British Columbia to nominate 1,000 additional healthcare, construction, and cream-of-the-crop provincial immigration candidates

British Columbia has received an additional 1,000 provincial nomination slots for 2026, raising its total allocation to 6,254 nominations. The new spaces will be used to support foreign workers in three priority streams – care, build, and innovate – with the province aiming to fill the full quota by year‑end.

Care stream – health, education, childcare and veterinary occupations

Targeted occupations (36 in‑demand NOCs) include:

• Healthcare: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, allied health professionals (e.g., audiologists, physiotherapists, dietitians), medical laboratory technologists, respiratory therapists, etc.
• Education & childcare: early‑childhood educators (NOC 24404), French‑language elementary and secondary teachers (NOC 41221, 41220).
• Veterinary care: animal health technologists, veterinary technicians, veterinarians.

Key requirements

• Current full‑time employment or a valid job offer in one of the listed occupations.
• Varying work‑experience thresholds depending on the stream.
• French‑language teachers must work in BC’s K‑12 system and hold CLB 5 or higher in French.
• Nurse aides (NOC 33102) must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.

As of August 2026, BC has issued at least 946 care‑stream invitations.

Build stream – construction trades

Eligible trades (NOC codes) include:

• Carpenters (72310)
• Construction millwrights & industrial mechanics (72400)
• Electricians (excluding industrial/power system) (72200)
• Heating, refrigeration & air‑conditioning mechanics (72402)
• Heavy‑duty equipment mechanics (72401)
• Industrial electricians (72201)
• Plumbers (72300)
• Steamfitters, pipefitters & sprinkler installers (72301)
• Welders & related machine operators (72106)

Key requirements

• Current job or job offer in one of the listed trades.
• Minimum two years of full‑time equivalent work experience.

By mid‑2026, BC has invited 572 trades professionals under the build initiative.

Innovate stream – high‑earning or high‑scoring candidates

This stream covers skilled workers and entrepreneurs across all sectors. Selection is based on either:

1. Wage/salary – e.g., the July 16, 2026 round required a minimum wage of $58 per hour (≈ $115,000 annual).
2. Registration score – a minimum score of 132 in the province’s points system.

BC has issued 2,658 High Economic Impact invitations for the innovate stream in 2026.

Overall nomination process

1. Eligibility – meet the minimum criteria for a specific BCPNP stream.
2. Expression of interest – submit through the BCPNP Online User Portal.
3. Invitation to apply – receive a targeted invitation in a selection round.
4. Application submission – 30 days for skilled workers, 120 days for entrepreneurs.
5. Provincial nomination – upon approval, receive a nomination certificate.
6. Federal PR application – apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence.

As of August 6, 2026, BC has issued at least 4,324 invitations to apply across all streams. The province expects at least 35 percent of the 6,254 nominations to go to candidates in communities outside Metro Vancouver.

Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative (TRHSI)

A separate, time‑limited pathway introduced in April 2026 targets cleaners and security staff employed by BC health authorities in rural or remote locations:

• Janitors, caretakers, heavy‑duty cleaners (NOC 65312)
• Light‑duty cleaners (NOC 65310)
• Security guards and related occupations (NOC 64410)

Up to 250 nominations are available under TRHSI; to date, 60 invitations have been issued. The initiative is listed under the care objective on the BCPNP news page but is not reflected on the official program occupation list.

Bottom line: With the additional 1,000 nomination spaces, British Columbia is expanding its ability to attract foreign talent in health‑related fields, construction trades, and high‑earning occupations, while also supporting rural health‑care workers through a dedicated temporary pathway. Candidates meeting the outlined criteria should submit an expression of interest promptly to compete for the limited invitations.

Source article: www.cicnews.com