Moving from a work or study permit to permanent residency means choosing a route, meeting its rules, and filing on time. Our Surrey office helps you compare Express Entry and the BC Provincial Nominee Program, then builds the file around your actual profile and permit dates. A licensed permanent residency consultant reviews your case personally, and we work in English, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi.
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Your Route
Most Surrey applicants start from one of five positions. Find yours, then check the route beside it. Our guide to permanent residency in Canada explains each program in full, so this table stays short.
| Your situation | Route to check first | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Recent graduate with a Canadian credential | Express Entry or BC PNP International Graduate | Canadian study and work can add points or open a provincial stream |
| One year of skilled work in Canada | Canadian Experience Class | It counts the Canadian experience you already have |
| Skilled work abroad, no Canadian experience | Federal Skilled Worker or BC PNP Skilled Worker | Points depend on age, language, education, and work history |
| Job offer from a BC employer | BC PNP Skilled Worker or Express Entry | The offer may support a nomination or add points |
| Permit expiring soon | Check your status first, then the route | Timing can matter more than the program |
These are starting points, not verdicts. Two applicants holding the same permit can land on different routes once language scores, age, and job history are counted, so we confirm the route against your documents before you spend money on any application.
Eligibility
Rules differ by program, but most files test the same six things. Treat this list as a map. Your eligibility for permanent residence is decided against the specific program you apply under.
Meeting the minimums only gets you into the pool. Competing in it is a second test, and that is where planning your profile matters. We score your profile against each program before recommending one, so you see where you stand before paying for anything.
Express Entry vs BC PNP
Express Entry is a federal pool. IRCC ranks profiles by Comprehensive Ranking System score and invites the highest scorers in each draw. The Express Entry pathway covers three programs, and your score decides how competitive you are. Category-based draws also invite candidates by occupation or French ability, so your work history can matter as much as your score.
The BC Provincial Nominee Program works at the provincial level. BC invites candidates who fit its streams, including skilled worker, international graduate, and health authority streams. A nomination linked to Express Entry adds 600 points, but IRCC still has to invite you to apply. Read the BC PNP application process before you register, because each stream sets its own rules for education, employers, and work. Candidates without a Canadian job offer are not shut out. Language, age, education, and Canadian study still carry most of the score.
A qualifying job offer can add 50, 70, or 100 points without an LMIA, and Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation can add 20, 40, or 70. You receive the higher of the two, not both. Points follow your NOC code and your actual duties, not your salary. Profiles already in the pool will be rescored, so update your job offer details first and check IRCC's current rules before you act.
Permit Expiring
Many Surrey applicants hold a permit that ends before IRCC decides, and that has a plan if you act early. If you applied to extend your permit before it expired, you can usually keep working or studying on the same conditions while IRCC decides. That is called maintained status.
If you have applied for permanent residence from inside Canada and your permit ends within four months, you may qualify for a bridging open work permit. Check bridging open work permit eligibility before the date passes, because a lapse in status changes your options. If your permit has already expired, restoration of status may still be possible, but the window is short. Bring your permit and your PR application receipt to the consultation.
Bring your permit and your PR receipt. A licensed RCIC checks your status and the dates that matter before anything lapses.
Processing Time
Two clocks run, and people often count only one. The first is the wait for an invitation. An Express Entry profile waits for a draw, and a provincial nomination comes before the federal file.
The second is IRCC’s processing of the PR application itself. Recent IRCC data has shown about six months for most Express Entry files and a year or longer for provincial nominee files filed outside Express Entry. These figures move, so check IRCC’s live tool on the day you apply.
After an invitation you have 60 days to submit. Missing documents are the most common reason a file slows down, and a complete file at submission does more for your timeline than anything added later. At your first meeting we give you a written timeline for your route, dated against IRCC’s current figures.
Your First Meeting
Bring your passport, current permit, language test results, education documents, and a list of your jobs with dates. If you already have an Express Entry profile, bring the profile number. You can come to our Surrey office or meet online, and family members are welcome to join.
We hold the meeting in English, Punjabi, Urdu, or Hindi. Your licensed RCIC looks at your age, language level, education, and work history, then shows you where your points come from and where you may lose them. We compare the routes that fit and tell you which one we would file first, and why. If your profile is not competitive yet, we say so and describe what could change it.
You can meet our immigration consultant in Surrey at 15315 66 Avenue, Unit 309, where Brightlight Immigration’s team in Surrey is based. Book a consultation or call (604) 503-3734. You leave with a plain list of next steps and the dates that matter.
Mistakes We Check
Most PR problems are visible before filing. This is the checklist we run. Each item is easy to fix early and hard to fix after filing.
Any one of these can lead to a refusal, and a false statement can lead to a five-year bar. We check each item before you file, and again before you submit after an invitation.
Fees
We split costs into four groups so nothing arrives as a surprise.
| Cost | Paid to | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation | Brightlight | Confirmed when you book, before any payment |
| Professional fee | Brightlight | A written scope and payment schedule before any charge |
| Government fees | IRCC | $990 processing fee and $600 right of permanent residence fee per adult, $270 per dependent child (since April 30, 2026) |
| Third-party costs | Test centres, assessors, doctors, police | Language test, credential assessment, medical exam, police certificates, translations |
Ask for all four before you commit. A clear quote lists what is included, what is not, and when each payment is due. If payments are staged, the scope says what each stage covers.
Government fees go to IRCC and are never folded into ours. If a route does not suit your profile, we tell you before you pay for representation.
After Approval
When IRCC approves your application, you receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence. You become a permanent resident when you land in Canada, or when you are confirmed as one if you already live here. IRCC then mails your permanent resident card to your Canadian address, so give an address that will not change soon. To keep your status, you must live in Canada for at least 730 days in any five-year period.
Stage by Stage
Most files move through the same stages, and each stage has a job.
Book your language test, order a credential assessment if you studied abroad, collect reference letters, and check that each document will still be valid on filing day.
Create or review your profile, check your points, and decide whether a provincial stream adds value.
Gather forms, police certificates, and medical results inside the 60-day window, then submit once.
Answer any IRCC request quickly and keep your status valid.
Confirm your address and plan for your card.
Each stage has dates, and we put yours in writing at your first meeting.
Why Brightlight
Many firms offer PR help in Surrey. This is how they compare on the points that decide a PR file.
| What matters | Brightlight | Unregulated agent | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCIC licensed and CICC regulated | ✓ | ✕ | — |
| Compares Express Entry and BC PNP for you | ✓ | Varies | Risk |
| Checks NOC and documents before filing | ✓ | Varies | Risk |
| Office in Surrey | ✓ | Varies | — |
| Explains fees in writing before you pay | ✓ | Varies | — |
| Named RCIC reviews your file | ✓ | Unlikely | — |
Testimonials
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Meet Your Immigration Consultants
Join 10,000+ clients who trusted Brightlight with their Canadian immigration. Every permanent residency file is reviewed by the founders, not passed to a junior caseworker.
Founder & RCIC Consultant
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with 14+ years of experience. Loveneet reviews every permanent residency file before anything is filed.
Co-Founder · Chief Client Officer
Sumir takes your first call, explains the process, and stays with your file through to filing.
FAQ
Straight answers from our licensed RCIC to the PR questions Surrey clients ask most.
IRCC charges the main applicant a $990 processing fee and a $600 right of permanent residence fee, plus $270 per dependent child, as of April 30, 2026. Our professional fee is written down before you pay.
It depends on the route. IRCC has recently shown about six months for most Express Entry files and a year or more for provincial nominee files outside Express Entry. Check IRCC’s processing times tool on the day you apply, because figures change.
Neither is faster for everyone. Express Entry depends on your score and the draws. A BC nomination adds 600 points but still needs an IRCC invitation. We compare both against your profile and tell you which route we would file first.
You can apply yourself. A consultant helps when your points sit near the cutoff, your NOC is unclear, or your permit is about to expire. Only an RCIC, lawyer, or Quebec notary can represent you for a fee, so check your representative on the CICC register.
Usually only while your current permit is valid or you hold maintained status. A bridging open work permit may cover the gap if you applied from inside Canada and your permit ends within four months. Check before your permit expires.
After you land, IRCC mails the card to your Canadian address. The card usually lasts five years. Tell IRCC if your address changes.
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Founder & Principal Immigration Consultant (CICC License # R522969)
