Maple News reports that the province of British Columbia has issued 89 invitations to tech professionals through its BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech stream on November 30. This draw continues the province’s consistent efforts to meet the demand for skilled talent in the technology sector.
The BC PNP Tech is a specialized pathway under the broader British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, designed to attract foreign skilled workers in high-demand occupations. This pathway provides a streamlined route for tech professionals to obtain permanent residency in Canada by settling and contributing to British Columbia’s growing innovation economy.
To qualify for the draw, candidates must be registered under one of the BC PNP’s Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC categories. These categories are managed through the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). For this particular round, the minimum provincial score required was 78, indicating a competitive selection process.
Those invited under this draw came from the Skilled Worker and International Graduate subcategories. They now have 30 calendar days to submit a full application for provincial nomination, a key step toward securing permanent residence in Canada.
Launched in May 2017 as a pilot initiative, BC PNP Tech was created in response to a province-wide labor market study that identified significant shortages in skilled tech talent. Due to its success, the program was made permanent in 2021 and continues to be a major driver in addressing labor gaps in B.C.’s tech industry.
The BC PNP Tech offers fast-tracked processing for foreign workers and recent international graduates who have a valid job offer of at least one year in one of 29 eligible tech occupations. The offer must be full-time, from an eligible B.C. employer, and have at least 120 days remaining at the time of application.
To date in 2021, British Columbia has invited close to 11,000 candidates to apply for provincial nomination across its various immigration streams. This underscores the province’s commitment to attracting and retaining skilled professionals to support local economic growth, particularly in high-demand sectors.
For international tech talent, the BC PNP Tech program continues to offer a stable and reliable route to permanent residency, bolstering British Columbia’s position as a leading tech hub within Canada.