The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (“BCPNP”) has announced that certain construction occupations will now be prioritized in order to support the province’s ‘Homes for People Action Plan’, which was announced earlier this year. The goal of the Action Plan is to increase the volume and rate of delivery of new homes in the province.
In order to support this goal, BCPNP will issue targeted ‘Invitations to Apply’ to eligible Skills Immigration stream candidates with a valid BC trades qualification in any of the priority construction occupations.
Specifically, in order to be eligible for a targeted Invitation to Apply, candidates must have:
- A job offer for a full-time, indeterminate job in one of the priority construction occupations; and
- A valid trade certificate issued by or an apprenticeship registered with SkilledTradesBC, which corresponds to the job offer.
A list of the 25 priority construction occupations can be found here.
Candidates who receive an Invitation to Apply can then submit an application to BCPNP. If approved, the individual will receive a Nomination, which can then be used to support an application for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”). BCPNP may also issue a Work Permit Support Letter, which can be used to support a work permit application with IRCC.
By prioritizing the above occupations, a greater number of qualified construction workers will have the opportunity to apply for temporary resident status (if issued a Work Permit Support Letter) and, eventually, permanent resident status in Canada.
This will, in turn, benefit the province’s construction industry employers, who often experience issues with locating, hiring, and retaining workers, by increasing the number of qualified individuals in the local labour market. This will also ideally reduce the employee turnover rate, as temporary foreign workers are able to obtain permanent resident status and remain in Canada long-term.
A copy of the News Release from BCPNP can be found here.
