Invitations to apply for a provincial nomination were issued to foreign tech workers and international students through the BC PNP.

The province of British Columbia issued 62 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination to BC PNP Tech Pilot candidates on July 21.

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

All Tech Pilot candidates invited by the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) are required to have a job offer that is at least one year (365 days) in duration in one of the pilot’s 29 in-demand occupations.

The July 21 draw saw invitations issued to candidates in the Skilled Worker and International Graduate categories of the Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration streams.

Selected candidates in all the subcategories needed a minimum provincial score of 80.

Candidates registered under the Express Entry BC categories will be awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) if their provincial nomination application is approved. These points effectively guarantee an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence at a later federal Express Entry draw.

The rest of the candidates invited under the Skills Immigration categories will have applications for Canadian permanent residence processed directly by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) once a provincial nomination is issued by British Columbia.

Any individual interested in immigrating to British Columbia through the BC PNP categories must begin the process by creating an online BC PNP online profile. However, only applicants under the Skilled Worker, Entry Level and Semi-Skilled, and International Graduate categories are required to register to the BC PNP’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) to obtain a score.

Latest BC PNP Tech Pilot figures

The province has held 15 tech draws in 2020, including this one, with over 1,500 people receiving provincial nominations so far this year.

Recent data show that last year was a big year for B.C. immigration in terms of registrants, nominees, and the Tech Pilot.

The number of Tech Pilot nominations was 1,509 in 2019, a 33 per cent increase over 2018. Tech Pilot nominations accounted for 23 per cent of all nominations, up from 17 per cent in 2018.

British Columbia’s Tech Pilot program was launched in 2017 and is expected to run until June 2021.

In addition, it should be noted that B.C. continues to invite foreign workers and graduates in non-tech occupations.