This update is part of the Provincial nominee draws hub, with the Permanent residence guide. The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, BCPNP, invited 714 high earning and high scoring candidates on September 24 to apply for provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence. This selection round focused on skilled workers and marked the highest number of invitations issued in an "innovate" aligned draw this year.

The BCPNP extended invitations to 714 candidates. Of these, 426 skilled workers held job offers paying at least $105,000 per year. Another 288 workers achieved a minimum of 131 points under the province's ranking system. Candidates were selected based on their wage or salary tied to a TEER 0 to 3 job offer, or their profile registration score. The wage criteria required at least $52 per hour and $105,000 per year for a TEER 0 to 3 job offer. This was the 25th selection round of the year and the eighth round of 2026 aligned with the "innovate" objective.

The invitations were issued on September 24. As of that date, the BCPNP had issued a total of 3,974 invitations based on wage or salary and job offer and registration score. Across all worker and entrepreneur streams, the BCPNP has invited no fewer than 6,128 candidates for provincial nomination over the year. British Columbia's 2026 allocation stands at 6,254 nomination spaces. The Skills Immigration registration pool held 8,013 profiles as of September 1. A temporary federal measure implemented on June 9, 2026, allows nominees applying for permanent residence through a base PNP stream to apply for a bridging open work permit faster.

Foreign nationals must first register an Expression of Interest, EOI, profile to be considered for selection under the BCPNP's Skills Immigration, SI, category. Each registrant receives a score based on their profile information and is placed in applicable registration pools. British Columbia conducts periodic draws from these pools, inviting candidates with competitive scores who also meet the selection criteria for a given round. The invitations issued fell under British Columbia's "innovate" objective, which targets skilled workers across various sectors and occupations.

Those invited have 30 days to submit a complete application for provincial nomination. If nominated, candidates can then apply to the federal government for permanent residence. Applicants residing in Canada may be eligible for a bridging open work permit, BOWP, after filing their permanent residence application. Since June 9, 2026, under a temporary federal measure, nominees applying for permanent residence through a base PNP stream can apply for a BOWP months faster, without needing to first receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt for their permanent residence application. Future invitations may consider selection factors such as education, professional designation in the province, length and skill level of work experience, language proficiency, wage and or skill level of the job offer, intention to live and work in a specific region of the province, and strategic priorities that support provincial labor market needs, projects, or initiatives.

British Columbia's latest provincial nominee selection round invited 714 high earning and high scoring skilled workers, marking a significant step in the province's immigration efforts for 2026.