BC PNP Tech Pilot: 74 tech candidates receive invitations

British Columbia in Canada has held its latest round of provincial invitations. On February 9, 2021, a total of 74 invitations have been issued by the BC Provincial Nominee Program [BC PNP] to Canada immigration candidates with their profession in any of the 29 key tech occupations.

The Tech Pilot of the BC PNP is not a separate category or program as such.

It is through the Tech Pilot – extended until June 2021 – that tech employers in BC are provided the ability of recruiting and retaining international talent wherever local skilled workers are unavailable.

The BC PNP Tech Pilot is an expedited Canada immigration pathway for individuals with tech skills applying for Canadian permanent residence. Applications in the 29 key technology occupations have priority processing. As per the BC PNP, “Processing times for 80% of BC PNP applications is 2-3 months from receipt. Tech Pilot applications are typically processed in shorter timeframes.” Since being launched in May 2017, over 4,200+ tech workers have been nominated for Canada PR by British Columbia through the Tech Pilot.

In order to be eligible for the Tech Pilot, in addition to having their job among the 29 eligible occupations, the job offer of the candidate must be for a minimum of 1 year, with the job offer having at least 120 days left at the time of applying to the BC PNP.

In the latest BC PNP draw, invitations – to apply for a provincial nomination for Canada PR – were issued through the categories of Skills Immigration [SI] and Express Entry BC [EEBC].

While the SI category is for those with the “skills, experience and qualifications” required by the employers in BC, the EEBC is for those with the skills to fill a high-demand occupation in BC. 

An Overview of the February 9 BC PNP Tech Draw
Category	Minimum Score
EEBC – Skilled Worker	80
EEBC – International Graduate	80
SI – Skilled Worker	80
SI – International Graduate	80

As the EEBC is linked with the federal Express Entry system, an Express Entry candidate that is able to secure a BC PNP nomination will automatically get 600 CRS points, thereby boosting their profile to the top of the Express Entry pool.

Hence, a provincial nomination is a guarantee of an Express Entry candidate being invited by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC] to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

It is the highest-ranked candidates that are issued Invitations to Apply [ITAs] in the federal Express Entry draws that are held.

BC PNP draws in 2021  Total invitations issued so far: 814  Skills Immigration [SI] Express Entry [EEBC] Entrepreneur Immigration [EI]
Date	Invitations issued	Categories	Details
January 5, 2021	168	SI and EEBC	Certain occupations excluded.
January 12, 2021	80	SI and EEBC	Tech Pilot draw
January 19, 2021	195	SI and EEBC	Certain occupations excluded.
January 26, 2021	81	SI and EEBC	Tech Pilot draw
February 2, 2021	208	SI and EEBC	Certain occupations excluded.
February 2, 2021	8	EI	Base Category
February 9, 2021	74	SI and EEBC	Tech Pilot draw

 If you are looking to Work, Study, Invest, Visit, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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