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BCPNP - British Columbia PNP - International Post-Graduate (IPG) Stream
One of the PNP streams of British Columbia that can be both aligned or not with Express Entry
Home > Permanent Residence > Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) > British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) > BCPNP - International Post-Graduate (IPG) Stream
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP), the International Post-Graduate (IPG) 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 Post-Graduate (IPG) stream
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There are two International Post-Graduate (IPG) streams under British Columbia's PNP:
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The IPG streams have minimum eligibility requirements, and satisfying all those requirements allows a candidate to apply.
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.
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
There are 2 categories of eligibility requirements to be able to apply under the International Post-Graduate (IPG) streams, summarized below. There is no requirement to have a Job Offer, minimum settlement funds or language level (however if you want to apply under the Express Entry category, there are minimum requirements for these criteria).
1. Education
You must hold a master’s or doctoral (PhD) degree received within the past three years from an eligible program at a post-secondary institution in British Columbia.
Your doctoral degree can be in any field of study at a public BC post-secondary institution.
Your master's degree must be in one of the following programs of study in the natural, applied or health sciences:
A distance education learning program either from abroad or from within Canada is not eligible.
2. Ability and intent to live and work in BC
You need to prove your ability and intent to live and work in British Columbia, and evidence can include:
You need to keep residing in BC after you graduate from the IPG eligible program of study. Exceptions could be made in certain extenuating circumstances where you had to leave BC after graduating. The BCPNP expects that candidates will stay in the province after being nominated.
1. Education
You must hold a master’s or doctoral (PhD) degree received within the past three years from an eligible program at a post-secondary institution in British Columbia.
Your doctoral degree can be in any field of study at a public BC post-secondary institution.
Your master's degree must be in one of the following programs of study in the natural, applied or health sciences:
- Agriculture, agriculture operations and related sciences,
- Biological and biomedical sciences,
- Computer and information sciences and support services,
- Engineering,
- Engineering technology and engineering-related fields,
- Health professions and related programs,
- Mathematics and statistics,
- Natural resources conservation, or
- Physical sciences.
A distance education learning program either from abroad or from within Canada is not eligible.
2. Ability and intent to live and work in BC
You need to prove your ability and intent to live and work in British Columbia, and evidence can include:
- The length of any previous and/or current period of residence in BC,
- Your connections to BC through work, study or family,
- A description of any actions you’ve taken to permanently settle in BC, such as finding a job or place to live,
- Employment search details (prospective employers, applications, networking efforts, business development, etc.),
- Community involvement,
- Ability to financially support yourself in BC, and/or
- Your plan to obtain or maintain legal authorization to work in BC.
You need to keep residing in BC after you graduate from the IPG eligible program of study. Exceptions could be made in certain extenuating circumstances where you had to leave BC after graduating. The BCPNP expects that candidates will stay in the province after being nominated.
Specific requirements for the Express Entry category:
You need to qualify to one of the three federal programs to be eligible to the IPG streams. To understand the eligibility criteria of these three programs, click either on FSW, FST or CEC.
There are discrepancies between the minimum requirements under the federal programs and the IPG streams, so you need to satisfy to the strictest of the two. Language proficiency, settlement funds requirements are examples of such discrepancies.
If you need to understand how the Express Entry system works, you can follow our 10-step guide.
Application Process Summary
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the two International Post-Graduate (IPG) streams.
(i) For the Express Entry category, candidates must:
(ii) For the Skills Immigration category (not aligned with Express Entry), candidates must:
(i) For the Express Entry category, candidates must:
- Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSW, FST or CEC programs.
- Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting "British Columbia" or “All Provinces and Territories”.
- Qualify for the minimum IPG stream eligibility requirements.
- Apply to the IPG stream by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Accept the British Columbia provincial nomination (after the BCPNP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile.
- Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
- Apply for Permanent Residence within 60 days of receiving the ITA.
(ii) For the Skills Immigration category (not aligned with Express Entry), candidates must:
- Qualify for the minimum IPG stream eligibility requirements.
- Apply to the IPG stream 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 provincial nomination. Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from BCPNP.
Required Supporting Documents
All required documents must be uploaded on BCPNP Online when applying for the International Post-Graduate stream. 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
As of November 16, 2022, based on 80% of cases, the processing times for a International Post-Graduate stream application are estimated to be around 3 months. However, some applications may need more time to be processed if more complex or necessitate more documents and/or information.
Draw History
There are no draws for this stream but you can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw history on 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 International Post-Graduate stream, there is no in-demand jobs as there is no need to have a Job Offer or work experience to be eligible. You can find out about the other provinces' targeted jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
In the case of the International Post-Graduate stream, there is no in-demand jobs as there is no need to have a Job Offer or work experience to be eligible. You can find out about the other provinces' targeted jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
