Home > Permanent Residence > Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) > British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) > BCPNP - International Graduate (IG) Stream
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP), the International Graduate (IG) 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 International Graduate (IG) stream
There are two International Graduate (IG) streams under British Columbia's PNP:
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The IG streams 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 IG draws, and each draw has its own minimum threshold score (out of 200, details in section below) for each of the two IG streams.
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.
If nominated under the Express Entry category, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply.
More information is available in the Draw History section of this guide.
If nominated under the Express Entry category, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply.
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 4 categories of general eligibility requirements under the International Graduate (IG) stream, summarized below:
1. Job Offer
You must hold an offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from an eligible BC employer. The Job Offer must be in an NOC TEER Category 1, 2 or 3.
Your job offer does not need to be indeterminate if it is in an eligible tech occupation, or is in NOC 41200 (university professors and lecturers).
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).
Depending on the NOC code of the job offer, additional qualification requirements may apply.
2. Education
You need a degree, diploma or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada, obtained maximum three years of the date shown on your official transcript indicating that you have completed all requirements of the degree or diploma program.
3. Language
If the Job Offer's NOC code is of TEER Category 1, you do not need language results to be eligible (BCPNP can still ask you to pass a language test, at their own discretion). However, to claim points in the sub-factor of the SIRS, you need French or English language test results.
If the Job Offer's NOC code is of TEER Category 2 or 3, you will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 to be eligible.
More information about language proficiency is available in the SIRS section below.
4. 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:
There are 4 categories of general eligibility requirements under the International Graduate (IG) stream, summarized below:
1. Job Offer
You must hold an offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from an eligible BC employer. The Job Offer must be in an NOC TEER Category 1, 2 or 3.
Your job offer does not need to be indeterminate if it is in an eligible tech occupation, or is in NOC 41200 (university professors and lecturers).
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).
Depending on the NOC code of the job offer, additional qualification requirements may apply.
2. Education
You need a degree, diploma or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada, obtained maximum three years of the date shown on your official transcript indicating that you have completed all requirements of the degree or diploma program.
- If you have an undergraduate or graduate degree, it must be from a Canadian post-secondary institution authorized to grant degrees.
- If you have a diploma or certificate, it must be from a public post-secondary institution in Canada. Diplomas and Certificates from private institutions are not eligible. Language training and programs of less than 8 months (two semesters, excluding internships and co-op work terms) do not qualify.
3. Language
If the Job Offer's NOC code is of TEER Category 1, you do not need language results to be eligible (BCPNP can still ask you to pass a language test, at their own discretion). However, to claim points in the sub-factor of the SIRS, you need French or English language test results.
If the Job Offer's NOC code is of TEER Category 2 or 3, you will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 to be eligible.
More information about language proficiency is available in the SIRS section below.
4. 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 | Metro Vancouver Regional District | Rest of British Columbia |
---|---|---|
1 | 26,620 CAD | 22,186 CAD |
2 | 33,141 CAD | 27,619 CAD |
3 | 40,743 CAD | 33,954 CAD |
4 | 49,467 CAD | 41,226 CAD |
5 | 56,105 CAD | 46,757 CAD |
6 | 63,276 CAD | 52,735 CAD |
7 or more | 70,449 CAD | 58,713 CAD |