British Columbia PNP Tech pilot project to become a permanent program

“British Columbia is one of the primary tech hubs of Canada where technology and innovation are at the forefront. The province is known for its high standard of living, low crime rate, and well-paying jobs. BC is known for its multicultural communities with 27 percent of its population being immigrants.”

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Tech Pilot project was introduced in the year 2017 in order to bridge the gap between supply and demand. British Columbia’s technology sector was facing major shortages in talent for quite some time. The tech sector was a major driving force behind the economic growth of the province. The tech sector records the highest employment in the province.

Since the inception of the project the province slowly and steadily has been attracting skilled workers from all over the world. Computer programmers, software engineers, and media developers are some of the in-demand occupations in the province. The tech pilot program ensures the province gets the required talent for its sustenance and growth for the present and future.

The Extension

The tech pilot is a permanent, fast-track immigration program for foreign workers and international students. The pilot which was supposed to expire on June 30^th will now be extended indefinitely instead of the usual one-year extension. The pilot is all set to become a permanent program and will be renamed after the expiry date.

The BC PNP Tech Pilot will have become an integral part of the British Columbia PNP by providing the tech companies in BC to get the best international talent and thereby contributing to the province’s growth and sustainable recovery.

The pilot is a part of the existing BC PNP categories. Eligible candidates applying under this program must meet all the required criteria of BC’s Skills Immigration or Express Entry categories which fall under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

Eligible candidates after register will receive a ranking score under SIRS. The BC PNP will conduct a tech draw in order to invite the highest-scoring tech sector applicants to apply for a provincial nomination certificate.

Although the pandemic caused a slowdown in the immigration process the Tech pilot was seeing a steady rise with 1855 tech workers receiving invites in 2020, which is an increase of 23 percent from 2019 where only 1509 were invited. From the inception the Tech Pilot was able to attract over 6000 tech workers from all around the globe to become a permanent resident of British Columbia

“By making the PNP Tech Stream permanent, innovators will be able to better long-term plan and will have greater confidence to make business expansion plans, knowing that this critical service will be available when they need it,” Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) said in the letter.

The main purpose of the Tech Pilot is to help attract the right talent of skilled tech workers in 29 in-demand occupations from weekly draws from the BC PNP pool of immigration candidates.

National Occupational Classification [NOC] Code	Job Title
0131	Telecommunication carriers managers
0213	Computer and information systems managers
0512	Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
2131	Civil engineers
2132	Mechanical engineers
2133	Electrical and electronics engineers
2134	Chemical engineers
2147	Computer engineers [except software engineers and designers]
2171	Information systems analysts and consultants
2172	Database analysts and data administrators
2173	Software engineers and designers
2174	Computer programmers and interactive media developers
2175	Web designers and developers
2221	Biological technologists and technicians
2241	Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
2242	Electronic service technicians [household and business equipment]
2243	Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
2281	Computer network technicians
2282	User support technicians
2283	Information systems testing technicians
5121	Authors and writers
5122	Editors
5125	Translators, terminologists and interpreters
5224	Broadcast technicians
5225	Audio and video recording technicians
5226	Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
5227	Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts
5241	Graphic designers and illustrators
6221	Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade