March 13, 2017 – British Columbia immigration has continued its shift to ex-students when issuing invites for Canada immigration for the BC PNP.

In the most recent draw, on March 8, 2017, British Columbia immigration officials issued 377 invites under its five main streams, with 211 of them going to foreign graduates.

A further 128 went to skilled workers, with the remaining 38 invitations going to entry level and semi-skilled workers.

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BC PNP: Invitations Issued March 8, 2017

Stream / Category	Minimum Score	Invitations
Express Entry Skilled Worker	90	68
Express Entry International Graduate	70	99
Skills Immigration: Skilled Worker	90	60
Skills Immigration: International Graduate	70	112
Skills Immigration: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled	65	38

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

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The latest draw continues an overwhelming trend seen at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, with awarding permanent residence to more international graduates a stated aim of the federal Canada immigration department.

The previous draw, on February 23, 2017, saw 269 out of 343 invitations go to international graduates.

Skilled workers were issued with 60 invitations, while entry level and semi-skilled workers received just six invitations under the February 23 draw. There were also a further eight invitations in the British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration category.

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BC PNP: Invitations Issued February 23, 2017

Stream / Category	Minimum Score	Invitations
Express Entry Skilled Worker	90	27
Express Entry International Graduate	70	79
Skills Immigration: Skilled Worker	90	33
Skills Immigration: International Graduate	70	190
Skills Immigration: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled	65	6
Entrepreneur Immigration	143	8

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

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A recent tweak to the Canada immigration system, plus Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance in the U.S., is expected to push more international students to study in Canada.

For the first time, points are now specifically awarded under Canada Express Entry to candidates with Canadian education experience to allow them to easily achieve permanent residence.

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Points Awarded for Canadian Education Under Canada Express Entry

	From November 19, 2016
High school	0
One or two-year post secondary	15
Three-year post secondary, master’s, professional degree or doctorate	30

Source: IRCC

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Meanwhile, Trump’s policies may not have directly targeted international students, but they have served to cast the U.S. as an unwelcoming place for foreigners.

Previously, students who held the dream of studying in the U.S. are now switching focus, and Canada is waiting with open arms and progressive immigration policies.

The top universities in Canada are already seeing hoards of international student enrollments.

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Read More

• Montreal Is World’s Best City For Students
• International Students Pushed To Canada By Trump Protectionism
• Calling International Students: Here Are Canada’s Best Universities

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At McGill in Montreal, a quarter of the student population is international. The University of British Columbia, meanwhile, is spending $127 million on a language college specifically for international students who need to improve their skills before they can enrol in the mainstream school.

Equally as important for the universities themselves is the extra tuition fees paid by international students, which can be up to triple the amount paid domestically. Another by-product of Canada’s population is also seeing the domestic cohort beginning to fall.

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