BCPNP scores are finally turning downward giving hope to many EEBC or BCPNP applicants. In addition to Express Entry, BCPNP’s starting points have always changed, but never been as dramatic as this year. The BCPNP-first score, which had been in the 80s since March this year, has reached the top of 110 in July this year. In order to get BCPNP 110 points, it was almost unparalleled unless it was a basic four-year college degree, English CLB 7 (iELTS 6 or CELPIP 7). Of course, the above conditions could be met by salary scores, regional scores, and additional scores based on Canadian school graduation or high-level job termination. However, many applicants who could not meet this score were given extra points by moving to a remote city, by changing jobs as a second-best option, or by moving to another province. Unfortunately, I've seen many giving up moving to Canada as well. However, the recent four to five months of upward movement has finally shifted downward since August 20, giving hope to BCPNP or EEBC applicants who have been waiting for their scores to go down the road. If you look at the trends from 2017 to the present, there was an average selection every two weeks in 2017 and 300-400 people were given an opportunity to apply for immigration. The average starting score for this time was kept at Skilled Worker: 75, International Graduate: 85 and Entry Level and Semi-skilled: 55. The following year, in 2018, the company scored a starting score of 85 points for Skilled Worker: slightly higher than 2017 by giving an average of 200-400 people a chance to apply for immigration, 90 for International Graduation, and 65 for Entry Level and Semi-skilled. If you look at 2019 PNP trends, the score was similar to that of 2018 from January to February, and as we drastically reduced the number of starters to 100-200 from March, the starting score was up to 110 for Skilled Worker: 105 for International Graduate and Semi-Skilled: 80. However, as we selected 527 people on August 20, we lost a lot of starting points, and as additional big starts continued on September 3, we lowered our starting points to Skilled Worker: 96 (EEBC): 93 (SI), International Gradate: 100 (EEBC: 98), Entry Level and Semi-skilled: 77 points. As announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, there are expected to be more invitations in 2019 than last year, so in the latter half of the year, about 500 people are expected to be invited. We can't exactly predict draw points for the future, but we expect it to go down to the same score range as in 2018. We recommend applicants preparing for EEBC or BCPNP to apply as soon as possible. If they do not have enough score for an invitation, I recommend you to raise them by English proficiency test scores, work experience, or salary scores.

Finally, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program (RNIP), which was briefly announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada earlier this year, is expected to be implemented soon. The RNIP program is designed to help small rural and northern communities attract foreign workers with diverse skills and provide permanent residency. According to figures provided by the Canadian Immigration Service, rural communities in Canada employ more than 4 million Canadians and account for nearly 30 percent of the country’s GDP. Therefore, the Canadian government intends to use the program to prevent rural and northern communities from coping with labor market shortages caused by falling birth rates, rising retirement rates and Canada’s population density. Cities that are eligible for rural and northern immigration can only be carried out in 11 selected cities. The selected cities were Thunder Bay, Vault Ste. Maire, Sudbury, Timmins and North Bay, with the largest number of cities selected in Canada, West Kootenay, Vernon, and Gretna- Rhineland-Altona-Plum in Manitoba. The rest of the cities were Claresholm in Alberta and Moose Jaw City in Saskatchewan. The criteria chosen for the above cities were based on the economic needs of each city, the resources required for pilot operations, and the presence of community partners. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship also added that other cities could be added in the future. The necessary conditions for RNIP's progress were not announced yet. According to the terms announced, six conditions must be met. You need to get a letter of recommendation from one of the 11 cities. The letter of recommendation will show you whether you are willing to live in the city or whether your experience or skills are helpful. You must have more than a year of experience in the last three years. At least 12 months of experience in Canada or abroad are recognized and paid for work is recognized. If you graduate from a school in Canada, you can apply without experience. Job Offer must be accepted by Canadian employers in 11 and job offer must meet full-time and minimum salary by occupation and region. In addition, job offer must be less than the same NOC level or level 1 of its experience. For example, if you receive Job Offer as NOC B, your experience must be NOC level A, B, or C. CLB 5, NOC C/D must have at least CLB4 if the language score is NOC 0. Graduation of at least high school is mandatory. Settlement funds are required for each family member. There are still many questions about RNIP, but they said the RNIP program could be carried out as early as 2019 and more details on the program are expected to be announced accordingly. Therefore, it is recommended that prospective immigrants who will immigrate through this new program to explore or look for jobs in advance.