6. Provincial Nomination ProgramsBC PNPBC PNP TECHEntrepreneur Immigration - Regional PilotEntry Level and Semi-SkilledExpress Entry BCHealthcare ProfessionalInternational GraduateSkilled WorkerSkills Immigration

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) – Statistical Report:Skills Immigration (SI)(2)

The following chart and table show the overall share of nominations for each category, as well as a more detailed breakdown.

Chart: Skills Immigration Nominees in 2021 by Category
Chart: Skills Immigration Nominees in 2021 by Category

 

Total Skills Immigration Nominations by Category
Category 2021 2020 2019
Skilled Worker 1,747 1,515 1,672
Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) 768 374 667
International Graduate 375 339 420
International Post-Graduate 501 558 523
Healthcare Professional 71 72 70
EEBC – Skilled Worker 2,002 2,051 1,941
EEBC – International Graduate 415 1030 964
EEBC – International Post-Graduate 297 288 226
EEBC – Healthcare Professional 37 24 20
SI Total 6,213 6,251 6,503

In 2021, 60 per cent of all nominations were under the Skilled Worker categories and 26 per cent of nominations were under the International Graduate and International Post-Graduate categories. The percentage of nominees  who were in a student category was less than normal in 2021 because many international students were eligible to apply directly to the federal government through temporary, limited-time pathways for permanent residency. This effect was particularly noticeable  in the Express Entry option for the International Graduate category.

The International Post-Graduate categories nominated 798 new graduates who intend to settle in British Columbia. These categories help meet the objective of attracting and retaining innovative holders of advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with high human capital.

BC PNP Tech 

The BC PNP introduced the Tech Pilot in 2017 to help B.C. tech employers  address their talent needs. In May 2021, the BC PNP indefinitely extended  the Tech Pilot under a new name: BC PNP Tech. BC employers  continue to be able to recruit and retain international skilled tech talent with a path to permanent residence. A list of the eligible occupations in engineering, technology, and business support services, along with other information about BC PNP Tech, can be found on our website.

 

BC PNP Tech Nominations
2021 2020 2019
Nominees 1,697 1,855 1,509
% of SI Nominees 27.3% 29.7% 23.2%

BC PNP Tech (which draws from  the Skilled Worker and International Graduate categories) has grown  to account for a large share of the program’s SI nominations. In 2021, Tech Pilot nominees constituted 27 per cent of all SI nominees. Six of the top 10 occupations nominated in 2021 were tech occupations: software engineers and developers, graphic designers and illustrators, computer programmers and interactive media developers, professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations,  information systems analysts and consultants, and user support technicians.

Geographical Origins of Nominees

Many nominees  in the SI stream come from  countries  in Asia. 63 per cent of 2021 nominees came from either South/Central Asia or from  East/Southeast Asia. Other regions that contributed significant numbers of nominees  include Europe (12.6%) and Latin America/Caribbean (8.4%).

Chart: Geographical Origins of 2021 Skills Immigration Nominees
Chart: Geographical Origins of 2021 Skills Immigration Nominees

 

Top 5 Individual Source Countries for the SI Stream
2021 2020 2019
India India India
China China China
Iran Brazil Brazil
Brazil United Kingdom United Kingdom
United Kingdom Iran South Korea

 

Occupations

In 2021, there were no major changes to the distribution of SI nominees  among the major occupational categories. Driven primarily by the success of BC PNP Tech, the natural  and applied sciences and related continued to be the largest group.  As in 2020, about a quarter of nominees belonged to that category.

The occupational category that saw the largest gain was trades, transport and equipment operators and related, which increased from a 13.0 per cent share of 2020 SI nominees  to a 16.4 per cent share of 2021 nominees. The ongoing recovery of the retail and restaurant sectors from the COVID-19 pandemic  also caused a modest increase in the share of sales and service workers (from 12.8% to 14.3%).

 

Occupational Category of SI Nominees                       2021         2020         2019
Natural and applied sciences and related*

( *Increased nominations in this occupational category are mainly driven by nominees who are part of the BC PNP Tech initiative.)

24.6% 26.5% 20.0%
Business, finance and administration 16.8% 18.4% 15.9%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related 16.4% 13.0% 11.3%
Sales and service 14.3% 12.8% 27.6%
No listed occupation (IPG) 12.8% 13.3% 11.4%
Art, culture, recreation and sport 5.0% 5.4% 5.5%
Education, law and social/community/government services  

4.9%