BC PNP: British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program Guide

Every province (except Quebec) can nominate a set number of people for permanent residence each year. This is called a Provincial Nominee Program. British Columbia's program is the BC PNP, run by the BC government through WelcomeBC.

Since April 2026, the BC PNP has focused on three priorities: Care (health care, childcare, French-speaking teachers and veterinary care), Build (certified construction trades) and Innovate (high-impact talent in any sector). It also has an Entrepreneur Immigration program for people who want to start a business in the province. BC's nomination allocation for 2026 is 6,254, and BC expects at least 35% of nominations to go to people working outside Metro Vancouver.

A BC PNP nomination does not give you PR by itself. It is a strong recommendation to IRCC. After you are nominated, you apply to IRCC, which makes the final decision on medical, security and admissibility checks.

Both worker streams have two options: the regular Skills Immigration (SI) option and the Express Entry BC (EEBC) option.

Tip: If you use EEBC, keep your Express Entry profile valid. If it expires, or you get an ITA from IRCC before BC finishes, BC can't nominate you through EEBC.

In 2026, Skills Immigration has two streams for workers, plus a one-time health initiative. The older Entry Level and Semi-Skilled, International Graduate and International Post-Graduate streams are no longer offered.

Skilled Worker

For experienced managers, professionals, technical workers and skilled tradespeople with a job offer in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.

• Full-time, indeterminate (no end date) job offer from an eligible BC employer. Some listed occupations may qualify with a limited-term offer
• At least 2 years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience (TEER 0–3) in the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad. This doesn't have to be in the same job as your offer
• Qualified for the job, including any licence, registration or certification it needs
• Wage within the WorkBC or Job Bank range for the job and location
• Family income that meets BC's minimum income for your family size
• CLB 4 in all four skills if your job is TEER 2 or 3. For TEER 0 or 1, a test is only needed if you claim language points or BC asks for one
• You register, and BC invites registrants in its priority groups to apply. See how draws work →

Read our Skilled Worker stream guide →

Health Authority

For health professionals in BC's public health care system.

• Regular, indeterminate, full-time job offer from a BC public health authority, in an eligible health occupation
• Your health authority must agree to support your application
• Physicians, nurse practitioners and midwives who aren't directly employed by a health authority may also qualify, with health authority (or midwife practice group) support
• No registration or draw: if you meet the requirements, you apply directly

Read our Health Authority stream guide →

Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support initiative

A one-time initiative for up to 250 health authority employees working in cleaning or security jobs (NOC 64410, 65310, 65312) in rural or remote BC. Applicants needed at least 9 consecutive months of full-time work with the same health authority. Registration closed on October 7, 2026.

Closed streams

• Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS): officially closed. The last invitations were issued on December 10, 2024.
• International Graduate and International Post-Graduate: no longer offered, and BC has said it won't launch new student streams. Graduates can apply through the Skilled Worker or Health Authority stream, and completing your education in BC or Canada still earns extra points. Options for international graduates →

Entrepreneur Immigration

For experienced business owners and companies:

• Base stream: start or take over a business in BC. You need a personal net worth of at least $600,000, an investment of at least $200,000 and 3 years as a business owner-manager in the last 10 years.
• Regional stream: start a business in a participating community outside Metro Vancouver, with a net worth of at least $300,000 and an investment of at least $100,000.
• Strategic Projects stream: for foreign companies setting up in BC, with an equity investment of at least $500,000.

For both worker streams, your job offer is the heart of your application. Both the job and the employer must meet BC's rules.

The job offer must be:

• Full-time: an average of at least 30 hours per week, year-round
• Indeterminate (no end date), except for some listed occupations
• In an eligible occupation, and not on BC's ineligible list
• Paid within the WorkBC or Job Bank wage range for the job and area. Bonuses, tips, overtime and allowances don't count
• Supported by your employer with a signed Employer Declaration Form

Ineligible occupations (any stream): executive assistants, HR and recruitment officers, accounting technicians and bookkeepers, administrative officers and assistants (including legal and medical), retail sales supervisors, food service supervisors, real estate agents, and religious leaders and workers.

The employer must:

• Have operated in BC for at least one year
• Have at least 5 full-time employees in BC if it's in Metro Vancouver, or 3 if it's elsewhere in BC (two part-time employees can count as one)
• Be legally operating in BC and following employment and other laws
• Make genuine efforts to recruit locally first
• Have a genuine need for the position
• Not be an ineligible employer, such as a placement agency or an organization that provides immigration services

You can't hold, or have family members who hold, an ownership stake of 10% or more in the business that supports you.

When you register, you get a score out of 200.

Short version:

• Work: 5+ years = 20 points, plus 10 for 1 year in Canada, plus 10 if you are already working full-time for the employer
• Education: PhD 27, master's 22, bachelor's 15, plus 8 if completed in BC (or 6 in Canada), plus 5 for a BC professional designation
• Language: based on your lowest CLB level. CLB 9+ = 30, plus 10 if you have CLB 4+ in both English and French
• Wage: whole-dollar hourly wage minus 15, up to 55 points at $70/h
• Area: Metro Vancouver 0, Squamish/Abbotsford/Agassiz/Mission/Chilliwack 5, rest of BC 15, plus up to 10 for regional work or study

Full points tables and calculator →

BC holds invitation rounds (draws) for registrants in the Skills Immigration pool. In 2026, each round targets one of BC's three priorities, with its own minimum score:

• Care: priority health care occupations, early childhood educators, French-speaking K-12 teachers, and veterinary care workers
• Build: certified construction trades, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders and heavy-duty mechanics
• Innovate (High Economic Impact): highly skilled workers in any sector, invited by a high score or by a high wage and income in a TEER 0–3 job

BC also held rounds in 2026 for the Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support initiative, a one-time initiative for health authority cleaning and security staff in rural and remote BC, and holds separate rounds for Entrepreneur Immigration (Base and Regional). Health Authority applicants don't need an invitation: they apply directly.

For many Care and Build groups, you need the right registration or certificate to get a targeted invitation, such as an ECE certificate or a SkilledTradesBC trade certificate. If your job isn't in a Care or Build group, Innovate rounds are usually your main route, and they have needed much higher scores.

Latest BC PNP draws and minimum scores by group →

Step 1: Check your eligibility

Confirm which stream fits you and that your job offer and employer meet BC's rules. Use our BC PNP calculator to estimate your score.

Step 2: Prepare before registering

Get your language test, ECA (if needed for your stream), reference letters and job offer forms ready. If you are using Express Entry BC, create your Express Entry profile first and note your profile number and job seeker validation code.

Step 3: Register in BC PNP Online

Create an account and submit your registration. There is no fee to register. You get a score based on your answers, and your registration stays in the pool for 12 months. (Health Authority applicants skip this step and apply directly.)

Step 4: Receive an invitation

If you're in a group BC targets and your score (or wage, for some Innovate rounds) meets the cut-off, BC sends you an invitation to apply.

Step 5: Submit your application within 30 days

Upload your documents and pay the application fee within 30 calendar days of your invitation. Your claims must match your registration. If BC cannot confirm a claim, your score can be lowered and your application may be refused.

Step 6: BC reviews your application

BC checks your eligibility, job offer, employer and documents. BC may contact you or your employer, or visit the workplace.

Step 7: Nomination

If approved, BC issues a nomination. With Express Entry BC, you accept the nomination in your IRCC profile and get 600 CRS points. With Skills Immigration, you apply to IRCC for PR outside Express Entry.

Step 8: Work permit support

While your PR is processing, BC can give you a support letter for a work permit, so you can keep working for your employer.

You

• Passport and current Canadian status documents (if in Canada)
• Language test results
• Educational documents and ECA (if needed)
• Professional licence or designation (if required for the job)
• Résumé
• Reference letters with duties, dates, hours and salary

Job offer

• BC PNP Employer Declaration form
• Signed job offer letter
• Job description with duties, wage, hours and benefits

Employer

• Business licence and incorporation documents
• Proof of number of employees
• Financial statements or tax documents
• Recruitment details, if requested

Other

• Representative form (if you use an RCIC)
• Letters of explanation, if needed

Processing time: WelcomeBC says about 80% of Skills Immigration applications are decided within 3 months of BC receiving a complete application (1 month for post-nomination requests, 6 months for a request for review). After nomination, IRCC processes your PR application: check its current processing times.

1. Express Entry BC nominees: accept your nomination in your IRCC account, receive an ITA in a PNP draw, submit your PR application within 60 days.
2. Skills Immigration nominees: submit a PR application to IRCC within the time stated on your nomination letter.
3. Medical exam, biometrics and police certificates are required in both cases.
4. Keep your job. You are expected to keep working in the nominated job until you get PR. If you lose your job or change employers, tell BC PNP right away. Your nomination could be withdrawn.

• Job offer not genuine or not needed by the business
• Wage below the BC prevailing wage for the occupation and region
• Experience not directly related to the BC job duties
• Employer does not meet requirements (too few employees, not in good standing)
• Claims in the registration cannot be proven
• Language test expired before submission
• Misrepresentation, which can lead to a ban from BC PNP

• Eligibility review and stream selection
• Score strategy: wage, area, language and experience
• Employer compliance check before you register
• Registration and application preparation
• Employer documents and job offer forms
• Responses to BC PNP requests and procedural fairness letters
• Work permit support letters and PR application after nomination

Book a BC PNP consultation