BC PNP 2026: Streams, SIRS Points and Draws
The BC PNP lets British Columbia nominate skilled workers for permanent residence. In 2026 you register in SIRS, get a points score and wait for an invitation in a draw. BC's 2026 allocation is 6,254 nominations. An enhanced Express Entry nomination adds 600 CRS points, and IRCC makes the final decision.
6,254
BC’s current 2026 allocation of nominations
600
CRS points an accepted enhanced (Express Entry) nomination adds
697 to 805
2026 cut-offs in Express Entry rounds for nominated candidates, through the round of October 26, 2026
IRCC sets the allocation and revises it mid-year. The cut-offs are read from the round results IRCC publishes, and the Express Entry draws page lists every round.
What is the BC PNP, and who decides?
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is how the province selects skilled workers it wants to recommend to the federal government for permanent residence. A provincial nomination does not grant status by itself. It is a recommendation that British Columbia sends to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which makes the final decision and runs all health, security and admissibility checks.
The BC PNP has two broad categories: Skills Immigration, for skilled workers, and Entrepreneur Immigration, a separate category for business owners and key staff. This guide covers Skills Immigration. Its nominations come in two delivery models, and both require British Columbia to select you first through SIRS.
- Enhanced (Express Entry) nomination
- For candidates who are already in the federal Express Entry pool. It is linked to Express Entry and, once accepted, adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
- Base nomination
- Processed outside Express Entry. The nominee applies for permanent residence to IRCC online, outside the Express Entry system.
The rule
The BC PNP lets British Columbia nominate skilled workers for permanent residence, but IRCC makes the final decision.
Which Skills Immigration streams are open in 2026?
In April 2026 British Columbia announced a major restructuring. It reoriented the program around three stated priorities: Care (health care, education, child care and veterinary care, 36 occupations), Build (certified workers in 9 in-demand skilled trades) and Innovate (High Economic Impact invitations targeting top talent in all sectors).
| Stream | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Listed on BC’s Skills Immigration page (updated May 28, 2026). It generally expects a full-time, indeterminate job offer from a BC employer in a skilled occupation, plus qualifying skilled work experience. |
| Health Authority | Listed on the same page. It needs a full-time, indeterminate job offer from a BC health authority in a Health Authority-eligible occupation. |
| Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) | Permanently closed. Its last invitations were issued on December 10, 2024. |
| International Graduate and International Post-Graduate | Not listed on the page. BC said it will not launch new student streams. |
| Targeted technology draws | Not resumed. The final priority technology draw was on December 3, 2024. |
Detailed eligibility, including National Occupational Classification (NOC) requirements and any minimum education or language conditions, is set by British Columbia and can change. If your occupation does not fall within the province’s current priorities, the BC PNP may not be open to you in 2026, even if you would have qualified under an older stream.
How do SIRS registration and invitations work?
Skills Immigration uses the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS), a points-based ranking tool.
Register a profile
Create and submit a registration profile describing your job offer, work experience, education, language ability and other factors. A registration on its own is not an application.
Receive a score
SIRS scores your registration out of a published maximum. Several factors feed the score, including the wage of your BC job offer, and the Skills Immigration Program Guide lists every factor.
Wait for a draw
Registrations are ranked against each other. British Columbia periodically invites the highest-scoring registrations to apply, often subject to a minimum score that can vary from one draw to the next.
Apply to the BC PNP
Receiving an invitation is what lets you submit a full application.
Apply to IRCC
Nominated candidates with an enhanced nomination are invited in their own Express Entry rounds. A base nominee applies for permanent residence directly to IRCC.
IRCC decides
IRCC assesses the permanent residence application against federal law, including medical, criminal and security admissibility, and issues or refuses the visa.
The SIRS scoring grid that British Columbia publishes is the authoritative source, and the grid itself can be revised.
How many nominations can BC issue, and when are draws?
IRCC sets how many nominations each province may issue per year, and the number moves mid-year. Because the province must work within this federal cap, the number and size of draws in any year depend on how much allocation is left.
| When | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2025, initial | Cut to 4,000 nominations, a 50% reduction, in BC’s words. |
| 2025, during the year | Two federal top-ups, 1,254 then 960, brought 2025 to a final 6,214. |
| December 18, 2025 | BC’s initial 2026 allocation was 5,254, against a request of 9,000. |
| August 18, 2026 | BC announced a further 1,000 nominations, bringing the current 2026 allocation to 6,254. |
The province said it plans to use the full allocation by December 31, 2026. These numbers are revised without much notice, so confirm the current figure on the BC PNP program updates page.
British Columbia publishes no fixed draw schedule. Draws can be general (open to eligible registrations above a minimum score) or targeted to priorities such as health or construction trades. In 2025 BC said it did not expect to resume general or priority occupation targeted invitations that year.
What does a BC nomination add to an Express Entry score?
If you receive and accept an enhanced (Express Entry) nomination from British Columbia, IRCC adds 600 points to your CRS score. The 600 points are the largest single award in the CRS, and the value is set by federal rules, not by British Columbia.
Nominated candidates are invited in their own Express Entry rounds. In 2026 those rounds cut off between 697 and 805, through the round of October 26, 2026.
A base nomination does not add CRS points because it is processed outside Express Entry. Confirm whether the stream you are invited under is enhanced or base.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- CRS CalculatorYour Express Entry points, factor by factor
- NOC FinderYour occupation code and TEER level
- Pathway ExplorerWhich programs to read about, from a few answers
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What is the BC PNP?
The BC PNP is British Columbia's Provincial Nominee Program. The province selects skilled workers and nominates them to IRCC for permanent residence, and IRCC makes the final decision. It connects to Express Entry through enhanced nominations, which add 600 CRS points. IRPR s.87 sets the federal provincial nominee class, and our Express Entry vs PNP guide compares the two routes.
What are the BC PNP requirements?
They depend on the stream. The Skilled Worker stream generally expects a full-time, indeterminate job offer from a British Columbia employer in a skilled occupation, plus qualifying skilled work experience. The Health Authority stream ties the job offer to a public health authority employer. British Columbia sets the NOC, education and language conditions and can change them. Our Provincial Nominee Program guide explains how nominations work across Canada.
What changed in the BC PNP in 2026?
In April 2026 British Columbia rebuilt the program around three priorities: Care, Build and Innovate. The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream closed for good, BC said it will not launch new student streams, and priority tech draws have not resumed since December 3, 2024. BC's Skills Immigration page lists only the Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams. Our PNP Draws page shows which BC draws have run since.
What is the BC PNP allocation for 2026?
British Columbia's current 2026 allocation is 6,254 nominations. The first figure, announced on December 18, 2025, was 5,254 against a request of 9,000, and on August 18, 2026 BC announced 1,000 more. In 2025 the first allocation was cut to 4,000, and two federal top-ups brought it to 6,214. IRCC sets these caps and revises them mid-year. Our PNP Draws page tracks how BC is inviting within the cap.
Is there a BC PNP points calculator?
British Columbia publishes the official SIRS scoring grid, and that grid is the source to use. SIRS scores a registration out of a published maximum from several factors, including your job offer wage (the Skills Immigration Program Guide lists them all). Third-party calculators can lag behind grid changes. Our CRS calculator covers the separate federal Express Entry score, which an enhanced BC nomination raises by 600 points.
When is the next BC PNP draw?
British Columbia publishes no fixed draw schedule. It invites registrations in periodic general or targeted draws, and the timing, the number of invitations and the minimum score change from draw to draw. In 2025, after its allocation was cut, BC said it did not expect to resume general or priority occupation targeted invitations that year. Our PNP Draws page lists recent BC draws with their dates, invitations and minimum scores, and WelcomeBC posts each new round.
Does a BC PNP nomination give 600 CRS points?
Yes, when it is an enhanced (Express Entry) nomination and you accept it. In 2026, Express Entry rounds for nominated candidates cut off between 697 and 805, through the round of October 26, 2026. A base nomination adds no CRS points because it is processed outside Express Entry; the nominee applies directly to IRCC. Confirm which type your stream uses on the BC PNP website, and use our CRS calculator to see your score before and after.
Part of:Immigrating permanently
- Ontario PNP (OINP) 2026: Streams and How to Apply
- Saskatchewan PNP (SINP) 2026: Streams & Points
- Quebec Immigration: How Quebec's System Differs
The textbook on this subject
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The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.