British Columbia Declares New Coronavirus Policies

The province of British Columbia has been conducting several provincial nominee draws since the implementation of the special coronavirus virus measures by the government. However, lately, in response to the coronavirus affects, the province has declared some new measures for the British Columbia Provincial Nominee program. Also Read: How to get Canada PR visa? Step by step guide. British Columbia has taken special measures for applicants belonging to the Skills Immigration category of the British Columbia PNP. The temporary measures have been implemented for the Skills Immigration applicants who have changed their employment status due to the following cases:

Lay-offs
Terminations without any reason
Got new job offers from new employers
Recall from the same employer
No. of work hours reduced to less than full-time work hours
Failing to meet minimum wage requirements due to a reduction in salary
Reduction in income

Candidates will have to provide all the required documents for the BC PNP. However, if they are unable to get their documents from third parties due to the coronavirus restrictions, they can provide a written application with proof to the province. Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates had to complete continuous full-time employment of nine months. Now, British Columbia has implemented a measure that after the temporary layoff candidates will be able to count the employment period as a continuous work of nine months. Also Read: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Gateway to move to Canada However, it should be noted that the layoff period can’t exceed over 16 weeks and the candidate must continue the job with the same employer. International Graduates who have to change their employment status and have to withdraw their registration for the Skills Immigration – International Graduates category will be allowed to submit a new registration given that their original application was created within the three-year period.

Measures for Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

Individuals who have applied to the Entrepreneur Immigration stream or have been issued invitations through this immigration stream are issued guidelines to email to British Columbia if they are experiencing delays in submitting required documents. Also, those entrepreneurs who are facing difficulties in fulfilling the residency obligations or running their business because of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic are advised to send an email to the province regarding their particular circumstances. British Columbia will do all possible adjustments for changes in employment status or travel delays. Also, the province has assured that individuals will not face issues in their BC PNP applications if they receive provincial or federal assistance like Employment Insurance (EI). However, candidates must meet the conditions of BC PNP immigration programs.