On June 1, 2021, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 68 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the technology sector to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence under the Tech Pilot Program.

Earlier on May 28,2021, the province had confirmed that instead of setting another one-year extension for the pilot as has been the case in the past, this time the BC PNP Tech Pilot is being extended indefinitely. This is focused at ensuring continued support for the tech sector and addressing workforce needs by prioritizing 29 in-demand tech occupations. The program was renamed BC PNP Tech.

BC PNP Tech draw issued ITAs to candidates under the Express Entry BC and Skills immigration categories as explained in the table below:

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

The BC PNP Tech offers an expedited immigration pathway for people with tech skills applying to be permanent Canadian residents who will contribute to B.C.’s shared prosperity.

In order to be considered eligible for this program, candidates need to be registered in one of B.C.’s existing provincial immigration streams and the job offers under the BC PNP Tech must meet the following criteria:

• The job offer must be for a single job in one of the 29 occupations eligible under the BC PNP Tech;
• The job offer must be at least one year in duration (365 days); and
• There must be at least 120 calendar days remaining on the job offer at the time of application;
• Longer duration job offers, including indeterminate (permanent, or with no set end date) job offers, are also eligible.

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 ITA in a future federal Express Entry draw.

Donoso & Partners, a leading immigration law firm based in Washington, D.C., will continue to report on developments regarding the immigration law and policy through our news section of donosolaw.com.