On Oct. 8, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) invited no fewer than 284 candidates working in care-related occupations and construction trades to apply for provincial nomination.
British Columbia’s care-related selections encompassed workers in health care, child care, and veterinary care occupations.
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Candidates invited through the BCPNP can submit an application for provincial nomination within 30 days. If their application is successful, they become a provincial nominee and can apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence (PR).
In-Canada nominees who have applied for PR may also qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP).
Since June 9, 2026, a temporary measure has allowed base PNP nominees to apply for BOWPs months earlier by removing the requirement to first receive an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) for their PR application.
Draw details
| Occupational category | Number of NOCs targeted | Invitations issued | Minimum score | Core objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 31 | 82 | 76 | Care |
| Construction trades | 9 | 115 | 94 | Build |
| Veterinary care | 2 | 5 | 86 | Care |
| Childcare | 1 | 86 | 99 | Care |
Targeted health care occupations
| Occupation | NOC |
|---|---|
| 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 | 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 |
* Those with job offers under NOC 33102 had to be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry to be considered for a targeted health care invitation.
Targeted construction trades occupation
To have been eligible for a targeted invitation in the construction trades category, candidates needed either a valid SkilledTradesBC trade certificate or a registered apprenticeship with SkilledTradesBC relevant to their job offer.
| Occupation | NOC |
|---|---|
| Carpenters | 72310 |
| Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics | 72400 |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | 72200 |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics | 72402 |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 |
| Industrial electricians | 72201 |
| Plumbers | 72300 |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers | 72301 |
| Welders and related machine operators | 72106 |
Targeted veterinary care occupations
The province’s veterinary care selection criteria encompassed both priority occupations in the sector, alongside a separate criterion specifically targeting animal health technologists and veterinary technicians who held a valid professional designation.
| Occupation | NOC |
|---|---|
| Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians | 32104 |
| Veterinarians | 31103 |
Targeted child care occupations
To have been considered, candidates were required to have a one-year or five-year ECE Certificate issued by the ECE Registry.
| Occupation | NOC |
|---|---|
| Early childhood educators | 42202 |
This Oct. 8 round marked British Columbia’s seventh occupation-specific draw of 2026, targeting priority occupations across the identified provincial priories of Care, Build, and Innovate.
All other Skills Immigration (SI) rounds in 2026 targeted candidates based on registration scores, wages or salaries, and/or job offers.
As of Oct. 8, British Columbia had issued no fewer than 6,301 invitations under its SI category, alongside at least 120 invitations through its Entrepreneur Immigration category.
With this latest draw, British Columbia has conducted a total of 26 selection rounds over the course of 2026, 16 of which have targeted skilled workers.
Makeup of the Skills Immigration registration pool
Foreign nationals must first create an Expression of Interest profile (“registration”) to be considered for the BCPNP’s SI category.
Registrants are assigned scores based on the information in their profiles and are entered into the applicable registration pool(s).
Through periodic draws, British Columbia invites registrants who rank highly and meet the specific criteria established for each round to apply for nomination.
As of Oct. 6, the most recent date for which figures are available, the pool contained 7,695 registrations:
| Score range | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| 0 – 59 | 216 |
| 60 – 69 | 364 |
| 70 – 79 | 718 |
| 80 – 89 | 1,281 |
| 90 – 99 | 1,444 |
| 100 – 109 | 1,426 |
| 110 – 119 | 1,189 |
| 120 – 129 | 854 |
| 130 – 139 | 171 |
| 140 – 149 | 23 |
| 150+ | 9 |
| Total | 7,695 |
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