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British Columbia had recently announced to make its tech pilot project a permanent immigration program. This is said to favor tech talents who wish to immigrate to British Columbia for better career opportunities.
If one digs deeper, candidates registered in the federal Express Entry pool are at a greater advantage with this latest announcement. How you may ask?
A prerequisite to BC Tech Program is qualifying for either of two provincial streams: the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC. If you are already registered in the Express Entry pool, you have completed the first step.
From there, you have to be eligible for one of the Express Entry BC subcategories:
- Skilled Worker,
- Healthcare Professional,
- International Graduate, or
- International Post-Graduate.
As an Express Entry candidate with a successful provincial nomination, you are eligible to get 600 points added to your overall score. This is enough to boost your rankings in the federal pool and make you eligible to receive invitations for Canada PR in the subsequent Express Entry draw.
Additionally, the decision to issue permanent residency will depend on your qualification for any one of the three federal immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, or Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Eligibility for BC PNP Tech Program
Foreign Tech workers bound for British Columbia can qualify for priority immigration through the new BC PNP Tech program. A job offer in any of the following 29 eligible occupations is mandatory to receive nominations under the stream.
- 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
The Advantage with British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program
Receiving a provincial nomination will not automatically make you eligible for permanent residency. However, BC PNP can do better by offering options for immigration candidates to continue working in the province throughout the immigration application process.
Further, it offers the following advantages:
- The Tech program is among the pathways that allow candidates to skip the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which can be a costly and lengthy process.
- The BC PNP also offers work permit support letters for nominees so they can apply for a new work permit or renew their current status while they wait to get permanent residency.
- The BC PNP prioritizes applications for people who have job offers in the 29 key technology occupations. Once you submit a complete application, your file will be assigned to a dedicated processing team within one business day.
- The provincial government webpage says processing times for 80 percent of BC PNP applications is 2-3 months from receipt, but Tech applications typically get processed in a shorter amount of time.
Do you wish to immigrate to Canada soon? Now is the right time to plan for immigration as Canada is targeting to welcome over 1.2 million new immigrants in the next three years.
Find out your chances of qualifying for Canadian immigration by taking a free assessment online.
Schedule your free appointment with CanApprove and get help regarding visa counselling, visa documentation and more.
