British Columbia Issues Over 212 PR Invitations in Latest PNP Draw

The most recent BC PNP draw, held on February 21, saw the issuance of more than 212 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency (PR), including both general and targeted rounds. Here’s a closer look at the key points:

General Draw Summary:

• A total of 69 invites were extended under the Express Entry and BC PNP Skills Immigration streams, covering 35 tech occupations.
• The cutoff score experienced a notable increase by 4 points across all streams except for the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream, where it rose by 2 points.
• Notably, 70 invitations were allocated to profiles with expertise in early childhood education (NOC 42202).
• Conversely, only 32 applicants with backgrounds in 25 construction-related occupations secured invites through British Columbia’s category-based draw, introduced in late 2023.
• Furthermore, 41 candidates with experience in 39 healthcare-related occupations were invited to apply for permanent residency.

Processing Timeframes:

• For Skills Immigration, the processing time stands at 3 months.
• Post-nomination requests are also anticipated to take approximately 3 months for processing.

Anticipated Next BC PNP Draw:

The forthcoming BC PNP draw for 2024 is projected to be announced on February 27–28. Expect targeted rounds of invitations focusing on early childhood educators, 35 tech occupations, 25 construction occupations, and 39 healthcare occupations.

BC PNP typically conducts draws on Tuesdays or Wednesdays weekly, alternating between general draws and tech/healthcare-specific targeted draws.