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
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 |