The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) program in British Columbia (BC) is designed to help employers in the province fill vacancies for certain occupations that require lower levels of formal training or education.
To be eligible for the ELSS program, applicants must have a valid job offer from a BC employer in an eligible occupation. These occupations are usually in industries such as hospitality, tourism, and food processing. Applicants must also meet the minimum language proficiency requirements and have the necessary skills and experience for the job.
Once an application is approved, the applicant will receive a nomination from the BC government, which can increase their chances of being approved for permanent residency in Canada. The nomination is then submitted to the federal government for processing.
Program Requirements
Express Entry Profile
No
Connection to Province
Work Experience
Job Offer
Yes, full-time, Permanent, from a B.C. employer in the tourism/hospitality, or food processing sector.
NOC TEER 4 and 5.
No LMIA
Language Proficiency
CLB 4
Level of Education
No minimum
Work Experience
9 months. In one of the ELSS In-Demand Occupations.
Investment Requirement
None
Note: This stream does not have the Express Entry BC option.
Eligible occupations
Occupations in travel and accommodation
64314 Hotel front desk clerks
Tour and recreational guides and casino occupations
64320 Tour and travel guides
64321 Casino workers
64322 Outdoor sport and recreational guides
Occupations in food and beverage service
64300 Maîtres d’hotel and hosts/hostesses
64301 Bartenders
65200 Food and beverage servers
65201 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations
Cleaners (employed directly by hotels/resorts)
65210 Support occupations in accommodation, travel, and facilities set-up services
65310 Light duty cleaners
65311 Specialized cleaners
65312 Janitors, caretakers, and heavy-duty cleaners
Other service occupations (employed directly by hotels/resorts)
65320 Dry cleaning, laundry, and related occupations
65329 Other service support occupations
Food processing
94140 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
94141 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers, and related workers
94142 Fish and seafood plant workers
94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
95106 Labourers in food and beverage processing
Application process
This pathway operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system.
The applicant is required to register a profile using the BC’s online immigration portal.
The applicant must indicate on this application whether to apply through the accelerated Express Entry system or the regular Skills Immigration system.
According to the score candidates will be invited to apply.
The applicant must submit the application within 30 days.
The application fee is 700 CAD.
If approved, they will be issued a PNP for PR
Regular Skills Immigration system –
Applicant has six months to submit an official application for permanent residence,
Prepare a paper-based application and submit it by mail to the appropriate application center.
