Construction trades receive 115 invitations; health care threshold is 76 points

The latest selection focused on care occupations and construction trades. Health care, childcare and veterinary care fall under separate categories within the program's Care objective, while construction trades are part of its Build objective.

Health care, construction trades and childcare accounted for 283 invitations. Including veterinary care, for which an exact figure was not published, the round's total was at least 284.

Compared with the previous selection for these occupations on September 10, minimum scores remained at 76 for health care, 94 for construction trades and 99 for childcare. The veterinary care threshold declined by 4 points, from 90 to 86. Health care invitations fell from 143 to 82 and childcare invitations from 182 to 86, while construction trades increased from 104 to 115. Source: WelcomeBC invitation records

Health care targets 31 occupations, with registry requirements for care aides

The health care selection covered 31 occupations, including physicians, nurses, diagnostic technologists, rehabilitation professionals and social workers. The full list and National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes are below:

Candidates with a job offer classified under NOC 33102 must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry to be considered for a targeted health care invitation. Source: BCPNP worker selection criteria

Nine construction trades qualify, subject to certification or apprenticeship requirements

Construction trades received the most invitations in this round, covering the following nine occupations:

To qualify for a targeted invitation in this category, candidates must hold a valid trade certificate issued by SkilledTradesBC or have a trades apprenticeship registered with that organization. The certificate or apprenticeship must correspond to the job they have been offered. Source: Construction trades selection requirements

Childcare candidates need an ECE certificate; veterinary care covers two occupations

The childcare category issued 86 invitations at a minimum score of 99, targeting early childhood educators (NOC 42202). Candidates must hold a one-year or five-year Early Childhood Educator Certificate (ECE Certificate) issued by British Columbia's ECE Registry.

Veterinary care had a minimum score of 86 and covered the following two occupations:

The category's selection criteria cover these priority occupations and also include a separate criterion for animal health technologists and veterinary technicians with a valid professional designation. Source: Occupational qualification requirements, Criteria for this round

Province has held 26 selection rounds this year, with care and construction remaining priorities

The BCPNP has three core objectives: Care, Build and Innovate. Care addresses workforce needs in health care, education, childcare and veterinary care. Build supports staffing for infrastructure and construction, while Innovate attracts professionals who can advance productivity and economic growth through mechanisms including High Economic Impact selections. Source: BCPNP program objectives

British Columbia has continued to issue occupation-specific invitations for care and construction workers this year, alongside High Economic Impact selections and its rural and remote health support initiative. Criteria for High Economic Impact rounds include registration scores, wages or salaries, and job classifications, with thresholds varying by round.

As of October 8, the province had held 26 selection rounds this year. Of these, 16 were under Skills Immigration, with at least 6301 invitations issued. Entrepreneur Immigration accounted for 10 rounds and at least 120 invitations. Source: Official invitation history

Registration pool contains 7695 profiles; scores are only one selection factor

Applicants seeking selection through the Skills Immigration registration pool must first create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile. The system assigns a score based on the information provided and places the candidate in the applicable pool. The province then periodically invites highly ranked candidates who meet the specific requirements of each round to apply for nomination.

Scoring factors include work experience, education, language skills, wages and the location of the job in British Columbia. A registration generally remains valid in the pool for up to 12 months, or until the candidate receives an invitation to apply. Source: Skills Immigration registration process

The latest official pool figures, as of October 6, were as follows:

The 90-99 score band had the most registrations, followed by 100-109. Because targeted selections also consider occupation and relevant qualifications, meeting a round's minimum score does not guarantee an invitation. Candidates must also meet its occupational, certification or other selection criteria. Source: Pool data and invitation process

Candidates have 30 days to apply; some nominees can apply earlier for bridging work permits

Invited candidates must submit a complete provincial nomination application within 30 calendar days of the invitation date. If they miss that deadline, the invitation expires and their registration is removed from the pool. Once their provincial nomination application is approved, they can use the nomination to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence (PR). Source: BCPNP application process

Eligible provincial nominees who are in Canada and have submitted a permanent residence application may also apply for a bridging open work permit (BOWP) to support continued employment while their PR application is being processed.

Temporary operational measures that took effect on June 9, 2026, allow eligible in-Canada provincial nominees who have not yet received an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) for their PR application to support relevant work permit applications with alternative proof of submission. This gives some applicants, including those under the base Provincial Nominee Program, the opportunity to apply for a bridging work permit months earlier.

Accepted alternatives include the PR portal submission confirmation email together with proof of fee payment. Applicants who have already received an AOR must still submit it, and other work permit eligibility requirements continue to apply. The measure therefore changes the proof-of-submission requirements; receiving an invitation or a provincial nomination does not automatically confer eligibility for an open work permit. Source: IRCC Operational Bulletin 699