Immigration Priorities Outlined in Canada’s Budget 2021

The minority government of the ruling Liberal Party in Canada had recently tabled its first federal budget since 2019.

The Canadian federal budget contains the policy priorities that the government will pursue, the government’s spending, and revenue projections, as well as an overview of the state of the Canadian economy.

Interestingly, Budget 2021 explicitly contains some announcements that will immensely benefit the prospectus of immigration in Canada. Experts around the globe welcome it as a positive push towards achieving the government’s immigration target of 1.2 million new immigrants by 2023.

You may take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for immigration or continue reading the news post as we take note of important immigration priorities outlined in Budget 2021.

Canada Proposes $430 Million To Modernize IT

The federal government has pledged to make about $430 million investment to modernize its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Under it, the government will replace the Global Case Management System (GCMS), which is used to manage immigration applications. This will allow the federal government to respond to higher levels of foreign national arrivals in the future, better security, and improved application processing.

Express Entry Reforms

Since its launch in 2015, Express Entry has been the major pathway for economic class immigrants to attain permanent residency in Canada. The total number of immigrants in Canada through Express Entry accounts for about one-quarter annually.

In a bid to improve the system further, the government would like to give the immigration minister more authority to “select those candidates who best meet Canada’s labor market needs.” However, exact provisions as to how it would be implemented are not specified in the Budget.

New Permanent Residency Pathways

Budget 2021 makes sharp references to the 6 new Canada PR pathways launched by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It will start operating on May 06, 2021. Some 90,000 international students and temporary workers with at least one year of work experience inside Canada will be benefitted. Additionally, candidates with excellent proficiency in French have a separate pathway to apply for permanent residence ending November 06, 2021.

Canada will also invest some $110 million in additional spending over the next three years on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

If you are looking to immigrate for better work opportunities and higher life chances, Canada should be on your top priority list. As an experienced and trusted immigration consultant for over two decades, CanApprove is open to all aspiring immigrants who need assistance in visa program selection, visa documentation, career counselling, and more.

Book your free appointment today!

Canada Holds Second-Largest Express Entry Draws Inviting CEC-only Candidates

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a surprise nomination draw for permanent residence (PR) on April 16, just before the weekend.

With this, Canada remains committed to fulfilling its annual target of welcoming at least 108,000 eligible candidates through Express Entry programs in 2021. In fact, IRCC has managed to issue nearly 55,390 ITAs for Canada PR through program-specific Express Entry draws, thus far.

The latest draw targeted only those candidates who qualified for the Canada Experience Class (CEC) program. Such candidates include recent graduates or temporary work permit holders having at least one year of work experience inside Canada.

All the selected candidates will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) if their application for Canada PR is successful. Hereon, candidates need to plan for their travel to Canada and later, apply for their PR card. Further, they can even think of securing citizenship after 3 years of stay in Canada.

Highlights of April 16 Express Entry Draws

IRCC invited only CEC candidates contrary to the regular all-program draw that includes candidates qualifying under either the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) or those with a prior provincial nomination, in addition to Canada Experience Class (CEC).

April 16 Express Entry draws included:

Large Nomination Draw Size: Unlike the previous PNP-specific draws where only 266 candidates were invited, the CEC-specific draw expanded the draw size to 6,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canada PR. It is known to be the second-largest draw size in Express Entry’s history.

Any foreign skilled workers, preferably graduating in Canada, and with at least one year of work experience inside Canada may qualify for a CEC-specific draw.

Qualifying CRS points: Any profile that is registered in the federal Express Entry pool will be ranked and evaluated out of a total of 1200 points based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It considered human capital factors like age, education, work experience outside Canada, language proficiency in English/French, spouse adaptability, Canadian study experience, etc.

Candidates who receive provincial nominations through ‘enhanced’ PNP streams will get an additional 600 points towards their CRS score. However, this is not applicable in this case.

April 16 draw selected candidates having a minimum CRS score of 417 which is 15 points lower than the previous CEC-specific draw held on April 03.

Tie-break Rule: Usually, IRCC applies a tie-break rule to avoid confusion in the rankings due to the same CRS score awarded to two or more candidates. This draw invited candidates who had a minimum score of 417 and only if they submitted their Express Entry profile before March 1, 2021, at 19:53:46 UTC.

Candidates with prior provincial nominations are considered for alternative Express Entry draws held by IRCC.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for upcoming draws.

Recently, IRCC reported that about 50% of new permanent residents who came to Canada between 2005 and 2015 (2.8 million) were able to secure their citizenship by December 31, 2018.

With 55,399 ITAs already issued for Canada PR through Express Entry draws in 2021, now is a good time to consult your immigration agency and determine your eligibility for Canadian immigration.

CanApprove is offering free consultation and a chance to improve your work profile to qualify for a Canada residence visa in a quick time.

B.C. Invites Express Entry, Entrepreneurs, International Graduates To Apply For Canada PR

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held its third-largest nomination draw in 2021 on April 13.

The BC PNP issued 452 invitations to eligible immigration candidates in four subsequent draws to apply for provincial nomination.

A provincial nomination is considered as an alternate pathway to qualify for permanent residency as it remains under the exclusive discretion of the federal government, implemented viz. the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

April 13 BC PNP draws invited a mixed group of candidates including 420 invitations to highly skilled workers, foreign graduates from any university in B.C., 11 invitations to entrepreneurs, and 21 invitations to specific professionals having work experience as retail and wholesale trade managers (NOC 0621) and restaurant and food service managers (NOC 0631).

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility.

About BC PNP

BC PNP has conducted 23 rounds of invitations, so far in 2021, to nominate about 3,441 eligible candidates to apply for provincial nominations.

It aims to attract foreign workers who are in high demand in the province and who wish to become permanent residents in Canada through two immigration streams: Skills Immigration and Express Entry. But before that, candidates must register themselves under the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) to be considered for nominations under the BC PNP draws.

Any registered candidates under SIRS are evaluated and assigned a score based on factors such as education, work experience, and language skills. Further, the highest-scoring candidates receive invitations to apply for a provincial nomination in subsequent BC PNP draws.

April 13 BC PNP draws required invited candidates to score between 79 and 95 points for selection. Those nominated under specific occupations had to score a minimum of 113 scores for qualification.

Additionally, the ‘enhanced’ provincial stream under BC PNP nominates eligible candidates directly from the federal Express Entry pool. The Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) stream selects candidates who have qualified for any one of the three federal immigration programs namely, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Further, on receiving a successful provincial nomination, these candidates are awarded an additional 600 points to their overall profile score. This score is based on a unique Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) which also includes core human capital factors like age, education, work experience, language proficiency in English or French.

This will effectively guarantee an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence in subsequent Express Entry draws. Take a cue from the regular PNP-specific Express Entry draws being held by IRCC.

Even though the province has tightened travel restrictions in anticipation of the third wave of the pandemic, the federal government has ensured that they remain well on track to meet its ambitious immigration targets of 80,000 new arrivals through the PNPs.

If you want to understand the process of immigration to Canada based on your profile, otherwise, seek help in documentation for specific visa types or counseling for overseas education, expert consultants at CanApprove are here for your assistance.

Schedule your exclusive appointment with our consultants today!

Canada Held New Express Entry Draws And Announced Six New PR Pathways

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) began another day with a positive note to invite more foreign immigrants to Canada and support its economy.

In an official release on April 14, Canada introduced 6 new pathways for permanent residence which would favor international student graduates and essential workers in Canada. Further, candidates with proficiency in French are at an exclusive advantage with new immigration pathways.

Additionally, IRCC also held a program-specific Express Entry draw inviting eligible candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Three of the new programs will pave the way for 90,000 new immigrants to get permanent residency status this year. The other three streams are reserved for French-speaking immigrants and will have no intake cap.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in the media release, “These new policies will help those with a temporary status to plan their future in Canada, play a key role in our economic recovery and help us build back better,”

As of May 6, IRCC will begin accepting applications under the following three streams:

20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care
30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian educational institution

The streams will remain open until November 5, 2021, or until they have reached their limit. The government gave out a clear message to aspirants willing to immigrate, “Our message to them is simple: your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting—and we want you to stay.”

Take this free assessment online or contact our expert consultants to know more about your eligibility for immigration to Canada.

Express Entry Draw#182 – Candidates with Provincial Nominations Invited

Soon after announcing the launch of six new immigration pathways for permanent residency, IRCC held a new Express Entry draw this April 14.

IRCC ended up inviting 266 immigration candidates who already had a provincial nomination and were registered in the federal pool.

All PNP candidates are eligible for one other Express Entry-managed program including Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class. These candidates have demonstrated to a province or territory that they have the connections and experience to succeed in the labor market that nominated them.

Invited candidates in the April 14 draw required to have a score of 753 points.

The mandatory minimum qualifying score for PNP-specific draws may seem higher than other Express Entry draws. However, these candidates may automatically get 600 points just for receiving the provincial nomination, effectively requiring them to score only 153 points.

The criteria for scoring is based on a unique Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and it significantly includes candidates’ age, education qualification, work experience, language proficiency in English or French.

IRCC has also included a provision of having a tie-break rule in the event of selecting between candidates having the same CRS points. April 14 PNP-specific Express Entry draws required candidates who had the minimum score of 753 points and had submitted their Express Entry profile before March 01, 2021, at 15:22:18 UTC.

“It has been a record-breaking first quarter for the Express Entry system,” said David Cohen, Senior Attorney of Campbell Cohen. “If all goes well for the rest of the year, Canada might just meet its ambitious immigration targets for 2021.”

Canada’s Economic Recovery Depends More On Immigration

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has been seeking higher immigration of foreign workers. It is majorly targeting young and skilled foreign individuals along with their families to offset Canada’s economic and social losses due to aging demography and low birth rate.

Staying on course with its new Immigration Levels Plan for 2021-2023, Canada looks to meet its target of inviting 108,000 new permanent residents in 2021 through Express Entry alone. Another 80,800 new immigrants are expected to be invited to Canada through various Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

Data compiled by IRCC shows Canada has welcomed nearly 50,000 new permanent residents through the first two months of 2021. This is enough to prove Canada’s dependence on immigration for its economic recovery.

Consider visiting CanApprove to know more about your eligibility and visa requirements to immigrate to Canada permanently. We are also offering festive discounts on registration for our immigration and overseas education services.

Get in touch with our consultants to know more!

Employment-up-in-Canadian-industries-with-high-amounts-of-immigrants

Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey Shows Fast Economic Growth In Canada

Canada added 303,000 jobs in March.

Statistics Canada has released its monthly Labour Force Survey that examines the present labor market condition in Canada. It noted employment gains in March across the provinces, with the largest increases in immigration-friendly regions of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Further, recovery was evident in hard-hit industries like retail trade, and accommodation and food services. Significant improvement was seen in employment in information, culture, and recreation services for the first time since the beginning of pandemic-related shutdowns.

Recent Immigrants See Stable Employment Rate For Themselves

There’s no doubt that immigration in Canada was disproportionately affected due to pandemics. However, the good news is that employment levels are up in industries with a high number of immigrants.

The survey report showed full recovery in the Retail Trade industry by comparing the levels of immigrants employed. For example, some 450,000 immigrants were employed in this industry as per the 2016 census. Canada has achieved the same employment level by end of March, thereby promising economic recovery.

Another industry such as Accommodation and Food Services employs about 346,000 immigrants. Canada was able to show a 2% increase by adding 21,000 more people to this industry.

The survey report also mentioned an increase in opportunities and employment in industries such as Construction which employs about 238,000 immigrants, Healthcare and Social Assistance which is usually supported by 523,000 Immigrants, and Educational Services where more than 264,000 immigrants work.

Further, the employment rate for “very recent immigrants” was about 65%, seeing a minor change from last year’s average during the same time. The survey defines “very recent immigrants” to be people who have been in Canada for less than five years.

Statistics Canada has also cautioned all the stakeholders about the potential loss in employment gains next month following the third wave of pandemic and related closure of non-essential services.

Restrictions in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta have already been tightened.

Despite this, Canada is still keen on fulfilling its annual target of welcoming over 1.2 million new immigrants in the next three years.

About 60% of the said target will be achieved through nominations for Canada PR under economic-class programs. These will include the Express Entry system and Provincial Nominee Programs. Thousands of foreign skilled workers, entrepreneurs, international students are said to be benefited from these immigration-friendly measures.

To make the most of this benevolent period of immigration in Canada, contact CanApprove.

Get to know more about your eligibility and kick-start your visa documentation process. Also, avail of the special festive discount off registration for any of our immigration or overseas education services during this month of Ramadan!

Saskatchewan invites 279 in new PNP draw

Saskatchewan Issues 279 Provincial Nominations For Canada PR

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) held a new draw on April 08, resulting in the issuance of 279 provincial nominations.

A provincial nomination is considered as an alternate pathway to obtain permanent residence in Canada as issuing PR certificates is under the exclusive domain of Immigration, Refugees, and the Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

All the invited candidates belonged to the ‘enhanced’ Express Entry & ‘base’ Occupations In-Demand Saskatchewan PNP streams.

The ‘enhanced’ provincial stream is linked to the federal Express Entry system. The federal Express Entry pool is a database of interested applicants willing to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Originally, the federal pool of candidates manages three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Out of the total 279 invitations, 146 invitations went to candidates who already had their profiles in the federal Express Entry pool. SINP’s Express Entry subcategory can directly select candidates who are registered in the federal pool. Additionally, they are required to practice any one of the province’s 58 in-demand occupations and must have submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) for nomination.

Some of the eligible occupations include medical laboratory technicians, social workers, and educational counselors, among others.

The remaining 133 invitations went to candidates who had specific work skills that are in demand in Saskatchewan. Those candidates who barely qualify to register a federal Express Entry profile may be nominated under the ‘base’ Occupations In-Demand sub-category.

Interesting Read>> How To Qualify For Canada PR Under Canada PNP?

Check your eligibility by filling this free assessment online.

How To Get Nominated In Future Saskatchewan PNP Draws?

Regardless of which stream your profile qualifies for, you must register your Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the provincial authority before being considered for provincial nominations.

Candidates need to demonstrate their commitment to meaningfully settle in Saskatchewan by demonstrating their work experience, education, language ability, age, and connections to the province.

Saskatchewan gives candidates a score out of 100 according to the International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid. The province favors candidates with bilingual capability in both English and French. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan.

All the invited candidates need an EOI score of at least 70 to be considered for provincial nomination. They must also possess valid Educational Credentials Assessments.

Those in the federal Express Entry pool have an inherent advantage of receiving an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. It will effectively guarantee an ITA for Canada PR in the subsequent Express Entry draw conducted by IRCC.

Canada has set itself an achievable target of inviting over 80,000 new permanent residents in 2021 through various PNP streams. It is likely to benefit business entrepreneurs, international student graduates in a particular province, foreign skilled workers, specifically skilled tech workers, critical workers, etc.

Moreover, the year 2021 has seen more program-specific Express Entry draws that only invited candidates who had a prior provincial nomination to apply for Canada PR.

Take the first step towards securing Canada PR by booking a free consultation session with CanApprove. We are offering additional discounts on registration for immigration or overseas education services during the month of Ramadan!

Canada-to-relax-medical-inadmissibility-rules

Canada Relaxes Medical Inadmissibility Rules To Make Immigration More Inclusive

Canada is known to offer universal healthcare among other economic, social benefits to all the holders of permanent residence. Thousands of aspirants worldwide apply for permanent residence (PR) in Canada annually to enjoy its obvious advantage.

Following this, Canada is making its 2018 pilot on medical inadmissible rules into a permanent, inclusive immigration policy. It shall result in relaxing the restrictions on certain foreign nationals with disabilities from getting permanent residence (PR). Further, it will strengthen Canada’s resolute to welcome over 1.2 million new immigrants in the next three years.

Until now, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) could deny entry to Canada to someone whose personal care would cost the government more than the Canadian average of about $7,000 annually. Immigration officers would often issue medical inadmissibility under the ‘excessive demand’ clause. The legal definition is very broad as it covers any physical or mental conditions that place ‘excessive’ demand on public health and social services.

However, with the rollout of the new policy, immigration to Canada has become more inclusive ad dignified. Canada has now tripled this threshold to about $21,000 annually. In other words, it is more difficult for people who need medical and social supports to be denied for Canadian immigration.

Canada Immigration Case Study

Sometimes, if a principal applicant applying for economic-class immigration has an accompanying dependent who is found medically inadmissible, that principal applicant is also inadmissible.

It can be understood by this decade-old case study.

A South African family sought immigration to Canada through the investor program. The Hilewitz family was accompanied by their son who had serious intellectual disabilities. Following this, the then immigration officer ruled the entire family inadmissible for immigration.

Later, the family challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. They demonstrated that they had always paid from their own pockets for their son’s treatment in South Africa and would continue to meet all the expenses if allowed to settle in Canada.

The judgment passed in 2005 overturned the immigration officer’s decision and asked IRCC to consider the Hilewitz family’s willingness to assist Gavin, allowing them to settle in Canada.

This is to suggest the inclusive nature of Canadian immigration. Canada is known to prefer young skilled professionals/entrepreneurs/international students who can positively contribute to the national economy.

Anyone applying for immigration to Canada will have to undergo a mandatory medical test. All permanent resident applicants, including accompanying spouses, partners, and dependent children are required to undergo a medical exam. It includes a Physical Examination, Chest X-rays, Blood Test, Urine Test. Moreover, the doctor conducting these tests must be included in the list as a designated panel physician approved by IRCC.

The official gazette notification was released on March 16 and the public has up to 30 days to offer comments before it is finalized, after April 15. Contact CanApprove to get more such updates.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility.

Book your free appointment to kick-start your Canadian Immigration process.

New-Global-Campaign-Canada-recognizes-the-contribution-of-migrants

Canada To Highlight The Positive Impact Of Migration

The government of Canada recently launched a new global campaign called “It Takes a Community” to recognize the contributions and many other positive ways that migrants can impact the local community.

The goal of the campaign is to counter misinformation and anti-immigrant sentiment, combat the rise of discrimination, hate speech, and xenophobia around the world. It envisions spreading stories about how migration can enrich lives over the next 12 months.

Together with various national and local governments, businesses, civil society, Canada aims to focus on migrants and other community members who contribute to building stronger societies, especially during the current pandemic.

The campaign website goes on to say, “Recent times have seen inaccurate and harmful narratives about migrants rise worldwide, a challenge that has become even more urgent in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Now more than ever, it is important for us to come together to ensure that everyone receives the support and protection they need for communities to build back better from COVID-19.”

People anywhere in the world can join the campaign by sharing their experience on immigration through social media along with the hashtag #ItTakesACommunity.

They can access a digital toolkit with templates, customizable content, and sample messages for raising awareness about the positive effects of migration on their communities. Currently, the toolkit is available only in English and French.

Why Canada Needs Immigrants?

Canada is caught in a strange situation where ageing demography, low birth rate, and pandemic-related travel restrictions have impacted the immigration of foreign workers to a varying extent.

It can be understood from the fact that Canada released a new immigration levels plan even during the pandemic and aims to invite up to 1.2 million new immigrants in the next three years for its economic recovery.

However, it is also true that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not held an all-program Express Entry draw in 2021. The significance of all-program draw is that immigration candidates with no work experience in Canada are also considered for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). IRCC has nominated only those candidates in 2021 to apply for permanent residence who are already present in Canada or have a prior work experience in Canada.

Canada will attract nearly 108,000 new immigrants for permanent residency through the Express Entry system in 2021.

In addition to federal nomination draws, various Canadian provinces have regularly held their own draws to provide an alternate route for permanent residency to desirable candidates. Having said that, Canada aims to attract up to 80,800 newcomers in 2021 only through Canada PNP.

Further, recent reports have only suggested improved retention rates among immigrants in smaller cities in Canada.

Contact CanApprove to know more about your chances of immigration to Canada.

Study-highlights-the-significance-of-immigration-in-Ontario's-economic-recovery

Immigration To Play A Huge Role In Ontario’s Future Economic Growth

A new report predicts immigration of foreign workers to drive long-term economic prosperity in Ontario despite the adversities caused by the pandemic.

The report was prepared by Scotiabank which sees an influx of up to $2.9 billion in Ontario’s economy through the rise in newcomers as per the current immigration plans.

Beyond 2022, immigrants are expected to make up half of the economic growth generated in the province. Without newcomers, Ontario’s GDP could be 20% lower than the present year, about $157 billion.

The Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) allows immigration of foreign workers through Express Entry streams, Tech Pilot streams, Human Capital Priorities Stream.

Canada PR Nominations From Ontario in 2020

Since permanent residency certificates come under the sole authority of the federal government, Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) aids in the process by issuing provincial nominations to eligible immigration candidates. Further, candidates with successful provincial nominations can apply for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

In 2020, Ontario issued a high number of nominations to foreign skilled workers with experience in technology-related and skilled trades occupations. Some of the most demanding occupations among the invited workers include:

Software engineers and designers
Computer programmers
Interactive media developers
IT systems analysts
Technology consultants

About 20% of the nominees had work experience in a skilled trade. More than 1100 nominations were issued under the Express Entry Skilled Trades stream. Some of the demanding skilled trade occupations include:

Electrical and Construction
Maintenance and Equipment operations
Agriculture and Production
Processing
Transport
Manufacturing
Cooks and Chefs
Bakers and Butchers

Ontario also focussed on inviting francophone candidates to increase the population of the french-speaking community in the province. They constituted almost 5.4% of all Ontario nominations.

Nominations made by Ontario include a wide range of immigration candidates. Further, with an aggressive target to invite up to 80,800 new immigrants in 2021 through Canada Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), Ontario stands out in favoring more foreign immigration.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility based on your current work & academic profile.

Book your appointment with CanApprove to know about your visa options and eligibility.

British-Columbia-invites-another-80-candidates-under-Tech-Pilot

Latest British Columbia Tech Pilot Invites 80 Immigration Candidates

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) conducted its Tech Pilot nomination draw on April 06, 2021. It resulted in 80 invitations to apply for permanent residence (PR) through the provincial nominations.

All the invitations were issued under two provincial streams namely Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) and Skills Immigration (SI). The minimum qualifying score remained the same as that in the previous BC PNP Tech Pilot draws.

British Columbia is the only Canadian province that has been actively nominating immigration candidates under its provincial streams since the start of 2021. The province has now held 19 draws, thereby bringing the total number of invitations issued to date to around 3,000 provincial nominations.

Immigrate To Canada Through BC PNP Tech Pilot

Since its launch in 2017, the BC PNP Tech Pilot has benefited thousands of in-demand tech workers and international students.

In order to be considered eligible for this program, candidates need to be registered in one of B.C.’s existing provincial immigration streams and have a valid job offer of at least 12 months in one of the Tech Pilot’s 29 eligible occupations.

One may apply under the Skills Immigration or Express Entry BC (EEBC) categories in order to fulfil the existing provincial stream condition.

A prior registration under the province’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is mandatory to initiate the nomination process. All the applicants are invited to apply for provincial nomination based on a pre-determined score which evaluated the level of education, years of direct work experience, and validity of a B.C. employment offer.

This qualifying provincial score in April 06 BC PNP Tech Pilot draw was 80 points.

The major difference between SI & EEBC categories is the way eligible immigration candidates are nominated. EEBC category makes use of the federal Express Entry pool. It consists of applicants qualifying for either one of the three federal programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skills Trades Program (FSTP), and Canada Experience Class (CEC). Additionally, such candidates are willing to obtain permanent residence through a provincial nominee program.

Further, those who had received provincial nominations receive an additional 600 points towards their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This is more than enough to guarantee them an invitation to apply for Canada PR in the subsequent federal Express Entry draw.

Here is a comprehensive list of 29 eligible Tech occupations:

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

Upon receiving invitations, Tech Pilot candidates have 30 calendar days to apply for the nomination.

If you are looking for better career prospects, immigration as a skilled worker, or entrepreneur, or international student in an advanced economy like Canada is now open!

Further, new studies have shown increased retention rates of immigrants in Canadian provinces. Talk to our immigration experts to know your best chances of settling in Canada.

Take this free assessment online to determine your chances of immigration to Canada.

Book your appointment today!

Archives: News