I have an advanced degree from a university in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Am I eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency through the BC PNP program?

BC PNP’s International Post-Graduate Stream is a hidden-gem opportunity for Canadian permanent residency that is available for recent graduates of advanced degree programs in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Applicants may be surprised to hear there is no requirement of a BC job offer, in contrast to most other BC PNP programs.

Within three years of graduation, Masters graduates from a BC university in certain science fields, and Ph.D. graduates and students in any field of study from a public BC university, can apply directly to the BC PNP for nomination even without a job offer.

To be eligible for this program as a Masters graduate, applicants must:

• Demonstrate an intent to live, work, and economically establish in BC.
• Show a possibility to provide economic benefit to BC, such as by transferring knowledge and skills to Canadians.
• Have completed a Master’s degree at a BC post-secondary institution in programs in one of the following areas of science:
  • Agriculture and related sciences
  • Biological and biomedical sciences
  • Computer and Information Sciences and support services
  • Engineering
  • Engineering technology and related fields
  • Health professions and related programs
  • Mathematics and statistics
  • Natural resources conservation
  • Physical sciences.
• Submit your application to BC PNP within three years of the date you graduated.

Ph.D. students and graduates have more flexibility. To be eligible, applicants must:

• Demonstrate an intent to live, work, and economically establish in BC.
• Show a possibility to provide economic benefit to BC, such as by transferring knowledge and skills to Canadians.
• Have completed a Ph.D. degree, in any field of study, at a public BC post-secondary institution.
• You are a Ph.D. student who have been admitted to candidacy, in any field of study, at a public BC post-secondary institution.
• Submit your application to BC PNP within three years of the date you graduated.

Applicants can bypass the normal requirement to enter the BC PNP nomination pool, and instead, directly apply to the BC PNP program for nomination at any time. Once a BC PNP nomination is secured, the applicant can either choose to apply for Canadian permanent residency through their Express Entry profile or directly through the IRCC’s Provincial Nominee Program, which does not require an Express Entry profile. For the latter option, processing is slower, currently estimated at 20 months, but if the applicant already has a work permit, they can apply for a bridging open work permit while this is pending.

If applicants already have an Express Entry profile, securing a BC PNP nomination means they can gain 600 extra CRS points. The Express Entry CRS score cutoff for the issuance of Invitations to Apply (ITA) has become very competitive in recent years, so this could be very helpful.

In sum, the International Post Graduate Stream for Masters and Ph.D. graduates of certain BC universities can be a very attractive option for eligibility for Canadian permanent residency, because it does not require a BC job offer. Applicants can directly apply for BC PNP nomination even while they are still a PhD student (as long as they have passed candidacy). But applicants do need to apply within 3 years of graduation. Applicants also need to show some ties to BC, and show willingness to live in BC if and when the permanent residence application is approved.