The Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a dynamic intake management system that allows the 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 stream.

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

 

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 is if the candidate has a graduate degree from a B.C. university in the natural, applied or health sciences. 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.

 

Economic Factors

1. Skill level of the job offer

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

3) Regional district of employment

 

Human Capital Factors

1) Directly related work experience

 

2) Highest level of education

3) Language

 

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.

 

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.