Skilled workers and entrepreneurs receive invitations in British Columbia PNP draw
This week, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) extended more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for provincial nomination.
Provincial immigration candidates were targeted across two immigration categories.
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On October 2, the BC PNP conducted draws through the following provincial immigration categories:
Skills Immigration; and
Entrepreneur Immigration.
Immigration categoryNumber of invitations issuedCut-off score
Skills Immigration474140 (applicable only to certain candidates)
Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Stream11123
A combined total of 485 invitations were issued across these two draws.
To date in 2025, the BC PNP has issued 568 invitations through its Skills Immigration category and no more than 86 invitations through its Entrepreneur Immigration category.
Skills Immigration draw
Prior to this draw, British Columbia had not held a draw inviting skilled workers through their Skills Immigration category since May 8, 2025.
Under this Skills Immigration draw on October 2, candidates were invited if they met one of two eligibility criteria:
Criteria 1: Held a minimum wage of $90/hour or $175,000/year, with a job offer falling under *NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Criteria 2: Had a minimum score of 140 points, based on the BC PNP’s candidate scoring system.
Selection criteriaNumber of invitations issued
Criteria 1114
Criteria 2360
British Columbia invited 474 skilled workers through their Skills Immigration draw between these two selection criteria.
As per the BC PNP’s official webpage, future Skills Immigration draws could be determined by various factors, including a candidate’s
Education;
Professional designation in BC;
Language proficiency;
Occupation;
Work experience;
Wage and/or skill level of job offer;
Intent to live, work, and settle in a specific region in BC; and/or
Strategic priorities, particularly factors that address specific labour market needs in BC or support government pilot projects and initiatives.
*Under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC), jobs are ranked across six levels (0 to 5) based on required Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, from highest-skilled (TEER 0) to lowest-skilled (TEER 5).
Entrepreneur immigration draw
Alongside the Skills Immigration draw, the province held its seventh Entrepreneur Immigration draw through the BC PNP’s Base Stream, continuing its efforts to attract entrepreneurs.
A total of 11 entrepreneurs received ITAs for provincial nomination.
Stream typeNumber of invitations issuedCut-off score
Base11123
To qualify for the Base Stream, candidates are required to achieve a minimum registration score of 115—along with meeting other stream requirements. All entrepreneurial candidates invited exceeded this baseline eligibility score.
Other eligibility criteria candidates must meet to qualify for the Entrepreneur Immigration Base Stream include
Personal net worth (at least $600,000);
*Business experience (within the last 10 years: 3 years as a business owner-manager or 4 years as a senior manager or 1 year as the former and 2 as the latter);
Ability to invest in the business (at least $200,000);
Language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark level 4);
*Education (post-secondary credential);
Business ownership (at least 1/3, or 100% if using educational credential in lieu of business experience);
Ability to establish a new business or take over and grow an existing business; and
Job creation (establish at least one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident).
*Those who do not meet the business experience requirement may instead submit proof of an eligible educational credential for consideration.
