B.C. invites 74 immigration candidates in new Tech Pilot draw

British Columbia’s latest Tech Pilot draw invited 74 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence on September 22.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech Pilot draw held today issued invitations to candidates under the Express Entry BC and Skills immigration categories.

Selected candidates who were from the Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories needed a minimum provincial score of 80.

The September 22 draw saw the minimum score remain in the low 80s, as has been the case for Tech Pilot draws since the beginning of May.

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The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a fast-track immigration pathway for in-demand tech workers and international students.

The pilot project was launched in 2017 and has been extended several times, most recently until June 2021.

In order to be considered eligible for this program, candidates need to be registered in one of B.C.’s existing provincial immigration streams and have a valid job offer of at least 12 months in one of the Tech Pilot’s 29 eligible occupations.

To apply for the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC categories candidates must first create a profile through the BC PNP’s online portal and register under its Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Applicants are evaluated and issued a score that determines whether they may be invited to apply in a given invitation round. The score is based on a number of factors such as level of education, years of direct work experience and having a B.C. employment offer.

Express Entry candidates who receive a nomination from British Columbia will be given an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation To Apply (ITA) in a future federal Express Entry draw.

Federal Express Entry draws are held twice a month and typically invite approximately 4,000 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

The latest Express Entry draw, held September 16, resulted in 4,200 invitations to apply for permanent residence – the second-largest round of invitations since the system’s launch in 2015. So far this year, IRCC has issued 74,150 ITAs and has stated that it will continue to make efforts to welcome high levels of new immigrants in the coming years and beyond.

So far in September, B.C. has 6 draws through its various PNP categories and streams and invited close to 1,000 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

Invited candidates have 30 calendar days to apply for the nomination.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration