On April 29, the province of British Columbia recently invited over 75 candidates in the Skills Immigration and Express Entry streams to apply for permanent residency through their Tech Pilot.

Established in 2017, the Tech Pilot was made to address growing labor demands in British Columbia’s tech sector, issuing invitations to eligible foreign tech workers with valid job offers in over 29 in-demand technology occupations in the province.

Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates in the Express Entry BC and Skilled Immigration streams with a minimum score of 85 or more were issued invitations. 

EEBC candidates must be registered under both the federal Express Entry system and B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Skills Immigration candidates only need to be registered with the SIRS. 

While Tech Pilot candidates are exempt from the permanent, full-time job offer requirement that applies to most immigration categories under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), they must demonstrate a job offer that is at least one year in duration and has at least 120 calendar days remaining at the time they apply for a provincial nomination.