Maple News reports that the province of British Columbia held another round of invitations under its Tech Pilot immigration stream, issuing 82 invitations to skilled tech workers and international graduates on May 18 through the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).
The invitations were extended under two key immigration pathways: Express Entry BC and Skills Immigration. Candidates invited in this round were eligible under the Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories, with a minimum provincial score requirement of 80.
Once invited, candidates have 30 days to submit a full application for a provincial nomination. If approved, they could be on a fast track to permanent residency in Canada.
British Columbia has now issued a total of 4,438 invitations through its various PNP streams since the beginning of the year, reflecting the province’s strong demand for skilled immigrants in strategic sectors.
The BC PNP Tech Pilot, launched in 2017, was designed to attract international talent to B.C.’s growing tech ecosystem. It provides a streamlined immigration path for individuals with job offers in one of 29 eligible tech occupations. A key requirement is that the job offer must be for at least one year.
Applicants participating in the Tech Pilot must first register through the BC PNP’s online portal and create a profile within the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Their profiles are then scored based on several factors, such as education, work experience, language proficiency, and the job offer’s details.
In most cases, Tech Pilot draws are conducted on a weekly basis to ensure a steady supply of talent to the province’s dynamic tech sector—an industry identified in a 2016 study as being constrained by talent shortages. Since its launch, the pilot has been extended multiple times and currently remains active.
Candidates already in the federal Express Entry pool who receive a provincial nomination from B.C. gain an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This effectively guarantees an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in the next federal draw, giving Express Entry candidates a significant boost.
This latest draw underscores British Columbia’s continued commitment to leveraging immigration as a strategic tool to grow its tech sector and fill ongoing labor gaps in high-demand roles.