British Columbia PNP Extends Tech Pilot To June 2020
On June 3, 2019, the province’s immigrant nominee program announced that British Columbia’s Tech Pilot will continue until June 2020.
In 2017, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)’s TECH PILOT Program was introduced. The Tech Pilot program provides a fast-tracked process to obtain your Canadian permanent residence for international talent with a job offer in one of the pilot’s 29 eligible tech occupations.
BC PNP Streams
The Tech Pilot is not a different category or stream of the British Columbia PNP. Applicants are required to apply under a current BC PNP stream to be considered for the Tech Pilot. The various streams of the BC PNP include:
- Skills Immigration
- Express Entry BC
- Entrepreneur Immigration
- Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot
Job Requirements for BC PNP Tech Pilot
Canada immigration applicants applying under the Skills Immigration class must have a confirmed job offer from a BC business, ideally in one of the 29 key innovation occupations that are highly in demand in the tech sector.
The job offer should be for a minimum of one year and at least 120 days remaining at the time of
application. Permanent job offers or a job offer that doesn’t indicate an end date are also accepted.
BC PNP Draws
After registering online with BRITISH COLUMBIA PNP, the score is assigned to a candidate based on relevant selection criteria.
The highest-scoring applicants will be sent an invitation to apply for a nomination to the province. An invitation will be extended only if the BC employer and skilled worker meet the eligibility requirements of the program.
After receiving the invitation, the registrant will have 30 days of time to apply for a nomination to the BC PNP and pay $700 CAD as a processing fee.
Processing Time
Most BC PNP applications are processed within a 2-3 month time frame. Tech Pilot applications are processed within a shorter time period.
Applicants with a job offer in one of the 29 key technology occupations will be given high priority. Once the application is approved, the British Columbia Government issues a nomination to the applicant with the help of which the applicant can proceed to apply for his/her Permanent Residence with the Refugees and Citizenship Canada under the expedited Provincial Nominee Class. Some candidate may be allowed to work on temporary work permit in British Columbia throughout the permanent residency process.