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 |
Targeted childcare occupations
Only early childhood educators (42202) received invitations under this occupational category.
Early childhood educators (ECEs) must have held either a one-year or five-year ECE Certificate issued by the ECE registry to have been considered for a targeted invitation.
Targeted healthcare occupations
- 30010 Managers in health care
- 31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- 31101 Specialists in surgery
- 31102 General practitioners and family physicians
- 31110 Dentists
- 31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- 31120 Pharmacists
- 31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
- 31200 Psychologists
- 31201 Chiropractors
- 31202 Physiotherapists
- 31203 Occupational therapists
- 31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy
- 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- 31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- 31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- 31302 Nurse practitioners
- 31303 Physician assists, midwives and allied health professionals
- 32101 Licensed practical nurses
- 32102 Paramedical occupations
- 32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
- 32112 Dental technologists and technicians
- 32120 Medical laboratory technologists
- 32121 Medical radiation technologists
- 32122 Medical sonographers
- 32123 Cardiology technologists and elect. diagnostic techs
- 32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- 33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates*
- 41300 Social workers
*Candidates with a job offer under NOC 33102 were eligible for targeted healthcare invitations only if they were registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.
Targeted Education occupations
- 41220 Secondary school teachers (French-speaking only)
- 41221 Elementary/Kindergarten teachers (French-speaking only)
To have been invited, candidates need to have declared employment in British Columbia's K-12 system and have an NCLC level 5 or higher in French.
Targeted veterinary care occupations
- 31103 Veterinarians
- 32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
- Valid professional designation was required.
Targeted construction trades occupations
- 72106 Welders and related machine operators
- 72200 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
- 72201 Industrial electricians
- 72300 Plumbers
- 72301 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
- 72310 Carpenters
- 72400 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
- 72401 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- 72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
Eligibility for a targeted invitation required construction trades workers to hold a valid trade certificate from SkilledTradesBC or be registered in an apprenticeship with SkilledTradesBC that aligned with their job offer.
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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