British Columbia has received 1,000 additional provincial nomination spaces for 2026. The new spaces will support foreign workers in healthcare, construction trades, and high-earning or high-scoring jobs who are looking to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) now has a total allocation of 6,254 nominations for 2026. This is higher than the province’s final allocation for 2025 after the federal government approved two increases.
British Columbia is the third Canadian jurisdiction to receive additional nomination spaces this year, after Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
The province announced the additional spaces on August 18, 2026. The new allocation will be used under three main areas: care, build, and innovate.
How Will The New Nomination Spaces Be Used?
Care – Healthcare, Education, Childcare, And Veterinary Care
Under the care initiative, the BCPNP is focusing on skilled workers in 36 occupations across healthcare, education, childcare, and veterinary care.
| Occupation | NOC | Sector |
| Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians | 32104 | Veterinary care |
| Audiologists and speech-language pathologists | 31112 | Healthcare |
| Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists | 32123 | Healthcare |
| Chiropractors | 31201 | Healthcare |
| Dental hygienists and dental therapists | 32111 | Healthcare |
| Dental technologists and technicians | 32112 | Healthcare |
| Dentists | 31110 | Healthcare |
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 31121 | Healthcare |
| *Early childhood educators | 42202 | Childcare |
| **Elementary/Kindergarten teachers (French-speaking only) | 41221 | Education |
| General practitioners and family physicians | 31102 | Healthcare |
| Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy | 31204 | Healthcare |
| Licensed practical nurses | 32101 | Healthcare |
| Managers in health care | 30010 | Healthcare |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 | Healthcare |
| Medical laboratory technologists | 32120 | Healthcare |
| Medical radiation technologists | 32121 | Healthcare |
| Medical sonographers | 32122 | Healthcare |
| ***Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 | Healthcare |
| Nurse practitioners | 31302 | Healthcare |
| Nursing coordinators and supervisors | 31300 | Healthcare |
| Occupational therapists | 31203 | Healthcare |
| Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating | 31209 | Healthcare |
| Paramedical occupations | 32102 | Healthcare |
| Pharmacists | 31120 | Healthcare |
| Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals | 31303 | Healthcare |
| Physiotherapists | 31202 | Healthcare |
| Psychologists | 31200 | Healthcare |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses | 31301 | Healthcare |
| Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists | 32103 | Healthcare |
| **Secondary school teachers (French-speaking only) | 41220 | Education |
| Social workers | 41300 | Healthcare |
| Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine | 31100 | Healthcare |
| Specialists in surgery | 31101 | Healthcare |
| Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists | 32200 | Healthcare |
| Veterinarians | 31103 | Veterinary care |
*Under NOC 24404, candidates must hold either a one- or five-year Early Childhood Educator (ECE) certificate issued by the ECE registry.
**Education-sector workers must be employed in British Columbia’s K-12 system and have a CLB 5 or higher in French.
***Under NOC 33102, targeted invitations are only issued to candidates who are registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.
Candidates must have a current full-time job or job offer in one of the listed occupations to receive a targeted invitation under the care initiative.
The work experience needed can vary based on the occupation and the BCPNP stream.
So far in 2026, British Columbia has invited at least 946 candidates working in occupations covered by the care initiative.
Build – Construction Trades
The build initiative focuses on workers in key construction trades. The BCPNP gives priority to candidates who have a current job or job offer in one of the following occupations:
- 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).
The BCPNP holds targeted invitation rounds for these construction workers. Candidates must have a current job or job offer in an eligible trade.
Applicants also need at least two years of full-time equivalent work experience to qualify for consideration.
So far in 2026, the province has invited 572 construction trade workers to apply for provincial nomination under the build initiative.
Innovate – Higher-Earning And High-Scoring Workers
The innovate initiative focuses on skilled workers and entrepreneurs with strong economic profiles.
The initiative covers workers and business owners across different sectors and occupations. The BCPNP uses High Economic Impact invitation rounds to select candidates based on their wage, job level, or registration score.
Candidates can be selected based on either of the following:
- Wage/salary and TEER 0–3 job offer; or
- Registration score.
The latest innovate selection round took place on July 16. Candidates needed a wage of $58 per hour, equal to about $115,000 per year, or a registration score of at least 132.
British Columbia has issued 2,658 High Economic Impact invitations under the innovate initiative in 2026.
Steps To Obtain Permanent Residence Through BCPNP
Foreign nationals who want to obtain permanent residence through the BCPNP must complete several steps.
- Meet the minimum eligibility criteria for one of the program’s streams
- Create and submit an expression of interest through the BCPNP Online User Portal
- Receive an invitation to apply for provincial nomination in a candidate selection round
- Submit a complete application for nomination (30 days for skilled workers or 120 days for entrepreneurs)
- Receive a provincial nomination
- Apply to the federal government for permanent residence
As of August 6, British Columbia had issued at least 4,324 invitations to apply for provincial nomination in 2026.
The province has stated that it plans to use its full nomination allocation before the end of the year. At least 35% of the 6,254 available nominations are expected to go to candidates working in communities outside Metro Vancouver.
The province does not currently publish the number of nominations that have already been issued.
British Columbia started selecting candidates based on the care, build, and innovate priorities in May 2026.
Rural And Remote Healthcare Pathway
British Columbia has also continued to support workers through its Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative (TRHSI).
The province extended the registration deadline for this temporary permanent residence pathway in August 2026. British Columbia introduced the pathway in April as part of its updated immigration priorities.
The pathway focuses on cleaners and security workers who have a full-time job offer from a B.C. health authority in a rural or remote area.
The eligible occupations are:
- Janitors, caretakers, and heavy-duty cleaners (NOC 65312).
- Light-duty cleaners (NOC 65310).
- Security guards and related security service occupations (NOC 64410).
The BCPNP placed the TRHSI under its care initiative in information published in April. The province said that it planned to nominate up to 250 eligible workers through this pathway.
However, the province’s main webpage for care-based occupations does not list these occupations among its current priorities.
The BCPNP’s invitations to apply webpage also does not label the TRHSI as part of the care initiative.
So far, the BCPNP has issued 60 invitations to apply for provincial nomination through the TRHSI.
The additional nomination spaces give British Columbia more room to select workers who match the province’s current labour needs. Healthcare workers, construction professionals, and candidates with strong economic profiles remain key areas of focus as the province works toward using its full 2026 allocation.
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