BC PNP and the new NOC 2021

NOC 2021

With the implementation of the new NOC 2021, the federal and provincial governments are updating the requirements for their immigration programs. British Columbia (BC) used this opportunity to revise their Provincial Nominee Program's (PNP) Skills Immigration in order to strengthen the integrity of the program while protecting the safety of British Columbians. Applications received before November 16, 2022 will continue to be processed using NOC 2016. All registrations and applications submitted on or after November 16, 2022 will now use NOC 2021.

The general eligibility criteria were updated to reflect the new Training, Experience, Education and Responsibilities (TEER) categories of the NOC 2021 rather than the Skill levels of the previous NOC 2016. If those eligibility criteria are met, a candidate can register for the BC PNP Skills Immigration and receive a score based on human capital factors. A registration is considered an expression of interest to be considered for the BC PNP; however, it is not an application and there is no guarantee that an eligible candidate will be invited to apply. Periodically, the BC PNP will invite candidates from the registration pool to submit an application. Invitations are based on the registration score for human capital factors like education, language skills, occupation, work experience, wage, and region within BC, and can strategically target BC government priorities.


Skills Immigration

Subsequently, the new BC PNP awards additional points for job offers in regions outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District. Furthermore, candidates with experience working or studying outside of the Vancouver area may claim additional points if they have a qualifying job offer in that region. In order to help regional employers retain experienced workers, a total of 25 points can now be claimed in this category compared to 10 points previously.

Additional points may be awarded for eligible professional designations with the corresponding certificate, registration or license in BC, as follows:

  • Any Trade with a valid trade certificate such as Red Seal
  • Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians: NOC 32104
  • Dental Assistants: NOC 33100
  • Dental Hygienists: NOC 32111
  • Dental Technicians: NOC 33100
  • Denturists: NOC 32110
  • Early Childhood Educators (ECE): NOC 42202
  • Health Care Aide:NOC 33102
  • Pharmacy Technicians: NOC 33103
  • Practical Nurses: NOC 32101
  • Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists: NOC 32200

Other changes are intended to retain more innovators and experts with specialized expertise. For the International Post-Graduate stream, eligibility has been expanded to any field of study for doctoral graduates and PhD programs. University professors, lecturers and post-doctoral fellows (NOC 41200) on limited term employment contracts at universities in BC are now eligible for the Skilled Worker stream.

The BC PNP Tech, which allows targeted invitations for specific priority occupations, remains and NOC codes have been updated to reflect the new 5 digits under NOC 2021. 

Points for the NOC skill level have been removed. Human capital factors – education, work experience and language proficiency – gained in significance and the maximum now weighs more than the maximum for economic factors such as wage and area within BC. The overall maximum score was increased from 190 to 200 points.


What this means for you 

Depending on your situation, you may have to update your 4-digit NOC code to the new 5-digit version.

  • If you were a candidate and had a previous registration for the BC PNP before November 16, 2022 but did not receive an invitation to apply (ITA), you will need to register again with your 5-digit code under NOC 2021.

  • If you are applying under the BC PNP Express Entry option (EEBC) and you received an ITA before November 16, 2022, you must submit your Express Entry application for permanent residence using the 4-digit code under NOC 2016.

  • If you didn’t receive an ITA before November 16, 2022, you must update your Express Entry profile with the 5-digit NOC 2021 code to remain eligible.

  • If you received a nomination certificate from BC PNP, and your nomination certificate has a 4-digit NOC code, you must use NOC code 93888 in every NOC field of your Express Entry profile. Your application will be assessed using the NOC 2016 code on your nomination certificate.

  • If your nomination certificate has a 5-digit NOC code, you must submit your Express Entry profile using your 5-digit NOC 2021 code.

For full details about the changes, please see the updated version of the BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide.

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