BC PNP Tech offers skilled workers in select, in-demand tech occupations a pathway to permanent residence. It helps B.C. tech employers recruit and retain international talent when local skilled workers are unavailable.
BC PNP Tech is not a separate stream. It is a series of administrative measures that help skilled tech workers move more quickly and easily through the BC PNP process, including tech-only draws for invitations to apply and a concierge service for employers.
You need to choose the BC PNP stream that is right for you, and meet the general and stream requirements:
- Skilled Worker (including Express Entry BC option)
- International Graduate (including Express Entry BC option)
Language
If the Job Offer’s NOC code is of TEER Category 2 or 3, you will need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 4 to be eligible.
Work/Business Experience
must have a minimum of two years of full-time (or full-time equivalent) work experience in any skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3)
- This experience may be from work performed within Canada or abroad, and must have been obtained within the last ten years.
- Work experience obtained in paid co-op work terms is eligible if it meets all of the following criteria:
- the paid co-op work term was full-time (minimum 30 regular hours per week)
- the paid co-op experience was in a skilled occupation
- you have successfully completed your program of study
If you include paid co-op experience to meet the two year skilled work experience requirement
you must provide evidence that you have graduated from your program of study. You may also be asked to provide evidence that your co-op experience was paid.
Student work experience that is not part of a paid co-op work term does not count towards this requirement.
Job Offer
- The BC PNP offers skilled workers in select, in-demand technology occupations a pathway to permanent residence. To meet the unique needs of B.C.’s technology sector, priority technology occupations are not required to have a permanent job offer.
- Workers in the technology sector must meet the following requirements to benefit from targeted invitations to apply:
- the job offer must be in one of the priority technology occupations
- the job offer must be at least one year in duration (365 days)
- there must be at least 120 calendar days remaining on the job offer at the time of application.
Longer duration job offers, including indeterminate job offers, will continue to be eligible.
Employer Official Letter
Your employer must provide you with a signed job offer on official company letterhead. For full details on the job offer requirements,
Employer Eligibility
- Your employment must provide economic benefit to B.C.
- Your employer must be established, and have a physical presence, in B.C. For the purposes of the BC PNP, this means that your employer has an ongoing fixed place of business in B.C.
- Your employer must have one of the following business structures:
- incorporated in B.C. or extra-provincially registered in B.C.
- registered as a general, limited or limited liability partnership in B.C.
- The BC PNP also accepts applications from the following public sector or non-profit organizations established in B.C.:
- provincial and regional health authorities and agencies
- public post-secondary education and training institutions
- public school districts
- private non-profit post-secondary institutions that are accredited by, or registered with, The Private Career Training Institutions Agency of BC
- institutions supported by the Government of Canada or the Province of B.C. conducting research in natural and applied sciences, engineering, computer and information systems, or health sciences
- provincial/federal/municipal government organizations and agencies
- other non-profit groups registered as charitable organizations and/or incorporated under an applicable federal or provincial act.
- Complete and Sign Employer Declaration Form
- Valid Business Licence
- Provide supporting Documents
- Your employer must have operated in B.C. for at least one year (two years if you are applying under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream).
- If your employer is located within the Metro Vancouver Regional District, your employer must have at least five indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) who are performing their work from within B.C.
- If your employer is located outside of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, your employer must have at least three indeterminate, full-time employees (or full-time equivalents) who are performing their work from within B.C.
- Follow laws and regulations
- Make Genuine Efforts to Recruit Locally
- Genuine Need for the Position
Eligible NOC TEER Categories
| Code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 10030 | Telecommunication carriers managers |
| 20012 | Computer and information systems managers |
| 21100 | Physicists and astronomers |
| 21210 | Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
| 21211 | Data scientists |
| 21220 | Cybersecurity specialists |
| 21221 | Business systems specialists |
| 21222 | Information systems specialists |
| 21223 | Database analysts and data administrators |
| 21230 | Computer systems developers and programmers |
| 21231 | Software engineers and designers |
| 21232 | Software developers and programmers |
| 21233 | Web designers |
| 21234 | Web developers and programmers |
| 21300 | Civil engineers |
| 21301 | Mechanical engineers |
| 21310 | Electrical and electronics engineers |
| 21311 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
| 21320 | Chemical engineers |
| 21399 | Other professional engineers |
| 22110 | Biological technologists and technicians |
| 22220 | Computer network and web technicians |
| 22221 | User support technicians |
| 22222 | Information systems testing technicians |
| 22310 | Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians |
| 22312 | Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics |
| 50011 | Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts |
| 51111 | Authors and writers (except technical) |
| 51112 | Technical writers |
| 51120 | Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations |
| 52119 | Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts |
| 52112 | Broadcast technicians |
| 52113 | Audio and video recording technicians |
| 52120 | Graphic designers and illustrators |
| 53111 | Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators |
Funds
BCPNP MINIMUM INCOME REQUIREMENT FOR SKILLS IMMIGRATION STREAMS THAT REQUIRE A JOB OFFER You must demonstrate that you meet minimum income requirements according to your
- gross annual wage in the Job Offer,
- location of residence in BC, and
- number of dependants.
You can include your spouse/partner’s gross annual wage if they work in BC.
Bonuses, commissions, tips, housing allowance, etc. are not included when calculating your wage.
The annual wage is calculated as: (hourly rate) x (hours worked per week (max 40h)) x (52 weeks a year).
Funds Required
| # of dependants | Metro Vancouver Regional District | Rest of BC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26,620 CAD | 22,186 CAD |
| 2 | 33,141 CAD | 27,619 CAD |
| 3 | 40,743 CAD | 33,954 CAD |
| 4 | 49,467 CAD | 41,226 CAD |
| 5 | 56,105 CAD | 46,757 CAD |
| 6 | 63,276 CAD | 52,735 CAD |
| 7 or more | 70,449 CAD | 58,713 CAD |
Ineligibility
The BC PNP will not approve applications from:
- employers involved in producing, distributing or selling pornographic or sexually explicit products, or providing sexually oriented entertainment or services
- employment agencies and similar placement firms unless you are directly employed by the agency and you are contributing directly to the employer’s primary line of business
- any other type of business – or activities of the business – that by association would tend to bring the BC PNP or the Government of British Columbia into disrepute
Other circumstances may also make the employer supporting your application ineligible for the BC PNP
Application Period
estimated to be around 3 months.
Application Fee
The fee for this stream as it falls under Skill mIgration is set at 1,475 CAD.
Submission of Application
- Qualify for the Skilled worker stream eligibility requirements and register a profile in BCPNP Online.
- Obtain an invitation to apply directly in their BCPNP Online profile.
- Apply to the SW stream within 30 days of receiving the invitation to apply, by submitting their application through BCPNP Online (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination. Candidates need to apply on paper to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from BCPNP.
Link to portal to submit application
Maximum points required
Maximum points of 200