On March 23, British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) invited 95 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination through their Tech Pilot program.
For this draw, the province focused on applicants in the Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration categories. A minimum score of at least 80 points was required to qualify for an invitation this draw.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program
British Columbia’s PNP mainly focuses on sending out provincial nominee invitations to highly-skilled workers with in-demand occupations in the province who are interested in settling in Canada. Interested applicants may wish to register a profile to the BC PNP’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) Once a candidate has submitted an application, they will then be given a score based on various human capital factors, such as education, work experience, and language skills.
Apart from the provincial immigration streams offered by the BC PNP, the province has also continued running their own Tech Pilot program. The Tech Pilot is an accelerated immigration pathway available to skilled workers with occupations in the tech industry who are interested in obtaining Canadian permanent residency.
In order to be eligible for the Tech Pilot, candidates must be registered in one of the BC PNP’s immigration streams, have a valid job offer of at least one year in one of the Pilot’s 29 listed occupations.
While other streams in the BC PNP might require a permanent job offer, job offers for the Tech Pilot must be valid for at least one year, with a minimum of 120 days from the time of application to the program. The job offer must also be full-time and from an eligible employer in British Columbia. Job offers of more than one year are also eligible under the pilot program.
The province sends out invitations every week to high-scoring eligible candidates. Those who have been invited to apply for a provincial nomination have a minimum of 30 days to submit their application. It takes at least two to three months to process a tech pilot occupation.
Once a candidate has successfully received a provincial nomination, they may choose to apply for permanent residency through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the Provincial Nominee Class.
How to Apply
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