Dear future neighbour,
If you’ve been watching for your chance to land a British Columbia provincial nomination, this is worth paying attention to. On July 16, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) issued invitations to 569 candidates in what has turned out to be the province’s largest selection round so far this year.
This single draw pulled in more hopeful applicants than any other round British Columbia has run in 2026, and it says a lot about how the province is currently choosing its newest permanent residents.
How the invitations were split
BC didn’t invite everyone the same way. Candidates were selected through one of two routes, and the numbers tell an interesting story:
| Selection criteria | Details | Invitations issued |
|---|---|---|
| Registration score | Minimum of 132 points | 346 |
| Wage/salary + job offer | TEER 0–3 job offer, with a wage of at least $58/hour (about $115,000/year) | 223 |
What stands out here is that registration score-based invitations made up the biggest share of any Skills Immigration round BC has held all year. In other words, having a strong profile score mattered more in this draw than it has in previous ones.
These invitations were issued under BC’s Innovate initiative, a strategy the province uses to bring in high-impact talent across a wide range of sectors, not just the usual tech and healthcare names we tend to hear about. Interestingly, BC didn’t publish which occupations or industries the successful candidates came from this time around.
The bigger picture for 2026
This wasn’t a one-off. British Columbia has now run 16 selection rounds so far this year, with Skills Immigration candidates targeted in nine of them. Of those, six were based on the same registration score and wage criteria used in this latest draw, while three focused on candidates working in specific high-demand occupations.
Altogether, the province has sent out at least 3,676 invitations to apply through its Skills Immigration category since the year began.
BC has also been clear that future rounds won’t necessarily follow the same pattern. Selection could shift based on a candidate’s education, work experience, language ability, occupation, job offer wage, intention to settle in a specific region, or broader labour market needs. If you’re planning your move, this is exactly why staying informed (and prepared) matters.
What the registration pool looks like right now
Every candidate hoping to be invited first has to submit a registration profile, which gets scored and placed into a pool. This is how that pool looked as of July 7, the latest available snapshot:
| Score range | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| 0 – 59 | 209 |
| 60 – 69 | 381 |
| 70 – 79 | 729 |
| 80 – 89 | 1,227 |
| 90 – 99 | 1,496 |
| 100 – 109 | 1,728 |
| 110 – 119 | 1,369 |
| 120 – 129 | 1,058 |
| 130 – 139 | 440 |
| 140 – 149 | 34 |
| 150+ | 12 |
With over 8,600 people in the pool and only the top scorers getting picked in each round, competition is real. A score in the 130+ range clearly gives you a much stronger shot, which is why understanding where you stand — and how to improve your profile — can make all the difference.
Ready to Make Your Move to British Columbia?
British Columbia is clearly not slowing down, and rounds like this one show just how many pathways exist for skilled workers, professionals, and job-offer holders to earn a nomination. But with scoring thresholds shifting and criteria changing from draw to draw, going in without a clear strategy can cost you time you don’t have to lose.
Whether you’re exploring provincial nomination, Express Entry, work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, or school admissions, we’re here to help you figure out the smartest route forward. Book a one-on-one consultation with us today at https://euiacademy.selar.com/60minutes and let’s map out a plan built around your goals.