
- 32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
- 32110 Denturists
- 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
- 32101 Licensed practical nurses
- 32102 Paramedical occupations
- 41300 Social workers
- 42201 Social and community service workers
- 31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- 31101 Specialists in surgery
- 31302 Nurse practitioners
- 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
- 32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- 31202 Physiotherapists
- 31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
- 32120 Medical laboratory technologists
- 32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
- 32112 Dental technologists and technicians
- 32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- 33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
- 31200 Psychologists
- 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
- 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants/health care aides are eligible under NOC 33102.
Care Economy: Childcare Occupations
- 42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
Other Priority Occupations
- 31103 Veterinarians
- 32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
- 41200 University professors and lecturers