BC PNP Tech Pilot Program

On August 28th, 2017, the Province of British Columbia announced the launch of the BC PNP Tech Pilot Program. The Province announced that the BC PNP Tech Pilot Program would allow applicants with a job offer in one of thirty-two key occupations a faster way to immigrate.

The BC PNP Tech Pilot Program requires applicants to have a full time (at least 30 hours per week) indeterminate job offer from an eligible employer in British Columbia who meets the following requirements as per the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC Program Guide. The employer is not required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment:

• Provide a written job offer to the applicant;
• Is an established employer in British Columbia;
• Is incorporated or extra-provincially registered OR registered as a limited liability partnership in British Columbia OR an eligible public sector or non-profit employer;
• Is permanently established in British Columbia as defined by the federal Income Tax Act;
• Has operated in B.C. for at least one year (two years if you are registering under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled category, including employment in the Northeast Development Region of British Columbia);
• If located within the Greater Vancouver Regional District, they have at least five indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) in British Columbia;
• If  located outside of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, they have at least three indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) in British Columbia;
• They have a history of good workplace and business practices;
• They must demonstrate that genuine and bona fide efforts were made to recruit from the local labour market, and that hiring you will not adversely affect employment or development opportunities for local candidates (Canadian citizens and/or permanent residents);
  • This would include proof that they have advertised the position being offered for at least 14 days in an attempt to recruit a Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident;
    • The 14-day recruitment advertisement requirement may be waived for the recruitment of senior executives or highly specialized senior managers and professionals. In these cases the employer must demonstrate targeted recruitment activities consistent with industry practices, such as the creation of an executive recruitment team or the hiring of a specialized human resources recruitment agency;
  • If the Applicant has a valid work permit and/or employment authorization and is currently working full time (30 hours per week) for the supporting British Columbia employer in the occupation identified in the job offer then the recruitment efforts may not be required;
• They are offering a wage which is at market rate and comparable to the rate paid to workers with a similar level of experience and training for equivalent jobs in British Columbia and consistent with the wage compensation structure of your employer.

The thirty-two occupations which qualify for the BC PNP Tech Pilot Project are as follows:

• 0113 Purchasing managers
• 0131 Telecommunication carriers managers
• 0213 Computer and information systems managers
• 0512 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
• 1123 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
• 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
• 4163 Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants
• 5121 Authors and writers
• 5122 Editors
• 5125 Translators, terminologists and interpreters
• 5224 Broadcast technicians
• 5225 Audio and video recording technicians
• 5227 Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts
• 5226 Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
• 5241 Graphic designers and illustrators
• 6221 Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade

Once an applicant has a full time (at least 30 hours per week) indeterminate job offer from an eligible employer in British Columbia and they meet the requirements of either the British Columbia Skills Immigration program or the Express Entry B.C program, they can then apply online for an Invitation from the Provincial government. Once the applicant submits their application they are assigned a score and are entered into a pool of applicants. The Provincial government will then do weekly draws specifically for the BC PNP Tech Pilot Program. If an applicant is selected in a draw they receive an Invitation. This allows them to then submit their full application for a Provincial Nomination from the government of British Columbia. The government has stated that all applications would fall under theBC PNP Tech Pilot Program will be given priority service. If this nomination is then issued to the applicant they can apply for Permanent Residency. As an applicant in the BC PNP Tech Pilot Program, they may also be issued with a work permit support letter which would allow them to apply for a work permit while their Permanent Residency is processing. This would allow the applicant to enter British Columbia sooner, which in turn would allow them to begin working as soon as possible.

Prospective applicants can view a list of most recent draws conducted by the government of British Columbia here.