B.C. invited 68 workers in the technology and information technology sector to apply for a provincial nomination on June 1.

The new invitations were issued under the province’s Tech Pilot, which is part of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).

This means that eligible candidates must meet the requirements of one of British Columbia’s Express Entry BC and Skills immigration categories, which are managed by the Skills and Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Those invited in today’s draw were from the Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories and needed a minimum provincial score of 80.

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

The province has now invited 4,876 immigration candidates in 2021.

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B.C’s Tech Pilot to become a permanent program

The BC PNP Tech Pilot 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.

Since its introduction, the pilot project has been very successful and has led to more than 6,000 potential immigrants becoming nominated for permanent residence. Based on its success, the tech pilot project has been extended on an annual basis for the past 4 years.

The most recent extension was due to expire at the end of June. Instead of extending the project again, and following requests from employers and various stakeholders in the IT sector, the province recently announced that the program would become permanent.

The program, which will be called the BC PNP Tech will remain a fast-track Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for in-demand tech workers and international students. Candidates will 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 29 eligible occupations.

Unlike the other BC PNP streams, job offers under BC PNP Tech must be for a minimum of one year, with at least 120 days remaining at the time of application to the BC PNP. The job offer must also be full-time and from an eligible employer in the province.

Invitations through the province’s tech program are sent out weekly to the top-scoring candidates who meet the eligibility requirements.

Candidates who are invited to apply for a provincial nomination have 30 days to submit a complete application. Once this is done, most tech applications will be processed within two to three months.

If they are approved, candidates will receive a nomination confirmation that can be used to apply for permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the Provincial Nominee Program Class.

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