British Columbia invites workers across five priority sectors to apply for provincial nomination
On August 6, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) invited no fewer than 500 candidates to apply for provincial nomination through an occupation-specific draw targeting priority workers.
The province selected “highly qualified workers” across a variety of in-demand sectors, including those in construction trades, healthcare, and childcare occupations.
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This latest draw marked the BCPNP‘s 11th Skills Immigration (SI) draw of the year, and 19th round of selections overall.
Draw details
The invitations extended through this draw were issued across five occupational categories, aligning with the province’s recently restructured provincial nomination priorities.
The selections were organized around two out of three of its established core objectives (care and build) intended to attract highly skilled talent while responding to critical workforce shortages.
The largest share of invitations issued in this round went to candidates in qualifying construction trades occupations:
| Core objective | Occupational category | Number of NOCs targeted | Invitations issued | Minimum score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care | Childcare | 1 | 183 | 102 |
| Care | Healthcare | 31 | 124 | 84 |
| Care | Education | 2 | <5 | 68 |
| Care | Veterinary care | 2 | 6 | 72 |
| Build | Construction trades | 9 | 187 | 88 |
This was the province’s fifth occupation-specific selection round in 2026; other draws have been centred around minimum registration score, wage/salary, and job offer.
British Columbia has indicated that future SI draws may be tailored to different provincial priorities, meaning selection factors could vary from one invitation round to another. Among the attributes the province may consider are:
- Educational level, field of study, and location of study;
- Professional designation in British Columbia;
- Length and skill level of work experience;
- Language proficiency;
- Occupation;
- Wage and skill level of a candidate’s job offer;
- Plans to live and work in a particular region of the province; and
- Strategic priorities that align with provincial labour demands or support government pilot projects and initiatives.
As of August 6, the BCPNP has issued no fewer than 4,236 invitations to apply for provincial nomination through its SI category.
Makeup of the Skills Immigration registration pool
Foreign nationals who wish to be considered under the SI category must first submit a registration, also known as an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile.
Candidates are then given a registration score based on the details in their profile and entered into the appropriate pool or pools for future consideration.
Candidates who enter the BCPNP registration pool may be selected in future invitation rounds and invited to apply for provincial nomination.
As of August 6 (the most recent reporting date), there were 8,306 registrations within the BCPNP registration pool:
| Score range | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| 0 – 59 | 212 |
| 60 – 69 | 373 |
| 70 – 79 | 739 |
| 80 – 89 | 1,219 |
| 90 – 99 | 1,468 |
| 100 – 109 | 1,651 |
| 110 – 119 | 1,332 |
| 120 – 129 | 1,023 |
| 130 – 139 | 241 |
| 140 – 149 | 38 |
| 150+ | 10 |
The 100–109 score range contains the highest proportion of candidates, accounting for 19.8% of the total registration pool.
For a comprehensive breakdown of how the BCPNP scores candidates, view Part 8 of its Skills Immigration Program Guide.
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