Dear future neighbour,
British Columbia just held its biggest provincial nomination draw of the year, and the numbers tell an interesting story about where the province’s immigration priorities are headed.
On August 20, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) invited 602 candidates to apply for provincial nomination. This round was issued under the province’s “innovate” objective, which is designed to attract skilled workers across a wide range of occupations and sectors. It came just days after BC announced it had secured 1,000 extra nomination spots for the year, pushing its total 2026 allocation up to 6,254.
This wasn’t just a big draw in terms of numbers. It also marked a shift in who’s getting invited.
Who made the cut
Candidates in this round were selected based on one of two things: a strong job offer tied to a TEER 0–3 occupation, or a high registration score in the BCPNP pool. Just under 60% of invitations went to candidates with high-paying job offers, while the rest were invited purely on the strength of their profile scores.
This is how the split looked:
| Selection criteria | Details | Invitations issued |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer + wage | TEER 0–3 job offer, with an offered wage of at least $55/hour (≈$110,000/year) | 337 |
| Registration score | Minimum of 132 points | 265 |
What’s worth noting here is that this draw had the highest share of score-based invitations of any Skills Immigration round BC has run in 2026. In other words, candidates without a job offer, but with a genuinely competitive profile, are getting a real shot at nomination. That’s encouraging news if you’ve been building your profile and holding off on applying because you assumed a job offer was the only way in.
With this round, BC has now issued 3,260 invitations based on these two criteria alone this year.
How the BCPNP actually works
If you’re new to this process, here’s the short version. To be considered for permanent residence through the BCPNP, you first need to submit a registration (essentially an expression of interest) through the BCPNP Online User Portal. Your profile is then scored based on things like your work experience, language skills, education, and the wage attached to any job offer you hold.
Once you’re in the pool, the province periodically pulls candidates out through draws, and the criteria can shift from round to round depending on what BC needs. Sometimes it’s about wage and score, sometimes it’s tied to a specific occupation, and sometimes it targets a particular initiative altogether. Earlier this year, for example, BC ran its first-ever draw under a new time-limited pathway aimed at cleaners and security staff in rural and remote health settings.
So far in 2026, the province has held 12 Skills Immigration rounds: seven based on wage and points, four occupation-specific, and one tied to that new health support pathway.
If you’re invited, you’ll have 30 days to submit a complete application. Get that nomination certificate, and you’re clear to apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
As of August 20, BC has issued 4,926 invitations to skilled workers and entrepreneurs this year alone.
Where things stand in the registration pool
As of August 4, the BCPNP reported 8,306 registrations sitting in its pool, broken down by score range:
| Score range | Number of registrations |
|---|---|
| 0–59 | 212 |
| 60–69 | 373 |
| 70–79 | 739 |
| 80–89 | 1,219 |
| 90–99 | 1,468 |
| 100–109 | 1,651 |
| 110–119 | 1,332 |
| 120–129 | 1,023 |
| 130–139 | 241 |
| 140–149 | 38 |
| 150+ | 10 |
| Total | 8,306 |
Notice something? The biggest clusters of candidates sit between 90 and 119 points, which lines up closely with where this month’s cutoff landed. If your score falls in that range, you’re not far off from where recent invitations have been drawn, and a small improvement to your profile could make a real difference.
Ready to put your profile in the best possible position?
Numbers like these show that British Columbia is actively looking for skilled talent right now, whether that’s through a strong job offer or a competitive registration score. But knowing the criteria is only half the battle. Building a profile that actually stands out, choosing the right stream, and timing your application well can make the difference between waiting on the sidelines and getting that invitation letter.
At Ese Umoh Immigration, we help clients navigate exactly this kind of opportunity, from provincial nomination and Express Entry to work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, and school admissions. If BC’s PNP has caught your attention, don’t leave it to guesswork. Book a consultation with us today and let’s map out your best path forward.