British Columbia will be updating the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) in January by replacing the current International Graduate and International Post-Graduate Streams with three new streams: the Bachelor’s stream, the Master’s stream, and the Doctorate stream. 

The updates are being made so that prospective applicants will be made aware of the level of education and language skills they will need to have a chance of being nominated up-front. 

Newcomers with higher education and language skills in French or English strengthen B.C.’s economy by being more likely to be successful at work, earning a higher income and staying in jobs that B.C. needs to fill.

The updates, according to the Ministry, are also in alignment with the new measures from the Ministry of Post-secondary Education and Future Skills to protect international students from predatory institutions and recruitment officers. 

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The graduate streams set to be emplaced are:

• The Bachelor’s Stream: This stream will be for recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions. Graduates with an indeterminate full-time job offer can register for this stream. 
• The Master’s Stream: This stream will be for recent graduates with master’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions, in any field of study. Graduates with a minimum one-year full-time job offer in a skilled occupation can register for this stream.
• The Doctorate Stream: This will be for graduates and candidates of doctoral-level programs from eligible post-secondary institutions. Graduates and PhD candidates can apply directly to this stream.

Students who complete diploma or certificate programs in Canada (who will not be eligible for these new graduate streams) can still qualify for other BC PNP streams.

The minimum language proficiency level will be upped program-wide, except for the Health Authority stream, which has already undergone adjustment. 

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A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 8 is currently planned for the new graduate streams. 

The changes are aimed at achieving better outcomes for nominees and creating clearer pathways for them, BC said.

This will ensure that people identified by the BC PNP will be set up for career success, and that prospective applicants are less exposed to bad actors in the Canada immigration system that represent the BC PNP as an “easy pathway” to permanent residency. 

The BC PNP is one of many immigration programs available for people who wish to come to BC. 

It provides a pathway to Canada PR for international workers and entrepreneurs who bring the greatest benefit to the provincial economy. 

A detailed summary of the updates detailed herein will be available in late 2024, and the criteria will be published in the BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide in January 2025.