Dear future neighbour,
British Columbia has finally put numbers to its promise. The province just released its updated targets for how many skilled healthcare and childcare workers it plans to nominate for permanent residence through the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) this year, and the figures give a clear picture of where its priorities lie.
By the end of 2026, BC is aiming to issue between 1,620 and 2,015 nominations to healthcare workers in priority occupations, and between 360 and 440 nominations to early childhood educators (NOC 42202). Out of the province’s total 2026 allocation of 6,254 nomination spaces, that means healthcare workers could take up anywhere from 25.9% to 32.2% of all nominations, while childcare workers could account for 5.8% to 7.0%. Combined, these two groups alone could represent close to 40% of everyone BC nominates this year.
This is actually a step up from 2025. Last year, healthcare workers received 1,435 nominations and early childhood educators got 409, together making up about 29.7% of the province’s total. So the appetite for these two groups is clearly growing.
Who counts as a “Priority Healthcare Worker”?
Back in April, BC overhauled its PNP to shift focus away from tech and entry-level roles and toward healthcare and trades. As part of that change, it named 31 healthcare occupations as priority roles. Here’s the full list:
- 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 and assessment (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)
Workers under NOC 33102 must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker registry before they can be nominated.
On the childcare side, only one occupation is being targeted for now: early childhood educators (42202), who need a one- or five-year ECE certificate from the ECE registry to qualify.
A few more things worth knowing
BC has also reaffirmed that at least 35% of all skilled worker nominations must go to candidates working outside Metro Vancouver, an area the province actually exceeded in 2025, hitting 38%.
As of late August, BC had invited 474 healthcare workers and 451 childcare workers to apply for nomination this year, a combined 925 invitations. Across every worker stream, the province has issued 4,838 invitations so far in 2026. And if last year is any guide, the odds are strongly in applicants’ favor: of the 6,553 worker-stream applications submitted in 2025, 6,195 were approved, a 94.5% success rate.
What this means if you’re eyeing BC as your new home
If you work in healthcare or early childhood education, this is genuinely one of the clearest openings you’ll find in Canadian immigration right now. To qualify, you’ll need a full-time job offer from a BC employer, after which you can submit an expression of interest through the BCPNP portal. The province scores your profile, places you in the pool, and periodically invites top-scoring candidates to apply. From there, you have 30 days to submit a complete application, and if approved, you’ll receive a nomination certificate you can use to apply for permanent residence federally.
The process has a lot of moving parts, and small mistakes (a missed document, a wrong NOC code, a weak EOI profile) can cost you months. That’s where having someone in your corner makes all the difference.
Ready to Turn This Opportunity Into Your Reality?
Numbers like these don’t come around often, and BC’s growing appetite for healthcare and childcare talent won’t last forever. Whether you’re a nurse, a physiotherapist, a pharmacist, an early childhood educator, or you’re exploring any other pathway into Canada, we can help you map out the smartest route forward. At Ese Umoh Immigration, we support clients across provincial nomination, Express Entry, work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, and school admissions. Don’t leave your Canadian dream to guesswork — book a consultation with us today and let’s get your application moving.