BC Gets Late PNP Boost, Will Issue Extra Nominations

The province says these extra nominations will be used for the priority groups announced earlier this year. Some of the new spaces will also help move forward waitlisted International Post-Graduate (IPG) applications. 

The BC PNP has also confirmed that it plans to use all of its 2025 nominations by December 31. A full review of 2025 results, along with priorities for 2026, will be shared in the new year.

BC PNP Allocations and Increases in 2025 

This good news comes after a difficult year for the BC PNP. In January 2025, the federal government cut BC’s nomination allocation to 4,000 spots, a 50% drop compared to 2024. At the same time, the program already had about 5,200 applications in its system.  Which meant there were far more applicants than available nominations. 

Because of this, BC announced in April that the BC PNP would limit who it invited in 2025. The program focused on healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers expected to have a strong economic impact in the province. Because of this, most general draws stopped; new student streams were paused, and many International Post-Graduate applications were placed on a waitlist. 

Later in the year, BC continued to push the federal government for more nominations. In October 2025, the province received 1,254 additional nominations, allowing some progress on the large IPG waitlist. However, BC said at the time that the increase was not enough to bring back regular draws or expand priorities. 

The December 15 increase of 960 nominations means BC received 2,214 extra nominations in total during 2025. Raising the final allocation to 6,214 and providing a much-needed boost late in the year. 

What This Means for Candidates and Looking Ahead to 2026 

For many candidates, the late-year increase is a welcome step in the right direction, even if it doesn’t solve every challenge right away. It’s also important to note that this doesn’t automatically mean there will be more draws in 2025. The extra nominations may be used to move applications already in the system toward a decision. 

In practical terms, the extra nominations mainly mean: 

• Some movement for waitlisted International Post-Graduate applicants 

• Continued focus on healthcare, entrepreneurship, and high economic impact workers 

• Very little change for candidates outside these priority groups 

Looking ahead, there are reasons to be optimistic. BC has said it will release its 2025 results and priorities for 2026 early next year. This should give candidates clearer guidance on what to expect and how to plan their next steps. 

There is also encouraging news at the federal level. The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan shows that Canada’s overall Provincial Nominee Program targets are increasing from about 55,000 in 2025 to 91,500 in 2026. While province-by-province allocations have not yet been confirmed, this higher national target suggests that BC could receive a larger nomination allocation in 2026. 

For now, candidates can expect more clarity in the months ahead. While much will depend on BC’s 2026 allocation, the outlook for next year appears more promising than it did at the start of 2025. 

You can also join the Moving2Canada community, where we’ll share updates as soon as new information is released.