British Columbia’s PNP is saving PR spots for these types of healthcare workers
British Columbia (B.C.) has reserved the bulk of its provincial nominations for 2025 for healthcare workers in certain occupations.
On April 14, B.C. announced major changes to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), reducing the number of applications it will accept to 1,100 in 2025.
The BC PNP has reserved most of these application spaces for healthcare workers, although a small portion has been set aside for entrepreneurs and other "high economic impact" candidates.
Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs
At the same time, B.C. tightened the eligibility rules for workers applying through the Health Authority stream.
Which healthcare workers are eligible for PR through the BC PNP?
Effective April 14 onwards, only workers who contribute directly to the provision of healthcare are eligible under the Health Authority stream.
This is a shift from the previous criteria, under which anyone with a full-time job offer from a B.C. public health authority — including support and administrative staff — could apply.
To be eligible for the Health Authority stream, you must now work in one of the following occupations:
| Occupation | NOC Code |
| Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians | 32104 |
| Audiologists and speech-language pathologists | 31112 |
| Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists | 32123 |
| Chiropractors | 31201 |
| Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants | 33100 |
| Dental hygienists and dental therapists | 32111 |
| Dental technologists and technicians | 32112 |
| Dentists | 31110 |
| Denturists | 32110 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 31121 |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 |
| Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment | 31204 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 |
| Managers in health care | 30010 |
| Massage therapists | 32201 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 |
| Medical sonographers | 32122 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 |
| Nursing coordinators and supervisors | 31300 |
| Occupational therapists | 31203 |
| Opticians | 32100 |
| Optometrists | 31111 |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services | 33109 |
| Other medical technologists and technicians | 32129 |
| Other practitioners of natural healing | 32209 |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 |
| Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment | 32109 |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 |
| Pharmacists | 31120 |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | 33103 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 32124 |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 |
| Physiotherapists | 31202 |
| Psychologists | 31200 |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 |
| Social workers | 41300 |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 |
| Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies | 41301 |
| Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists | 32200 |
| Veterinarians | 31103 |
To qualify as an employee, you must have a full-time, indeterminate job offer from a B.C. health authority.
Which employers are eligible to support Health Authority applications?
Applicants must be employed by one of B.C.'s public health authorities:
- Provincial Health Services Authority.
- First Nations Health Authority.
- Fraser Health.
- Interior Health.
- Island Health.
- Northern Health.
- Vancouver Coastal Health.
- Providence Health Care.
The health authority must agree to submit your application.
Each health authority has its own process for endorsing BC PNP applications.
Can self-employed healthcare workers still qualify?
Physicians, nurse practitioners, and midwives who are not directly employed by a health authority may still qualify if they have support of a B.C. public health authority or midwife practice and are ready to work in their profession in B.C.
These candidates must provide a recommendation letter and supporting document from a B.C. public health authority or midwife practice group that confirms
- Qualifications;
- That they are currently (or will soon be) working in their field in B.C.;
- Work location; and
- Support of the health authority or midwife practice group.
Foreign nationals who meet eligibility requirements can directly submit an application to the BC PNP.
Other professions nominated through the BC PNP in 2025
The province will also be setting aside its limited number of applications for entrepreneurs and “high economic impact candidates.”
The province has stated that invitations to apply (ITAs) will continue to be issued to entrepreneurs throughout 2025, without specifying how many ITAs have been allocated for this.
Meanwhile, little information has been shared about who qualifies as high economic impact candidates. These could be candidates with strong work experience, high salaries, those qualified in sought-after occupations, and/or contributing in other ways to the economy.
The BC PNP will nominate approximately 100 such applicants from the registration pool in 2025.
Why has the BC PNP restricted its nominations?
Earlier this year, B.C.’s nomination allocation for 2025 was slashed by 50%, compared to last year.
The province only received 4,000 spots for 2025. Meanwhile, the BC PNP already started the year with a backlog of 5,200, exceeding its annual nomination capacity.
In order to manage this limited quota, the BC PNP has suspended opening certain streams and will process existing applications in its backlog while only accepting 1,100 new ones in 2025.
- Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
- Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
