In one of our previous articles, we looked at what a Provincial Nominee Program is and how they work. In this article, we go into more detail on 3 Canada PNP programs tech workers in 2020. Keep an eye on our blog as we’ll be posting about more PNPs in the future as well!
British Columbia
According to the B.C. government, “the B.C. tech sector is a major driver of economic growth in the province, with tech employment at its highest level ever recorded. The demand for talent in B.C.’s tech sector is increasing faster than the supply.” This increased demand for tech workers has led to BC creating a PNP tech pilot which has been extended to June 2020.
Qualified registrants in one of the 29 eligible occupations for the BC PNP Tech Pilot are able to expedite their application through the Tech Pilot, but note that you must have a job offer of at least 1 year to be eligible.
For more information about the BC PNP Tech Stream, check out the BC government website here.
Manitoba
From October 18-21, 2019, Manitoba participated in a Tech Talent Recruitment Mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Manitoban government seeks to address labour shortages in the tech industry and has partnered with several corporations to extend the reach of their PNP efforts.
To apply to the PNP program in Manitoba, candidates need to submit an Expression of Interest and meet all of the eligibility requirements. While a job offer is not required, having a connection to the province in some way will help (in the form of previous education there, work experience, family, etc.).
Ontario (Ontario Tech Pilot)
Ontario has many PNP streams to help attract and keep foreign talent. One of the programs, the Human Capital Priorities Stream, identifies and targets certain individuals already in the Express Entry pool.
Because of the dire need for tech workers, they also have the Ontario Tech Pilot program, which has specific draws targeting the following National Occupation Codes (NOC):
- Software engineers and designers (NOC 2173)
- Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174)
- Computer engineers (NOC 2147)
- Web designers and developers (NOC 2175)
- Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 2172)
- Computer and information systems managers (NOC 0213)
If you fall under one of the categories listed above and meet the criteria of the Human Capital Priorities Stream, you may qualify for the Ontario Tech Pilot program.
We hope this has helped in discovering some of the potential for tech-specific PNPS in Canada. To learn more about Express Entry and join the community, head here.
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