British Columbia invited 58 immigration candidates with a job offer in the technology sector to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech Pilot draw held on December 29 selected candidates under the Express Entry BC and Skills immigration categories.

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

The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a fast-track immigration pathway for in-demand tech workers and international students. It operates through B.C.’s existing provincial immigration streams.

Features of this pilot project include a concierge service for employers, weekly draws for tech workers, priority processing of applications, and flexibility in the length of job offers.

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In order to be considered eligible for this immigration program, candidates need to 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 called the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). British Columbia introduced the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) in 2016. SIRS is a points-based system that ranks eligible candidates according to a score based on factors such as education, work experience, proficiency in English and the type of job offer they have received.

The highest-scoring candidates in each Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC category that uses SIRS are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws from their respective candidate pools.

Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories of the Express Entry BC  are linked to the federal Express Entry system and allow the BC PNP to nominate skilled worker candidates with an Express Entry profile. 

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.

British Columbia is the third largest province in Canada in terms of size and population. It is home to the very prosperous city of Vancouver, superbly located in the Lower Mainland, as well as many charming small and medium-sized towns.

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