On August 20, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) issued 602 provincial nomination invitations to high-earning and high-scoring candidates.
These invitations were issued under the province’s “innovate” objective, which targets skilled workers across a variety of occupations and sectors.
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This was British Columbia’s largest selection round of 2026, held just days after the province announced it had received 1,000 additional nominations for the year—bringing its total allocation to 6,254 slots.
Draw details
British Columbia’s 20th draw of the year saw candidates invited based on their wage/salary tied to a TEER 0–3 job offer, or their profile registration score.
More than half (59.98%) of the invitations issued in this draw went to high-earning candidates:
| Selection criteria | Details | Invitations issued |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer + wage | TEER 0–3 job offer, with an offered wage of at least $55/hour (≈$110,000/year) | 337 |
| Registration score | Minimum of 132 points | 265 |
This selection round saw the highest proportion of registration-score-based invitations among all Skills Immigration category draws conducted by the BCPNP in 2026.
As of this latest draw, the province has issued a total of 3,260 invitations to apply for provincial nomination to candidates based on these two selection criteria.
Permanent residence through the BCPNP
Foreign nationals interested in being considered for permanent residence through the BCPNP must first submit a registration, also known as an expression of interest, through the BCPNP Online User Portal.
The BCPNP assigns a score to each candidate’s profile based on details related to work experience, language abilities, wage of one’s job offer, and more.
Profiles are then entered into a registration pool. Periodically, the province holds draws inviting candidates from the pool to apply for provincial nomination based on one or more of the following factors:
- Education—level and field, as well as location of completion;
- Professional designation in the province;
- Language ability;
- Occupation;
- Registration score;
- Wage and/or skill level of one’s job offer;
- Duration and skill level of one’s work experience;
- Intention to work and reside in a specific BC region; and/or
- Strategic priorities aligned with provincial labour market demands or projects/initiatives.
So far this year, the province has held 12 Skills Immigration selection rounds. Of these, seven rounds have been based on wage/job offer and points, four draws were occupation-specific, and one round held in July targeted cleaners and security staff through its new time-limited PR pathway: the Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative.
Those who are invited to apply for provincial nomination must submit a complete application within 30 days.
Successful applicants will receive a nomination certificate, which they can then use to apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
As of August 20, the province has issued no fewer than 4,926 invitations to skilled workers and entrepreneurs over the course of 2026.
The BCPNP reported having a total of 8,306 registrations in its registration pool as of August 4:
| 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 |
| Total | 8,306 |
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