British Columbia has invited over 5,500 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination so far in 2020.

British Columbia invited 52 immigration candidates with a job offer in the province’s technology sector to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence on August 11.

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.

Today’s draw saw the minimum score stay at 80 points, as has been the case for Tech Pilot draws since mid-June.

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 under the Tech Pilot, 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 based on factors such as level of education, work experience, proficiency in English and location of employment.

British Columbia holds tech-only draws on a weekly basis to invite the highest-scoring technology sector workers to apply for a provincial nomination. Those who are invited then have 30 days to submit their complete online applications. Applicants must also pay a processing fee. As of August 6, 2020, the processing fee for a skilled immigration application is $1,150 (formerly $700), and the fee for a review request  is $500 (formerly $200).

If an applicant is approved, they can then use their provincial nomination to apply for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada under the Provincial Nominee Class.

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.

So far in August, B.C. has held two large draws through its various PNP categories and streams and invited close to 500 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.