British Columbia issues 82 invitations in tech pilot draw

British Columbia held a new draw through its Provincial Nominee Program on May 18.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued a total of 82 invitations through the province's Tech Pilot and under the Express Entry BC and Skills Immigration categories.

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

Invited candidates now have 30 calendar days to apply for a provincial nomination.

So far this year, B.C. issued a total of 4,438 invitations through various BC PNP streams.

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About the Tech Pilot

The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a fast-track Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for in-demand tech workers and international students. 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. job offer. Tech Pilot draws are held every week.

The pilot project was launched in May 2017, following a labour market study that found the biggest issue facing B.C.'s tech sector was access to talent. So, the Tech Pilot was created to support the tech sector's growth by making it easier for workers with in-demand skills to immigrate to B.C. The pilot has been extended several times and is open until next month.

Tech Pilot for Express Entry candidates

Express Entry candidates who receive a nomination from B.C. 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.

Express Entry is an application management system for three federal immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates are given scores based on their age, skilled work experience, education, and language ability in English or French, among other factors.

Canada then invites them to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry draws. If they are approved, the last step is for them to land in Canada and claim permanent residency status.

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