BC PNP: Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)

BC PNP: Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS)

The Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a dynamic intake management system that allows British Columbia to prioritize candidates for provincial nomination to the province.

The SIRS is conducted with the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), one of Canada's Provincial Nominee Programs. As it is a points-based system, candidates receive a score based on the information they provide upon registration. This score will determine whether a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply for nomination from BC PNP through the Skills Immigration and Express Entry B.C. streams.

 

  • How does SIRS work?
  • SIRS scoring system
  • Invitations to Apply
  • Application and nomination decision

 

SIRS Calculator

By answering a few simple questions, you can find out what your score might be if you were to register under the SIRS.

 

How does SIRS work?

Potential candidates must first accept an offer of indeterminate, full-time employment from a B.C. employer who is willing to support the candidate through the BC PNP process. (The only exception to the job offer requirement under the BC PNP is if the candidate has a graduate degree from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences. However, candidates under this International Post-Graduate category do not register under the SIRS.)

If the candidate and the employer meet the program requirements and the employer is prepared to support an application,the candidate can submit a registration to the BC PNP.

Please note that candidates interested in and eligible under the following categories do not need to register and may proceed directly to the application via BCPNP Online:

  • Skills Immigration – Health Care Professional
  • Skills Immigration – International Post-Graduate
  • Express Entry BC – Health Care Professional
  • Express Entry BC – International Post-Graduate

Once a candidate submits a registration through SIRS, he or she will receive a registration score and will be entered into a selection pool for the category in which he or she has registered (candidates may register under one category only). The registration, which is free of charge, will remain in the selection pool for a maximum of twelve months from the date of submission.

Periodically, the BC PNP will invite the highest-scoring registrants from each category to apply for provincial nomination.

A registration into the Skills Immigration Registration System is not an application to the BC PNP or a guarantee that a candidate will be invited to apply.

If a candidate is invited to submit an application to the BC PNP, he or she will then be asked to pay a fee as part of the online application process.

The BC PNP reserves the right to make changes to the Skills Immigration Registration System without prior notice, including changes to the scoring grids, the length of time a registration can remain in the selection pool, and the number and frequency of invitations to apply issued.

A candidate's registration will be assessed according to the scoring factors applicable at the time of submission.

 

SIRS Scoring

The factors outlined below determine the number of points allocated to a candidate who has registered under SIRS. If and when a candidate is invited to apply, all the information provided in the registration will be verified against the information provided in the application.

  Scoring Sections Maximum Points

Economic

Factors

(120)

Skill Level of the B.C. Job Offer 60
Wage of the B.C. Job Offer 50
Regional District of Employment 10

Human Capital

Factors

(80)

Directly Related Work Experience 25
Highest Level of Education 25
Language 30
Total Points Available 200

 

Economic Factors

1. Skill level of the job offer

Skill Level of the B.C. Job Offer Points
NOC Skill Level A (including Skill Type 0) 25
NOC Skill Level B 10
NOC Skill Level C 5
NOC Skill Level D 5
 Bonus points: 
Occupation is a “00” NOC 15
Occupation identified in the Top 100 occupations in the BC Labour Market Outlook 2014-2024 10
Currently working in B.C. for the employer in occupation identified in the BC PNP registration 10
Maximum Score Available 60

2) Annual wage of the B.C. job offer

Annual Wage of the B.C. Job Offer Points
$100,000 and above 50
$97,500 to $99,999 38
$95,000 to $97,499 37
$92,500 to $94,999 36
$90,000 to $92,499 35
$87,500 to $89,999 34
$85,000 to $87,499 33
$82,500 to $84,999 32
$80,000 to $82,499 31
$77,500 to $79,999 30
$75,000 to $77,499 29
$72,500 to $74,999 28
$70,000 to $72,499 27
$67,500 to $69,999 26
$65,000 to $67,499 25
$62,500 to $64,999 24
$60,000 to $62,499 23
$57,500 to $59,999 22
$55,000 to $57,499 21
$52,500 to $54,999 20
$50,000 to $52,499 19
$47,500 to $49,999 18
$45,000 to $47,499 17
$42,500 to $44,999 16
$40,000 to $42,499 15
$38,750 to $39,999 14
$37,500 to $38,749 13
$36,250 to $37,499 12
$35,000 to $36,249 11
$33,750 to $34,999 10
$32,500 to $33,749 9
$31,250 to $32,499 8
$30,000 to $31,249 7
$28,750 to $29,999 6
$27,500 to $28,749 5
$26,250 to $27,499 4
$25,000 to $26,249 3
Less than $25,000 0
Maximum Score Available 50

3) Regional district of employment

Regional District of Employment Points
Stikine, Central Coast, Northern Rockies, Mount Waddington, Skeena-Queen Charlotte, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Kootenay-Boundary, Alberni-Clayoquot 10
Kitimat-Stikine, Bulkley-Nechako, Squamish-Lillooet, Strathcona, Columbia-Shushwap, East Kootenay 8
Peace River, Comox Valley, Cariboo, Central Kootenay 6
Okanagan-Similkameen, Cowichan Valley, North Okanagan, Fraser-Fort George 4
Thompson-Nicola, Nanaimo, Central Okanagan 2
Capital, Fraser Valley 2
Greater Vancouver 0
Maximum Score Available 10

 

Human Capital Factors

1) Directly related work experience

Directly Related Work Experience in the Occupation of B.C. Job Offer Points
5+ years 15
4 to 5 years 12
3 to 4 years 9
2 to 3 years 6
1 to 2 years 3
Less than 1 year 1
None 0
 Bonus points: 
At least 1 year of directly related experience in Canada 10
Maximum Score Available 25

 2) Highest level of education

Education Points
Doctoral or Master’s degree 17
Post Graduate Certificate or Diploma 11
Bachelor’s degree 11
Trades certification 11
Associate Degree 4
Non-trades certification or Diploma 2
High School 0
 Bonus points: 
Post-secondary education completed in B.C 8
Post-secondary education completed in Canada (outside of B.C.) 6
Education Credential Assessment from a qualified supplier 4
Trades certification assessment from the Industry Training Authority 4
Maximum Score Available 25

3) Language

Canadian Language Benchmark Level Points
10+ 30
9 26
8 22
7 18
6 14
5 10
4 6
Below 4 0
No test 0
Maximum Score Available 30

 

Invitations to Apply

Candidates who have entered the selection pool will be ranked alongside other registrants in the chosen category. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite candidates from the selection pool for each category to apply. The number and frequency of Invitations to Apply is based on annual nomination allocations and processing capacity.

Candidates who are invited to apply will have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BC PNP online system. Candidates who are invited to apply but do not submit a complete application within 30 days will have their registration removed from the selection pool and invitation cancelled.

An invitation to apply does not guarantee that an application will be approved for nomination.

The BC PNP may refuse an application if:

  • the information in the registration is different from the information submitted in the application;
  • the candidate is not eligible to receive the points assigned to him or her at the time of registration; or
  • the application does not meet applicable category requirements in effect at the time the application was made.

Candidates who have not been invited to apply within 12 months of registration will be automatically removed from the selection pool. A new registration may be made at this point.

Guaranteed Invitations

Candidates who achieve or exceed the following registration scores will receive an Invitation to Apply in the next draw for his or her chosen category.

Category Minimum score
Skills Immigration - Skilled Worker 135
Skills Immigration - International Graduate 105
Skills Immigration - Entry Level and Semi-Skilled 95
Express Entry BC - Skilled Worker 135
Express Entry BC - International Graduate 105

 

Application and Nomination Decision

Candidates are invited to apply will have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application via the BC PNP online system. If the application is approved, candidates then have six months from the date of confirmation of the provincial nomination to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status.

Candidates who have obtained a provincial nomination from the BC PNP may be eligible to receive a work permit support letter so that they can apply to IRCC to obtain or renew a work permit to start or continue working in B.C. for their employer while awaiting the decision on their permanent residence application.

The BC PNP may only accept requests for work permit support letters to provincial nominees if ALL of the following conditions are met:

  • The candidate has been nominated by the BC PNP;
  • The candidate has submitted an application for permanent residence to IRCC within the six-month period after he or she was nominated;
  • The candidate continues to meet the conditions of nomination; and
  • The candidate's current work permit expires within 120 days.

The BC PNP cannot apply for a work permit on behalf of a candidate. The candidate must apply to IRCC for his or her own work permit and include the BC PNP work permit support letter with the work permit application.