Express Entry BC Process

Stage 4: Nomination

Receive a provincial nomination and apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

How does it work?

If your application is approved, we will nominate you to apply for permanent residence through the IRCC Express Entry system. You must accept the nomination through the IRCC Express Entry portal in order to receive a federal invitation to apply for permanent residence as a provincial nominee from IRCC.

What happens next?

You will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence from IRCC. Please review the IRCC invitation to apply process. If IRCC approves your application, you will receive a Canadian permanent resident visa.

Working in B.C. during processing

A nomination by the BC PNP does NOT authorize you to work while IRCC is processing your application. If you want to work in B.C. during this period, you must ensure you have authorization to work while in Canada.

If you do not have a work permit, or your work permit has expired (or is about to expire), you must apply to IRCC for a work permit. The BC PNP cannot apply for a work permit on your behalf. However, we may be able to provide a work permit support letter for your application to IRCC.

Obtaining a work permit support letter and post-nomination requests

Please access post-nomination support via My Dashboard on BCPNP Online. You will need to email PNPPostNom@gov.bc.ca if there is a change in your family makeup or if you were nominated with a paper-based application (submitted before July 2015).

We accept requests for work permit support letters from provincial nominees if ALL of the following are met:

• you have been nominated by the BC PNP
• you submitted your application to IRCC  before your nomination certificate expired
• you continue to meet the conditions of nomination
• your current work permit expires within 120 days

For time-sensitive requests, we strongly encourage you to submit your requests early to allow us enough time to process.

We have also provided information regarding our processing times for post-nomination requests.

For more information on how to obtain a work permit, please review the BC PNP Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide.