British Columbia Extended its Tech Pilot Program till 2019
The British Columbia province of Canada has made the decision to continue with the modified version of the Tech Pilot immigration program for one more year. You can immigrate to Canada also through Express Entry system from the Federal government of Canada.
The Tech Pilot immigration program from British Columbia was launched last August with the objective to provide manpower to the booming tech sector of the province.
There are 32 in-demand occupations and weekly draws are carried out by British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) and candidates are picked up from its immigration pool. Thousands of people have immigrated through Express Entry system from Canada.
This update was announced by British Columbia on June 26, 2018. The changes that have been made include:
- Tech Pilot program extended till June 2019
- Number of in-demand occupations reduced from 32 to 29
- Duration of required job offer reduced – from permanent full-time to full-time offer of at least one year
The reason for these changes is the feedback received by BC PNP from tech companies, particularly those in the animation and digital effects sectors. Jobs in these areas come up on a project-to-project bases and are often for limited period of time. Hire a genuine consultant before you apply for Express Entry immigration system.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program also added that, the three occupations that have been removed is also the result of the feedback received from tech sector employers which shows the actual demand.
The following occupations have been removed:
- NOC 0113 – Purchasing Managers
- NOC 1123 – Professional Occupations in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
- NOC 4163 – Business development officers and Marketing Research and Consultants
When the Tech Pilot immigration program was launched by the Province of British Columbia it did not carried any end date. The recent announcement made by BC PNP states that the program will be extended till June 2019.
