How to immigrate to british columbia, canada
British Columbia is one of the most popular provinces among potential immigrants. Before we dive into how to immigrate to British Columbia in 2023, let’s first explore why people want to immigrate here so much.
Climate and location
British Columbia is the most western province in Canada. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Rocky Mountains and the Alberta border on the east. The south of B.C. shares a border with the United States, and the province extends north to the borders of Yukon and the Northwest Territories. BC is Canada's third-largest province after Québec and Ontario, making up 10 per cent of Canada's land surface. British Columbia is know for its amazing climate. Summers on the coast are warm, with daytime temperatures around 20°C. B.C.'s coastal regions have the mildest winters in all of Canada, and temperatures rarely drop below freezing. The interior and central regions of the province have hotter summers, with temperatures in July often reaching 30°C or more.
Jobs and Business
B.C. is home to a large range of job and business opportunities and industries, including agriculture, construction, forestry, health and manufacturing. Low crime rates and effective regulation make B.C. one of the safest places to work and live. In addition to healthcare, entertainment, leisure, and educational amenities, the Canadian province also provides a high-quality education system.
Cost of living
With all this beauty, there are of course, downsides. British Columbia is considered one of the most expensive places to live in Canada. The cost of living in British Columbia is $1993, which is 1.15 times more expensive than the average in Canada. British Columbia ranked 3rd most expensive and 5th best state to live in Canada.
How to immigrate to British Columbia in 2023
British Columbia’s is one of the only provinces that doesn’t offer any foreign skilled worker focused provincial nominee programs that don’t require job offers. With any of the foreign skilled worker programs you would have to have a job offer to be eligible to apply. But don’t get discouraged so easily. There are a few occupations in BC, that get invited with a fairly low score. What are those occupations:
Healthcare occupations:
30010 Managers in health care
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31110 Dentists
31201 Chiropractors
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31203 Occupational therapists
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32101 Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
41300 Social workers
42201 Social and community service workers
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31202 Physiotherapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32112 Dental technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
31200 Psychologists
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
Childcare occupations
42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
Other priority occupations
31103 Veterinarians
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
Tech Occupations
10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21100 Physicists and astronomers
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231 Software engineers and designers
21232 Software developers and programmers
21233 Web designers
21234 Web developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22110 Biological technologists and technicians
22220 Computer network and web technicians
22221 User support technicians
22222 Information systems testing technicians
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
50011 Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
52112 Broadcast technicians
52113 Audio and video recording technicians
52120 Graphic designers and illustrators
53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators
How to find jobs in these fields?
If your occupation is included in any of the lists above, I’d strongly encourage you to start looking for jobs in BC. Yes, I know – people keep saying it’s hard to find a job from outside Canada. And I agree. But is it impossible? Definitely not! British Columbia created these programs for a reason. There are serious labour shortages in these particular industries and it’s close to impossible for local employers to find employees. So don’t get discouraged – start as soon as possible. Those who are discouraged – are not your competition. Only those who are as determined as you. How to find jobs? Contact us and we can guide you through the process. Reach out to us to book a consultation and discuss your options here.
About author:
Sao Khadjieva is the Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with over 10 years of experience in Canadian immigration. Sao focuses her practice on study permits, Provincial Nominee programs and Express Entry as well as business immigration to Canada. Find out more here.