British Columbia issues more than 430 invitations to apply to high economic impact candidates

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP held another Skills Immigration draw on May 14, 2026.

Invitations were extended to candidates who met one of two selection factors, centred around wage/salary and TEER 0–3 job offer, and profile registration score.

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Draw details

This latest selection round, which saw a total of 437 invitations issued, marks the province’s fifth SI draw of the year.

Invitations were split nearly equally between the draw’s two selection factors, though a slightly larger portion of candidates (51.5%) were invited based on wage/salary and job offer.

This selection criteria falls under the province’s “Innovate” initiative, which seeks to encourage “experts and innovators from all sectors to help make B.C. a top destination for international talent.”

The BCPNP notes that under this initiative, invitations are issued to highly skilled workers in a wide range of in-demand sectors and occupations.

The province notes, however, that future high economic impact invitations may be based on different selection factors. Here are the factors SI selection may be based on:

• Education—level, field, and location it was completed;
• Professional designation in the province;
• Duration and skill level of one’s work experience;
• Language ability;
• Occupation;
• Wage and/or skill level of one’s job offer;
• Intent to live and work in a particular region of the province; and/or
• Strategic priorities that align with provincial labour demands or projects/initiatives.

This latest selection round represents the third-largest SI draw of the year—with its April 22 and February 11 draws both seeing more invitations issued (484 and 460, respectively).

All three of these draws, plus a February 4 round (429 invitations), saw candidates chosen based on wage/salary and TEER 0–3 job offer.

The remaining SI draw, which occurred on May 6 (333 invitations), invited candidates based on their occupation—with targeted sectors consisting of healthcare, veterinary, education, and construction trades occupations.

As of May 6 (the latest available data), there were a total of 9,967 registrations in the BCPNP’s SI registration pool, with the highest number of candidates (21.1%) falling under the 100-109 score range:

To date, the BCPNP has issued a total of 2,143 invitations through its SI category.

The province has also conducted a total of eight Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) draws this year (over five selection rounds), through which no less than 49 invitations were issued. Five targeted draws through the province’s EI Base Stream, and three through its EI Regional Stream.

How does the BCPNP choose SI candidates for provincial immigration?

All foreign nationals wishing to immigrate to British Columbia through the SI category are required to first fill out and submit a registration under a specific stream.

Once the registration has been completed, it is assigned a score and entered into the registration pool. This score is based on human capital and economic factors and maxes out at 200 points.

The province will periodically select candidates from the pools (each stream has its own) and invite them to apply for provincial nomination. Selection factors vary depending on the province’s priorities and labour demands.

Registrations remain valid for no more than 12 months, after which they expire. To continue being considered, one must submit a new registration following expiry.

Those who successfully secure a provincial nomination from British Columbia can then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

Note: British Columbia has recently overhauled its Provincial Nominee Program. For more information on these changes, announced on April 23, 2026, see our dedicated article.

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