BC PNP Suspends Entry Level-Semi Skilled Pilot Project
Sep 19th, 2011
If you’re a foreign worker looking for permanent residency, you should be aware of some important changes to permanent residency policies in BC. On August 31, 2011, the British Columbia Provincial Nomination Program (“BC PNP”) suspended the Entry-Level Semi-Skilled Pilot Project. Under the program, which was introduced in 2008, foreign workers with experience in the hospitality, food & beverage, and trucking industry could qualify for permanent residency.
What does this mean for foreign workers? Well, it depends largely on whether or not you have a post-secondary education. BC PNP statistics showed that a large percentage of people that applied for permanent residence under this program had a post-secondary education. The suspension of the program is thus expected to hit entry-level employees who management is not yet ready to promote to a supervisory position especially hard.
While the program is suspended, there is no economic immigration program available for semi-skilled or entry-level workers to apply for permanent residency in British Columbia. Applicants interested in becoming permanent who are not eligible for a Working Holiday Visa or a Post-Graduate Work Permit will in most cases now have to apply for a Labour Market Opinion, a
process described in more detail here, and either wait for a new position, or for a new immigration program to become available.
Article courtesy of
Steven Meurrens
&
Ryan Rosenberg, Canadian Immigration Lawyers based in Vancouver BC.
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Tags: immigration