British Columbia Announces Significant Changes for BC PNP Application Fee

British Columbia has announced a significant increase in the application fees for its most popular stream of provincial immigration. Applicants to the Skills Immigration stream of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program must pay 64 per cent more as of August 6, with the fee going up from $700 to $1,150.

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Also, the fee for a request for review of a Skills Immigration application has increased from $200 to $500 by 150 per cent.

In the BC PNP application system, applicants are required to pay the fees either upon registration or at the time of submission of their application. Fees paid to the BC PNP can only be applied for through the BC PNP Online application system.

The new Skills Immigration application fee will be $1,150, starting on August 6 2020. The fees earlier were $700. The new fee for requesting a review is $500, from the previous $200 fee.

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“The increased fees will also enable continued improvements to the program, including maintaining or reducing processing times, improving program efficiency, enhancing program integrity and expanding applicant outreach.”

A separate fee is payable upon submission to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC] of a request for Canadian permanent residence.

According to the BC PNP, the fee increase is to enable the BC PNP to continue to serve applicants efficiently and provide them with assistance until they receive their Canada PR.

The PNP of British Columbia provides a dedicated path for foreign entrepreneurs and international workers to apply for permanent residence in Canada for themselves and their dependents.

The category Skills Immigration (SI) targets skilled and semi-skilled workers in high-demand occupations in BC and are further broken down into five components:

• Skilled Workers
• Healthcare Professionals
• International Graduates
• International Post-Graduates
• Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Workers

The BC PNP periodically issues Invitations to Apply (ITA) for the nomination of highest-ranking candidates in three streams of the program: skilled workers, international graduates, and semi-skilled and entry-level workers.

Unless otherwise stated in the specific requirements of each category, all candidates under Skills Immigration must have the following conditions:

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• The prospective candidate accepts a full-time, indeterminate job offer (NOC skill type 0 and skill level A or B) from a BC employer in a skilled job.
• The candidate must have the qualifications and the necessary experience to carry out the job offered.
• Only legal experience gained from work will be considered.
• The salary provided for the occupation must be comparable to what is being paid in BC.
• The candidate must have to demonstrate language proficiency CLB / NCLC 4 in all four language abilities in both English and French where the job offered is classified under skill level B, C or D.
• Where the job offered is classified under skill type 0 or skill level A, valid test results are not required at the time of registration unless points are claimed for language; however, during the application process, BCPNP may request test results at any time.
• Comply with minimum income requirements by residence located in BC and the number of dependents.
• There is no more than 10 per cent equity in the BC company offering employment, in the five years preceding the application and throughout the application process.
• BCPNP must determine that there is a positive demand for jobs and outlook for a given occupation.
• Show ability and intent to settle in BC
• Submit a full application form and pay the application fee of $1,150.