BC PNP Faces Lower Nomination Allocation in 2026

BC had asked for 9,000 spots, pointing to ongoing worker shortages across the province. If you’ve been following labour market headlines, this won’t come as a surprise. Employers are still struggling to hire in key sectors like healthcare, trades and construction, and newcomers play a big role in filling those gaps. 

For now, the province says it will keep talking with the federal government about the 2026 allocation. What that leads to is still unclear, but one thing is certain: with fewer nomination spots, the BCPNP is likely to remain harder than usual to access in 2026.

What This Means for the BC PNP in 2026 

With a limited allocation of 5,254 nominations confirmed, the BCPNP says it is now reviewing how best to use the available spots. The province has not yet announced which groups will be prioritized, but has confirmed that 2026 BCPNP priorities will be shared in the new year, once planning is complete. 

For candidates, this likely means: 

• The continuation of the more targeted approach to invitations in 2026 

• Continued focus on priority sectors, rather than broad draws 

• More clarity once BC releases its official 2026 plan 

The 2026 allocation is higher than BC’s original 2025 total of 4,000. However, it is still well below the 9,000 nominations the province requested. And, lower than the 6,214 nominations BC was able to use in 2025 after late increases. 

This may be frustrating news for people hoping to apply for permanent residence through the BCPNP. Earlier this year, Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan showed that PNP numbers would increase in 2026. While it was never clear how those spots would be divided between provinces, the lower number for BC means more competition and fewer opportunities for applicants. 

What Candidates Should Expect Next 

With an allocation this low, 2026 seems set to follow much the same path as 2025. There is likely to be limited room outside the Skilled Worker stream, which has mainly prioritized those working in key healthcare roles. We also saw three small Skilled Worker draws in 2025, targeting high economic impact candidates.  

The way the BCPNP issued Skilled Worker invitations changed in 2025 compared to last year. In 2024, the program ran many Skilled Worker draws, but most were small. In 2025, BC PNP held fewer draws, but they were larger and more targeted, focusing mainly on high economic impact candidates. 

Whereas Entrepreneur Immigration numbers appear to be broadly in line with previous years. Historically, this stream has never issued large numbers of invitations, and there’s no sign it’s likely to change in 2026. 

Looking ahead to 2026, the BCPNP may continue to focus on fewer, more targeted invitations, particularly for candidates who meet priority or high-impact criteria. 

That said, there is still room for cautious optimism. BC has stated it will continue working with the federal government to push for a higher allocation, and the province is still finalizing how it plans to use the spots it has been given. Once those plans are released, we may see certain occupations or sectors prioritized, depending on BC’s labour market needs. 

For now, candidates should watch for BCPNP updates early in 2026, when the province is expected to: 

• Confirm priority groups for the year 

• Explain how the limited allocation will be used 

• Outline what this means for invitations and processing 

With BC PNP allocations tight and priorities still to be confirmed for 2026, staying informed matters more than ever. You can join the Moving2Canada community to get clear, timely updates as soon as new information is released.