The BC Provincial Nominee Program

The BC PNP offers two main immigration pathways: Skills Immigration and Entrepreneur Immigration. 

Skills Immigration is for workers and recent graduates who meet specific eligibility criteria such as occupation and education, among others. Entrepreneur Immigration is for experienced entrepreneurs and businesses that can contribute to the province’s economy by establishing and managing a business in B.C.

For more information, visit the pages for workers and entrepreneurs and businesses.  

As B.C.'s only economic immigration tool, the BC PNP addresses labour market demands and promotes economic growth in communities and industry sectors across the province. Along with issuing targeted invitations to candidates who provide high economic impact, the program’s immigration streams help address labour shortages in high-demand sectors; streams that are designed to attract and retain individuals who can fill critical gaps and support government priorities.

To learn more about the BC PNP's initiatives and how it contributes to B.C.’s economic development needs, see the topics below:

Supporting regional communities

The BC PNP supports community efforts to attract and retain entrepreneurs looking to establish specific businesses needed in smaller communities. The Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Stream is a collaboration between the BC PNP and communities across the province, which uses immigration as a tool to support the economic development priorities of participating communities.

Through Skills Immigration, the BC PNP also provides B.C. employers with a tool they can use to retain workers looking to work and settle in smaller communities outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District.

To learn more, visit the Regional Immigration Collaboration page.  

Supporting the healthcare, childcare, and veterinary care sectors

British Columbia has a critical need for workers in key sectors of the care economy, specifically in healthcare, childcare, and veterinary care. Through the BC PNP’s Health Authority stream, public health authorities are provided with a tool to attract and retain much needed workers who deliver health services to British Columbians. 

Workers who are direct employees of provincial health authorities are prioritized and can apply directly to the program without the need to register. Interested applicants can view the eligibility and requirements of this stream under the workers page. 

Supporting the construction sector

To address the province’s labour shortage in the construction sector, the BC PNP has prioritized certified workers in specific construction occupations.

To see which workers may receive a targeted invitation to apply, see the Construction section of the BC PNP’s sector-specific selection of workers list.  

Supporting the technology sector

The BC PNP provides technology sector employers the ability to attract and retain international talent in tech occupations where local workers are unavailable. Since its launch in May 2017, the BC PNP has supported more than 6,000 tech workers to be nominated for permanent residence in B.C. 

To see which workers may receive a targeted invitation to apply, see the Technology section of the program's sector-specific selection of workers list.

To learn more about the program's overall outcomes and contributions in meeting the labour market and economic development needs of the British Columbia, see the Statistical Report.

To help address specific labour shortages in high-demand sectors, the BC PNP prioritizes its selection of workers based on the province's industry sector needs. These sectors are: 

• Childcare
• Construction
• Healthcare
• Technology
• Veterinary care 

Eligibility for many BC PNP streams is based in part on the federal government’s 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. Although occupations listed below are not the only ones eligible, candidates with a job offer in the following occupations may benefit from targeted invitations to apply: 

Childcare

42202 Early childhood educators

Please note: Workers in priority childcare occupations must have an Early Childhood Education (ECE) One Year or Five Year Certificate to benefit from targeted invitations to apply.

Construction

22114 Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists 
72102 Sheet metal workers
72103 Boilermakers
72104 Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters
72105 Ironworkers
72106 Welders and related machine operators
72200 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
72201 Industrial electricians
72300 Plumbers
72301 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
72302 Gas fitters
72310 Carpenters
72311 Cabinetmakers
72320 Bricklayers
72400 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
72401 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
72500 Crane operators
73100 Concrete finishers
73101 Tilesetters
73102 Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
73110 Roofers and shinglers
73111 Glaziers
73112 Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
73113 Floor covering installers

Please note: applicants must have an apprenticeship registered with, or a valid trade certificate issued by, SkilledTradesBC, which corresponds with the job they have been offered.

Healthcare

30010 Managers in health care
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31110 Dentists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31200 Psychologists
31201 Chiropractors
31202 Physiotherapists
31203 Occupational therapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32101 Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32112 Dental technologists and technicians
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32124 Pharmacy technicians
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates*
33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
41300 Social workers
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
42201 Social and community service workers 

*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only health care assistants/aides are eligible under NOC 33102. 

Please note: physicians, nurse practitioners and midwives, including other workers who are direct employees—and have the support—of a provincial health authority, may submit an application directly to the Health Authority stream. Workers who are not employed by a provincial health authority must register through another BC PNP stream to apply. 

Technology

10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21100 Physicists and astronomers
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231 Software engineers and designers
21232 Software developers and programmers
21233 Web designers
21234 Web developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310 Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22110 Biological technologists and technicians
22220 Computer network and web technicians
22221 User support technicians
22222 Information systems testing technicians
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22312 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
50011 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
52112 Broadcast technicians
52113 Audio and video recording technicians
52120 Graphic designers and illustrators
53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators

Please note: applicants under one of the priority occupations listed above are not required to have a permanent job offer. Instead, the job offer must at least be one year in duration (365 days), and have at least 120 calendar days remaining at the time of application.

Veterinary care

31103 Veterinarians
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians 

The BC PNP sets out eligible occupations within its immigration streams to meet the specific labour market needs of British Columbia. Eligibility is based in part on the federal government’s 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

To learn which occupations are eligible under the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) and Health Authority streams, please see the list below:

ELSS-eligible occupations

64300 Maîtres d’hotel and host/hostesses
64301 Bartenders
64314 Hotel front desk clerks
64320 Tour and travel guides
64321 Casino workers
64322 Outdoor sport and recreational guides
65200 Food and beverage servers
65201 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupation
65210 Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services*
65310 Light duty cleaners*
65311 Specialized cleaners*
65312 Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners*
65320 Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations*
65329 Other service support occupations*
94140 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
94141 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
94142 Fish and seafood plant workers
94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
95106 Labourers in food and beverage processing

* These occupations must be employed directly by hotels/resorts. For the purposes of the BC PNP, a resort is defined as an accommodation facility that is associated with recreational activities. These activities can include skiing, golfing, boating, fishing, biking, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, nature-based or interpretive tours.

Health Authority-eligible occupations

30010 Managers in health care
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31103 Veterinarians
31110 Dentists
31111 Optometrists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31200 Psychologists
31201 Chiropractors
31202 Physiotherapists
31203 Occupational therapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurse
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32100 Opticians
32101 Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32112 Dental technologists and technicians
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32124 Pharmacy technicians
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
32201 Massage therapists
32209 Other practitioners of healing
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants¹
33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates²
33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
33109 Other assisting occupations in support of health services
41300 Social workers
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
42201 Social and community service workers³

¹ Those who have been offered a job as a dental assistant under NOC 33100 must have the licence to work in that occupation in B.C. Unlicensed dental assistants, such as chairside dental assistants, are not eligible for the BC PNP.

² Those who have been offered a job classified under NOC 33102 must be on the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker registry.

³ Those who have been offered a job as a social and community service worker under NOC 42201 must have a diploma or degree in social services or community health services.