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BCPNP - British Columbia PNP - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Stream
One of the PNP streams of British Columbia that is not aligned with Express Entry
Home > Permanent Residence > Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) > British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) > BCPNP - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Stream
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP), the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
Overview of the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream
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The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream under British Columbia's Skills Immigration category is not aligned with Express Entry, meaning that the candidate cannot enjoy the faster processing times of Express Entry.
When receiving the provincial nomination, the candidate has to apply for permanent residence on paper to the federal government, and it usually takes at least a year for the application to be processed. |
The ELSS stream have minimum eligibility requirements, however, British Columbia does not send Invitations to Apply to every candidate that meets these minimum criteria. In fact, BCPNP conducts periodic ELSS draws, and each draw has its own minimum threshold score (out of 200, details in section below). If you score 95 points or more, you are assured to receive an invitation in the next draw.
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.
Eligibility Requirements
As said earlier, meeting the following minimum eligibility requirements does not necessarily mean that you will receive an invitation to apply from the BCPNP. Each draw has a minimum threshold score, and you will receive an invitation only if your score is equal or above the threshold score.
There are 5 categories of general eligibility requirements under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream, summarized below:
1. Work Experience
You need to be employed and working full-time (at least an average of 30 hours a week, year round) with the B.C. employer supporting your BCPNP application in any ELSS-eligible occupation for at least 9 consecutive months immediately prior to registering to the BCPNP.
In addition to the 9 months of full-time employment requirement, long-haul truck drivers must also have at least two years of employment experience as a long-haul truck driver in the preceding 3 years before registering with the BCPNP. This experience can be obtained from within Canada or abroad.
If the location of employment is inside the Northeast Development Region of BC, all occupations at Skill Level C or D in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), excluding live-in caregivers.
If the location of employment is outside the Northeast Development Region of BC, eligible occupations are divided into three categories:
There are 5 categories of general eligibility requirements under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream, summarized below:
1. Work Experience
You need to be employed and working full-time (at least an average of 30 hours a week, year round) with the B.C. employer supporting your BCPNP application in any ELSS-eligible occupation for at least 9 consecutive months immediately prior to registering to the BCPNP.
In addition to the 9 months of full-time employment requirement, long-haul truck drivers must also have at least two years of employment experience as a long-haul truck driver in the preceding 3 years before registering with the BCPNP. This experience can be obtained from within Canada or abroad.
If the location of employment is inside the Northeast Development Region of BC, all occupations at Skill Level C or D in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), excluding live-in caregivers.
If the location of employment is outside the Northeast Development Region of BC, eligible occupations are divided into three categories:
Tourism and hospitality
| NOC code | NOC Title |
|---|---|
| 6511 | Maîtres d?hotel and Hosts/Hostesses |
| 6512 | Bartenders |
| 6513 | Food and Beverage Servers |
| 6525 | Hotel Front Desk Clerks |
| 6531 | Tour and Travel Guides |
| 6532 | Outdoor Sport and Recreational Guides |
| 6533 | Casino Occupations |
| 6711 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations |
| 6721 | Support Occupations in Accommodation, Travel and Facilities Set-Up Services |
| 6731 | Light Duty Cleaners |
| 6732 | Specialized Cleaners |
| 6733 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents |
| 6741 | Dry Cleaning, Laundry and Related Occupations |
| 6742 | Other Service Support Occupations |
Long-haul trucking
| NOC code | NOC Title |
|---|---|
| 7511 | Long-Haul Truck Driver |
Food processing
| NOC code | NOC Title |
|---|---|
| 9461 | Process Control and Machine Operators, Food and Beverage Processing |
| 9462 | Industrial Butchers and Meat Cutters, Poultry Preparers and Related Workers |
| 9463 | Fish and Seafood Plant Workers |
| 9465 | Testers and Graders, Food, Beverage and Associated Products Processing |
| 9617 | Labourers in Food, Beverage and Associated Products Processing |
| 9618 | Labourers in Fish and Seafood Processing |
2. Job Offer
You must hold an offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from an eligible BC employer. The Job Offer must be in an eligible National Occupational Classification (NOC) code Skill Level C or D.
The wage stated on your Job Offer must be at market rate and comparable to the rate paid to workers with a similar level of experience and training for equivalent jobs in BC (bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not considered part of your wage).
In the five years preceding your application, and throughout the BCPNP application process, you and your spouse/partner must not have held a combined ownership/equity stake of more than 10% in the BC company that has offered you employment.
3. Education
At a minimum, you must have successfully completed secondary education (graduated from high school) either within or outside of Canada.
If the offered position requires mandatory certification, licensing or registration, you need to provide documentation showing that you meet these requirements, or how these requirements will shortly be met. For example, long-haul truck drivers must have:
- A valid BC Class 1 driver’s licence for the duration of the nine months full-time work experience,
- Air brake endorsement, and
- Other certification(s) if required (such as certification for transporting dangerous goods)
4. Language
You will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 in English or French to be eligible.
More information about language proficiency is available in the SIRS section below.
5. Minimum income requirements
You must demonstrate that you meet minimum income requirements according to your (i) gross annual wage in the Job Offer, (ii) location of residence in BC, and (iii) number of dependants.
You can include your spouse/partner's gross annual wage if they work in BC.
Bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not included when calculating your wage.
The annual wage is calculated as: (hourly rate) x (hours worked per week (max 40h)) x (52 weeks a year).
The minimum income requirements as set by BCPNP are presented in the table below:
| # of dependants | Greater Vancouver Regional District | Rest of British Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22,804 CAD | 19,006 CAD |
| 2 | 28,390 CAD | 23,659 CAD |
| 3 | 34,902 CAD | 29,087 CAD |
| 4 | 42,376 CAD | 35,316 CAD |
| 5 | 48,062 CAD | 40,054 CAD |
| 6 | 54,205 CAD | 45,175 CAD |
| 7 or more | 60,350 CAD | 50,296 CAD |
The Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)
You need to register on BCPNP Online (through the SIRS) and fill in the various forms, then you are given a score out of 200 points, that depends on two factors and six sub-factors. Below is the summary table that will let you know how the score is calculated:
| Factors | Sub-factors | Maximum Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Economic Factors | (i) Skill Level of the BC Job Offer | 60 |
| (ii) Wage of the BC Job Offer | 50 | |
| (iii) Regional District of Employment | 10 | |
| 2. Human Capital Factors | (i) Directly Related Work Experience | 25 |
| (ii) Highest Level of Education | 25 | |
| (iii) Language | 30 | |
| Total | 200 |
Each sub-factor's point distribution is explained in detailed below.
1. Economic Factors
1.(i). Skill Level of the BC Job Offer
You can learn more about the National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes here. Maximum points that you can claim for this sub-factor are 60 points.
| 1.(i). Skill Level of the BC Job Offer | Points |
|---|---|
| NOC Skill Level A | 25 |
| NOC Skill Level B | 10 |
| NOC Skill Level C or D | 5 |
| Additional Points | |
| NOC Skill Type 00 (Senior Management) | 15 |
| Occupation identified in the B.C. High Demand Occupations List | 10 |
| Currently working full-time in B.C. for the employer in the same NOC code as the Job Offer | 10 |
1.(ii). Wage of the BC Job Offer
The points of this sub-factor depend on the annual wage in the Job Offer. You can claim up to 50 points.
| 1.(ii). Wage of the BC Job Offer | Points |
|---|---|
| 100,000 CAD or more | 50 |
| 97,500 to 99,999 CAD | 38 |
| 95,000 to 97,499 CAD | 37 |
| 92,500 to 94,999 CAD | 36 |
| 90,000 to 92,499 CAD | 35 |
| 87,500 to 89,999 CAD | 34 |
| 85,000 to 87,499 CAD | 33 |
| 82,500 to 84,999 CAD | 32 |
| 80,000 to 82,499 CAD | 31 |
| 77,500 to 79,999 CAD | 30 |
| 75,000 to 77,499 CAD | 29 |
| 72,500 to 74,999 CAD | 28 |
| 70,000 to 72,499 CAD | 27 |
| 67,500 to 69,999 CAD | 26 |
| 65,000 to 67,499 CAD | 25 |
| 62,500 to 64,999 CAD | 24 |
| 60,000 to 62,499 CAD | 23 |
| 57,500 to 59,999 CAD | 22 |
| 55,000 to 57,499 CAD | 21 |
| 52,500 to 54,999 CAD | 20 |
| 50,000 to 52,499 CAD | 19 |
| 47,500 to 49,999 CAD | 18 |
| 45,000 to 47,499 CAD | 17 |
| 42,500 to 44,999 CAD | 16 |
| 40,000 to 42,499 CAD | 15 |
| 38,750 to 39,999 CAD | 14 |
| 37,500 to 38,749 CAD | 13 |
| 36,250 to 37,499 CAD | 12 |
| 35,000 to 36,249 CAD | 11 |
| 33,750 to 34,999 CAD | 10 |
| 32,500 to 33,749 CAD | 9 |
| 31,250 to 32,499 CAD | 8 |
| 30,000 to 31,249 CAD | 7 |
| 28,750 to 29,999 CAD | 6 |
| 27,500 to 28,749 CAD | 5 |
| 26,250 to 27,499 CAD | 4 |
| 25,000 to 26,249 CAD | 3 |
| 24,999 CAD or less | 0 |
1. (iii). Regional District of Employment
This sub-factor allocates points based on the region of employment specified in the Job Offer. You can claim up to 10 points.
| 1.(iii). Regional District of Employment | Points |
|---|---|
| Stikine, Central Coast, Northern Rockies, Mount Waddington, Skeena-Queen Charlotte, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Kootenay-Boundary, Alberni-Clayoquot | 10 |
| Kitimat-Stikine, Bulkley-Nechako, Squamish-Lillooet, Strathcona, Columbia-Shuswap, East Kootenay | 8 |
| Peace River, Comox Valley, Cariboo, Central Kootenay | 6 |
| Okanagan-Similkameen, Cowichan Valley, North Okanagan, Fraser-Fort George | 4 |
| Thompson-Nicola, Nanaimo, Central Okanagan, Capital, Fraser Valley | 2 |
| Greater Vancouver | 0 |
2.(i). Directly Related Work Experience
You can earn points on this sub-factor if you have work experience in the same NOC code as the one related to your Job Offer, either inside or outside Canada. You may earn still earn these points if your work experience is in an NOC code related to the one in the Job Offer, and if its Skill Level is equal or above the one of the Job Offer's NOC code (example: work experience as a senior manager in the financial service field (NOC 0013) and the Job Offer is for a financial sales representative (NOC 6235)). You can claim up to 25 points.
| 2.(i). Directly Related Work Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 60 months or more | 15 |
| 48 to 59 months | 12 |
| 36 to 47 months | 9 |
| 24 to 35 months | 6 |
| 12 to 23 months | 3 |
| 12 months or less | 1 |
| None | 0 |
| Additional Points | |
| At least 12 months in Canada | 10 |
2.(ii). Highest Level of Education
You can earn a maximum of 25 points with your highest educational credential. You have two options if your credential is not Canadian:
- Claim the points for your highest non-Canadian credential (for example 11 points for a Bachelor's Degree) without any Canadian equivalency points.
- Claim the additional 4 points if you get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a recognized service provider for your foreign credential. However, you can only select the credential level given to you on the ECA report.
| 2.(ii). Highest Level of Education | Points |
|---|---|
| Master’s or Doctorate/PhD | 17 |
| Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma (after Bachelor's Degree) | 11 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 11 |
| Post-secondary Diploma/Certificate (Trades) | 11 |
| Associate Degree | 4 |
| Post-secondary diploma/certificate | 2 |
| Secondary (High) school or less | 0 |
| Additional Points | |
| Post-secondary education completed in BC | 8 |
| Post-secondary education completed in Canada (outside of BC) | 6 |
| Educational Credential Assessment from a qualified supplier | 4 |
| Successfully completed the Industry Training Authority British Columbia (ITABC’s) challenge certification process | 4 |
2.(iii). Language
You can earn up to 30 points depending on your language proficiency in French or English. You need to pass an approved language test, and your scores can be translated to Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Points are awarded according to the lowest CLB score obtained in each of the four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
| 2.(iii). Language score | Points |
|---|---|
| CLB10 or more | 30 |
| CLB9 | 26 |
| CLB8 | 22 |
| CLB7 | 18 |
| CLB6 | 14 |
| CLB5 | 10 |
| CLB4 | 6 |
| Below CLB4 or no test results | 0 |
Application Process Summary
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream. Candidates must:
- Qualify for the minimum ELSS stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in BCPNP Online.
- Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their BCPNP Online profile.
- Apply to the ELSS stream within 30 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination. Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from BCPNP.
Required Supporting Documents
After receiving your invitation to apply through your BCPNP Online profile, you will have 30 calendar days to submit a full application to the BCPNP, including supporting documentation and paying the application fees.
All required documents must be uploaded on your BCPNP Online profile. Specific requirements for documents are explained in detail here.
All required documents must be uploaded on your BCPNP Online profile. Specific requirements for documents are explained in detail here.
Application Fees
The fee for this stream is set at 1,150 CAD. It can only be paid by a credit or debit card.
Application fees can only be refunded if the applicant withdraws his/her application before processing starts.
Application fees can only be refunded if the applicant withdraws his/her application before processing starts.
Processing Times
Based on 80% of cases, the processing times for an Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream application are estimated to be between 60 to 90 days. However, some applications may need more time to be processed if more complex or necessitate more documents and/or information.
Draw History
You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw history on the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream, as well as for all the other PNP streams.
Do I have to stay in the Province?
This is a tricky question and there are multiple situations that can happen. You can learn more about this subject on our dedicated article: Can I move to another province?
Does the Stream have In-Demand jobs?
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream, it is a special case. Indeed, under the Tech Pilot, if your job offer is in one of the NOC Tech codes, your application can enjoy faster processing times. You can find out about the Tech Pilot NOC codes and other provinces' targeted jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
In the case of the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream, it is a special case. Indeed, under the Tech Pilot, if your job offer is in one of the NOC Tech codes, your application can enjoy faster processing times. You can find out about the Tech Pilot NOC codes and other provinces' targeted jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
