Immigration to British Columbia for Medium and Low-skilled Workers

People without higher education or high qualifications can immigrate to Canada through the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream of British Columbia's provincial program.

Requirements

To be eligible to apply for immigration under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category, you need to:

• receive a job offer from a British Columbia employer in one of the eligible occupations (list below);
• work in British Columbia for at least 9 months under a valid full-time work contract;
• have at least a high school education;
• be qualified for the job, including meeting all certification or registration requirements;
• demonstrate the ability to support yourself and your dependents (see below);
• provide language test results with a minimum score of 4 on the Canadian CLB scale.

Candidate Assessment

British Columbia uses a points-based system to select candidates, with a maximum of 200 points available. The most successful candidates receive invitations. British Columbia awards points based on the following criteria:

1. Human capital factors:

• work experience related to the offered position — up to 40 points;
• education — up to 40 points;
• English or French language proficiency — up to 40 points.

2. Economic factors:

• offered salary — up to 55 points;
• employer's location in British Columbia — up to 25 points.

Eligible Occupations

The Northeast region of British Columbia* accepts workers from any industry in TEER 4 and 5 occupations according to the NOC classification. Exception: home care workers.

In other parts of the province, only workers in specific occupations can apply for immigration under this stream:

• hotel front desk clerks;
• tour guides and escorts;
• outdoor sport and recreational guides;
• casino workers;
• hosts/hostesses;
• bartenders;
• food and beverage servers;
• food counter attendants and kitchen helpers;
• light duty cleaners;
• specialized cleaners;
• janitors and caretakers;
• accommodation, travel, and related services attendants;
• dry cleaning and laundry workers;
• other service support occupations;
• machine operators in food and beverage processing;
• industrial butchers and poultry preparers;
• fish and seafood plant workers;
• testers in food and beverage processing;
• food and beverage production labourers.

*Northeast region (Northeast Development Region)

Financial Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family after moving. The amount depends on where the applicant intends to live. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Application Process

To participate in the immigration stream for skilled workers, the candidate must create a profile on the British Columbia provincial website, fill in their details, and attach documents. After that, their application will be reviewed.

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To learn about other streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, check out the article "Immigration to British Columbia — Canada's Provincial Program (BC PNP)".