The province of British Columbia has held its latest round of invitations – under the Provincial Nominee Program [PNP] of Canada – through the BC PNP.

On February 23, 2021, the BC PNP issued 87 invitations to apply [ITAs] for a nomination through BC for Canadian permanent residence.

As this was a Tech Pilot draw, the invitations to apply for a nomination by British Columbia were sent out to candidates in 29 key tech occupations.

For an individual to be considered by the BC PNP for an invitation through the Tech Pilot, their job offer must be –

• Under any of the 29 tech occupations, and
• For at least 1 year, with a minimum of 120 days of the job offer remaining [at the time of applying to the BC PNP].

Weekly invitations are issued to qualified registrants with valid job offers in any of the eligible tech occupations.

The invitations under the Tech Pilot are issued to candidates under the existing BC PNP categories of Express Entry BC [EEBC] and Skills Immigration [SI].

To apply for either the EEBC or the SI categories, an individual will have to first create their profile through the BC PNP’s online portal, registering under the Skills Immigration Registration System [SIRS].

A score – referred to as the SIRS score – is allotted after a successful registration. This is the minimum score that is taken into consideration in the rounds of provincial invitations sent by British Columbia.

The minimum required score varies from draw to draw.

Aligned with the federal Express Entry system, a nomination through the BC PNP’s EEBC category will automatically get the individual 600 CRS points.

Hence, a provincial nomination through any of the Express Entry linked PNP ‘streams’ or immigration pathways is a guarantee of that individual being invited to apply for their Canadian permanent residence.