Updates

.The Province of British Columbia held a new Pilot draw as well as Entrepreneur draw on October 20 to apply for a provincial nomination. A total of 100 people received invitations in these draws. Out of the 100 invitations, 80 Express Entry BC and Skills Immigration candidates have received the invitations.

The minimum cut off score required is 80 under these two streams. It remained the same as the previous Tech pilot draw which was held on October 6. A total of 72 tech pilot candidates received invitations through the previous draw.

Another 20 candidates received invitations under the Entrepreneur Immigration stream.  Of the 20 EI invitations, 15 candidates under Entrepreneur Immigration- Base Category received invitations. The minimum score needed for them was 122.

The remaining 5 invitations went to Entrepreneur Immigration-Regional Pilot Category candidates. The minimum score needed for this category was 109.

B.C.  Prioritizes applications in the 29 key technology occupations under Tech Pilot draw. These applications are processed in shorter timeframes. About 80% of the applications are processed in 2-3 months from the date of receipt.

On October 13, the province has sent invitations to 417 candidates to apply for provincial nominations. However certain occupations were excluded in that draw due to the impact of the pandemic on B.C. businesses. So far the province has invited 589 candidates in all categories.

Summary of the recent BC PNP draw

Draw date: October 20, 2020.

Program: British Columbia Tech Pilot Draw

Number of candidates invited: 80

The categories invited

Express Entry BC (EEBC)

1.      EEBC- Skilled Worker

        The Minimum score required under this Category: 80

2.      EEBC- International Graduate

       The Minimum score required under this Category: 80

Skills Immigration (SI)

1.      SI- Skilled Worker

        The Minimum score required under this Category: 80

2.      SI- International Graduate

        The Minimum score required under this Category: 80

Entrepreneur draw

Draw date: October 20, 2020.

Number of candidates invited: 20

Entrepreneur Immigration (EI)

1. EI- Base Category

The number of candidates received invitations under this category-15

       TheMinimum score required under this Category: 122

2. EI-Regional Pilot

The number of candidates received invitations under this category-05

       TheMinimum score required under this Category: 109

Prince Edward Island held its latest draw on October 15. A total of 211 candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination under Express Entry, Labour Impact and Business Impact categories.

Collectively Express Entry and Labour Impact category candidates received 184 invitations. The rest of the invitations (27) went to Business work permit Entrepreneur category candidates.

The minimum points required for Business invitations is 97. The cut-off points required to get an invitation is not specified for other categories.  The next draw is scheduled to be held on November 19, 2020.

Summary of the latest PEI PNP draw:

Draw date: October 15, 2020.

Program: PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)

Categories Invited: Express Entry, Labour Impact and Business Impact

Total Number of candidates invited: 211

The number of candidates received invitations so far in last 12 months: 1805

Express Entry and Labour Impact    

The Number of candidates invited in this draw: 184

The total number of candidates invited under these streams in the past 12 months: 1621

Business Impact

The number of Candidates invited under this stream: 27

Minimum EOI score required under this category: 97

The total number of candidates invited under this stream in the past 12 months: 184

In 2020-21, the Ontario government will spend $19.25 million in mental health funding for post-secondary students, an increase of $3.25 million relative to last year. This investment will assist students by strengthening organizational relationships and growing the number of mental health professionals and services at Schools, Universities, and Aboriginal Institutes.

Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities said that providing mental health services in place for when students need them most is a vital part of helping students excel, particularly during this very challenging COVID period. This increased funding will equip the postsecondary partners with greater tools to build the best possible opportunities for students to achieve their desired goals.

In 2020-21, the Ministry will invest in the following student mental health support initiatives:

Good2Talk / Allo j’écoute ($5.16 M): Post-secondary student mental wellbeing helpline program, open all times throughout the year (24/7/365)

Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health ($0.5M): This is a hub of knowledge exchange, providing and granting the resources and access to expertise for the postsecondary sector.

Mental Health Worker Grant ($4.45 million): This support initiative for on-campus front-line mental health service employees, annual continuing assistance to 45 colleges and universities to offset the expense of hiring front-line, on-campus mental health workers. 

Mental Health Services Grant ($6 M): This grant is to provide annual support to 45 universities and colleges to establish programs and services as defined by the institution.

Indigenous Institutes Mental Health Grant ($0.5 M): To fund the provision of mental health services, employees and needs assessment to the 9 Indigenous Institutes in Ontario as required.

Get-A-head ($250,000):-The ministry offers one-time grants to facilitate the launch of an online application for mental wellbeing.

The rest of the $19.25 M would help partnership development and greater access to services for mental health.

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, told that the government ensures that post-secondary students have the right mental health services and support they need during those unprecedented times. Targeted investments such as this one are another example of how the government continues to develop a robust and connected mental wellbeing and addictions system. This would make every Ontarian feels supported so  their emotional well-being can be sustained

The announcement is part of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness, the new plan of the government to build a connected and comprehensive system of mental health and addiction that ensures that children, young people, and adults in Ontario receive adequate services when and where they need them.

Post-secondary students are going through a major transition in their lives which may cause stress and anxiety. In addition to this, the global pandemic made many to feel their lives have been upended.

Thanks to the Government of Ontario for putting post-secondary students ‘ mental health and well-being first by ensuring that the 24/7 confidential counseling services of Good2Talk are always accessible by phone and text.

The province of Ontario held its new Tech draw on October 15. Express Entry candidates with work experience in one of the six occupations were invited to apply for provincial nomination. The province has sent 772 notification of Interests (NOI’s) in this draw.

A total of 7,245 candidates have received NOI’ s so far this year through various categories.

Summary of the recent OINP draw

Draw date: October 15, 2020.

Program: Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Stream: Tech Draw.

Number of candidates invited: 772

CRS requirements: 462-470

Occupations targeted in this draw: 06

1.         Computer and information systems managers (NOC 0213)

2.         Computer engineers (NOC 2147)

3.         Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174)

4.         Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 2172)

5.         Software engineers and designers (NOC 2173)

6.         Web designers and developers (NOC 2175)

EE profile submission date: Between October 15, 2019- October 15, 2020

Applicants must prove work experience with one of the above mentioned NOC codes to be eligible for receiving the nomination. Candidates have 45 days’ time to submit the application.

Depending on the stream, processing times differ. For HCP related invitation the probable processing time would be 60-90 days. However, it can take longer to process applications that require more details or clarity.

The Province of British Columbia held a new Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on October 13 to apply for a provincial nomination. A total of 417 people were issued invitations in this draw.

The minimum score requirement ranged in between 75 and 94 under each category. The minimum score requirements remained the same as the previous draw held on September 29. British Columbia invited another 72 candidates through the Tech Pilot draw earlier this month on October 6.

September 29th draw was the largest draw of the year so far with 450 invitations being issued. A total of 1437 candidates received invitations in the month of September.

Summary of the recent BC PNP draw
Draw date: October 13, 2020.
Program Name: B.C Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
Number of candidates invited: 417
The categories invited
Express Entry BC (EEBC)

1. EEBC- Skilled Worker
   The Minimum score required under this Category: 92
2. EEBC- International Graduate
   The Minimum score required under this Category: 93

Skills Immigration (SI)

1. SI- Skilled Worker
   The Minimum score required under this Category: 93
2. SI- International Graduate
   The Minimum score required under this Category: 94
3. SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled
   The Minimum score required under this Category: 75

However, certain occupations were continued to be excluded from these draws due to the impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the province’s businesses. Massage therapists, Retail and wholesale trade Manager, Restaurant and foodservice Managers, certain Sales and Service-related occupations were few among the excluded occupation list.