The BC Provincial Nominee Program

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

Skills Immigration is for skilled workers with the experience, education and qualifications needed to address workforce needs in B.C.

Entrepreneur Immigration is for experienced entrepreneurs and businesses that can contribute to the province’s economy by establishing and managing businesses 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 deliver strong economic outcomes, the program focuses its priorities on three core initiatives: care, build and innovate. 

Care

British Columbia has a critical need for workers in key sectors of the care economy, particularly in healthcare, education, childcare, and veterinary care. 

Healthcare workers employed by a B.C. health authority may be eligible for the Health Authority stream. The program also selects health care workers in the broader health sector.

Certified early childhood educators, French-speaking elementary and secondary school teachers, and veterinarians and veterinary technologists who are working toward Canadian certification will be prioritized.

Build

To address the province’s labour shortage in major infrastructure projects and construction delivery, invitations may target certified trade workers, or skilled workers who are contributing to projects of strategic importance to B.C. 

Innovate

The BC PNP encourages experts and innovators from all sectors to help make B.C. a top destination for international talent. Highly skilled workers in a range of sectors may be targeted to drive innovation and productivity. 

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.

The BC PNP prioritizes its selection of highly qualified workers. The program may use more than one factor to issue invitations to apply (ITA), and invitations may be targeted to select workers who have a valid professional designation. 

Eligibility for many BC PNP streams is based in part on the federal government’s 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. Please refer to the Skills Immigration Program Guide for more information.

Care:

Health care

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 
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 assists, midwives and allied health profs 
32101 Licensed practical nurses 
32102 Paramedical occupations 
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists 
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 elect. diagnostic techs 
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists 
33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations 
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates*
41300 Social workers 

*For the purposes of the BC PNP, only registered health care assistants/aides are eligible under NOC 33102. To receive a targeted invitation to apply, workers in NOC 33102 must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.

Veterinary care

31103 Veterinarians 
32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians

Education

41220 Secondary school teachers (French-speaking only)¹ 
41221 Elementary/Kindergarten teachers (French-speaking only)¹ 
42202 Early childhood educators and assistants²

¹ To receive a targeted invitation to apply, French-speaking teachers (NOC 41220 or 41221) employed in B.C.’s public K-12 system must have a CLB 5 or higher in French.

² To receive a targeted invitation to apply, workers in NOC 42202 must have an Early Childhood Education (ECE) One Year or Five Year Certificate.

Build

Construction trades

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 
72310 Carpenters
72400 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics 
72401 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics 
72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics 

To receive a targeted invitation to apply, workers in construction trades must have a valid trade certificate issued by SkilledTradesBC which corresponds with the job they have been offered.

Innovate

The BC PNP issues High Economic Impact invitations to apply to attract top talent across all sectors, including experienced entrepreneurs.

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 Health Authority stream, please see the list below:

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.