92 Invitations Issued in the Latest Draw
– by Adnan Kamal   

The month of December is indeed proving to be hopeful as 92 invitations have been issued by British Columbia (BC) in their latest Tech Pilot Draw. British Columbia has issued invitations to eligible applicants through the Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration (SI) Streams on December 15th 2020.

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech Pilot program was launched back in 2017. The aim of the program was to aid employers in scouting and attracting foreign potential in the Information Technology (I.T) sector. It was also designed to facilitate the immigration process for froeign tech workers and International students. The BC PNP sends out Tech Pilot invitations to eligible applicants on a weekly basis. The eligible applicants must have a valid 1 year job offer in one of the specified programs occupations, and it should have 120 days remaining if not more at the time of the application.

Applicants that were nominated in this draw needed a minimum score of 80. The applicants who were nominated were from the following categories:

1. SI – Skilled Worker
2. SI – International Graduate
3. EEBC – Skilled Worker
4. EEBC – International Graduate

What are EEBC and SI streams?

Express Entry BC (EEBC) stream is primarily for applicants who have a valid profile in the Federal Express Entry System. So if you want to be nominated through this stream, you will need to have an up-to-date profile in the Express Entry pool and make sure your profile is valid for more than 6 months.

Skills Immigration (SI) stream is primarily for skilled and semi-skilled workers. The occupation of these foreign skilled & semi-skilled workers must be in high demand in the province of B.C. for these applicants to be nominated.

The BC PNP Tech Pilot’s highlights:

• Weekly invitations for Tech applicants allow IT sector employers to have access to qualified applicants across 29 occupational fields.
• A dedicated team for BC PNP Tech draws says most applications are processed within 2-3 months.
• BC PNP has tailored events and sessions for the tech sector and some that assist in 1 on 1 employer support.

How has the program been doing so far?

BC has conducted 27 draws (Tech only) in 2020 so far. The BC PNP was the route through which the applicants have been invited. The most recent draw prior to the draw on December 15th, took play on December 01st.

BC held its largest draw on September 29th, a total of 450 Express Entry and Skills Immigration applicants were invited. Over the past two months, BC has been issuing an average of 350 invitations during its draws and has been consistent in hosting these draws despite the coronavirus pandemic.

How does the whole process work?

So far we have understood that the BC PNP unlike others issues invitations on a weekly basis. Eligible applicants must have a valid job offer in one of the 29 listed occupations to be invited under the Tech Pilot Draw.

The criteria for the Job requirement is:

• Job offers must be under one of the 29 eligible occupations under the tech pilot draw.
• Job offer must be at least 365 days in duration
• Job offers should have 120 calendar days at the time of application.

*Job offers must be full-time and from an eligible employer in the province.

In contrast to other BC PNP streams where a job offer is required for an indefinite duration. However a job offer that is longer than one year will also be valid for the BC Tech Pilot Draw.

British Columbia PNP supports employers in attracting and retaining skilled and qualified foreign workers that possess the critical skills, work experience, and qualification. International students who have completed their education in BC or in Canada and also possess the relevant skills required to enhance BC’s IT sector.

The BC PNP continues to invite applicants under different categories of its Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). The influencing factors over here are Job, work experience and level of education.

The process in a nutshell

The process of registration is free, so as an applicant once you have identified the category under which you will be applying, you are required to register online and receive a registration score.

BC PNP invites applicants on a weekly basis, hence applicants with the highest scoring registrations in the technology sector will be invited to apply.

After you have been invited, you are given 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit an online application form. You will have to pay $700 CD to the government as an application fee.

Please understand that the BC PNP processes applications for Tech Pilot on a priority basis, which is all thanks to their BC PNP dedicated team.

Upon approval of your application, you will receive your nomination from the province of BC. Once you have your nomination, you can use the same in the Federal Express Entry system, claim your 600 CRS points that are awarded to every applicant who receives a PNP nomination and just keep calm. In the next upcoming draw you are guaranteed to get an ITA.

Applicants who have been nominated and meet the conditions of their nomination will receive a work permit support letter that allows them to obtain or renew their current work permit. This basically allows you to work throughout your process of obtaining permanent residence, which is basically a bonus.

There are 29 Eligible Occupations for this program:

*Please note: As an applicant you must meet all the requirements of the program. The employer assisting you must also meet all the requirements of the program. Meeting these requirements in the end does not guarantee an Invitation to Apply.

To learn more about immigrating to BC, please visit BC PNP official website here.

#foreverhopeful