Entry Level And Semi-Skilled (ELSS) Program | BC PNP

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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.