British Columbia has released new data on how many skilled workers in priority healthcare and childcare occupations it intends to nominate in 2026.
By year’s end, the province intends to issue between 1,620–2,015 nominations to in-demand healthcare workers, and 360–440 to early childhood educators (42202).
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For the year 2026, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) received a total of 6,254 nomination spaces.
Hitting the lower end of the target for priority healthcare workers would mean that group receives about 25.9% of all BCPNP nominations in 2026. At the upper end, the share would rise to 32.2%.
For early childhood educators, the target translates to 5.8% at the low end and 7.0% at the high end.
Combined, healthcare workers and early childhood educators could account for 31.7%–39.3% of the province’s total 2026 allocation.
British Columbia communicated this information on page 11 of its BCPNP – 2025 Statistical Report and Year in Review PDF, released on August 26.
Remaining nomination spaces would be allocated to workers in education, veterinary care, and construction, alongside high-economic-impact candidates across various other sectors.
For comparison with 2025, healthcare workers in priority occupations received 1,435 nominations and early childhood educators received 409, for a combined 1,844 of the BCPNP’s 6,214 nominations (or 29.7%).
As part of a major overhaul to the BCPNP earlier this year, the province established the following 31 healthcare occupations as being of priority:
- Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (31112).
- Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists (32123).
- Chiropractors (31201).
- Dental hygienists and dental therapists (32111).
- Dental technologists and technicians (32112).
- Dentists (31110).
- 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).
- 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).
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating (31209).
- Paramedical occupations (32102).
- Pharmacists (31120).
- 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 workers (41300).
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100).
- Specialists in surgery (31101).
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (32200).
*Healthcare workers in NOC 33102 must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker registry to be nominated.
Under its recently prioritized childcare sector, workers in one occupation are being targeted: early childhood educators (42202). To be nominated, individuals in this occupation must have a one- or five-year ECE certificate issued by the ECE registry.
Though the province is prioritizing five sectors this year, namely healthcare, childcare, education, veterinary care, and construction, the 2025 statistical report only provided nomination targets for two.
The province reiterated in its report that at least 35% of skilled worker nominations, across all sectors, will be allocated to individuals working outside Metro Vancouver. In 2025, the province exceeded that share, reaching 38%.
As of August 25, the BCPNP has invited a total of 474 priority healthcare workers and 451 early childhood educators to apply for provincial nomination in 2026—for a combined total of 925 invitations.
Overall, the province has issued no fewer than 4,838 invitations to BCPNP candidates across all worker streams.
The province has not provided data on how many applications processed so far this year have successfully resulted in nominations.
The BCPNP report notes, however, that 6,195 of the 6,553 nomination applications submitted under worker streams in 2025 resulted in successful nominations—an approval rate of 94.5%.
Obtaining permanent residence through the BCPNP
To obtain permanent residence through the BCPNP, foreign nationals must first ensure they meet the eligibility criteria for at least one stream.
A full-time job offer from an in-province employer is required for all BCPNP worker streams.
Foreign nationals can then submit a registration, also known as an expression of interest (EOI) through the BCPNP Online User Portal.
The BCPNP assigns a score to each candidate’s profile based on details related to their work experience, language abilities, job offer wage, and more.
Profiles are then entered into the BCPNP registration pool. Periodically, the province holds draws inviting candidates who meet round criteria from the pool to apply for provincial nomination.
Those who receive an invitation must respond with a complete application within 30 days.
Successful applicants get a nomination certificate, which they can use to apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
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