Canada: Improvements to the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Implemented

The province of British Columbia has introduced improvements to its Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) to increase immigration to regions outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, among other purposes. The changes include: updates to the Skills Immigration registration scoring system so that individuals with experience working or studying outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District can claim additional points if they have a qualifying job offer in that region; expansion of the eligibility criteria for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot to include any skilled occupation in the regions; expansion of the International Post-Graduate stream to include doctoral graduates and Ph.D. candidates in any field of study; and expansion of eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker stream to include university professors and lecturers working at British Columbia public universities on limited-term contracts, among other improvements. The BCPNP online system has been updated and is now using the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). All registrations and applications submitted on or after November 16, 2022 will need to use the 2021 NOC.