BC PNP Update: New Priorities Focus on Healthcare, Construction, and Innovation

Specifically, nominations will be targeted toward candidates with experience in three categories: Public services, trades, and High Economic Impact.’  

It will also put aside 35% of all nominations for candidates living and working in communities outside Metro Vancouver, signaling a commitment toward retaining talent in smaller communities. This is a step toward addressing regional labour shortages in smaller communities, especially those already struggling with changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.  

Key Takeaways  

• The BC PNP is now centred on three priorities: Care, Build, and Innovate   
• At least 35% of nominations will go to candidates outside Metro Vancouver   
• The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream is now closed   
• A new one-time pathway in 2026 will support certain healthcare support workers in rural areas  

BC has repeatedly protested the number of PNP nominations it was allocated for 2026. It requested 9,000 nominations, but IRCC issued just 5,254.   

New Objectives and Occupations 

The province says the updates place greater emphasis on aligning immigration with labour market needs. The program is now guided by three core objectives:  

• Care: Supporting healthcare, education, and community services   
• Build: Addressing labour shortages in construction and infrastructure   
• Innovate: Attracting high-impact talent to drive long-term economic growth  

With the new categories comes updated lists of eligible occupations.  The priority occupations in healthcare and construction have been updated, and several occupations are now considered ineligible. The province says it encourages employers to focus nominations on priorities.  

Care  

Under Care, the province will prioritize “skilled workers that support public services and community well-being.”  This includes 36 in-demand occupations in healthcare, education, childcare, and veterinary care. 

The BC Health Authority stream will continue, and certified early childhood educators, veterinarians, and veterinary technologists working toward Canadian certification will also be prioritized.   

Further, in a one-time measure, 250 workers currently employed by a health authority in a cleaning or security role in a rural or remote community will be invited. BC will open the initiative in June 2026. 

Finally, in keeping with the additional federal allocations available to support francophone recruitment, the province will also invite French-speaking teachers in the provincial public school system.  

Here is the full list of eligible occupations under this category:   

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   

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 assistants  

Trades and Innovation  

Under the Trades category, BC says it will consider 9 in-demand construction trades occupations. Invitations will be issued to “certified trade workers, or skilled workers who are contributing to projects of strategic importance to BC.”  

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   

No occupations are specified under the Innovation category. The province says it will consider issuing invitations to High Economic Impact to “top talent across all sectors, including experienced entrepreneurs.”  

Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Stream is Officially Closed  

The introduction of new priority candidates comes alongside other important changes. Most notably, the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream is officially closed.  

This was a stream for candidates working in occupations that fall under TEER 4 or 5 of the National Occupation Classification system. There hasn’t been a draw in this category since December 10, 2024. The province says anyone planning to apply under the ELSS stream “may wish to explore alternative pathways to immigrate to BC.”  

BC is also removing the BC PNP priority technology occupation stream. Invitations will still be issued to candidates who meet the criteria for the High Economic Impact category. Any occupation that was eligible under the priority technology occupation stream is eligible under the new category.  

What This Means for Applicants  

Overall, the BC PNP is becoming more selective and competitive, with a clear emphasis on candidates who can fill critical labour gaps or drive economic growth. Occupation, work location, and potential impact will play a bigger role than ever in determining your chance of being nominated.  

Given the comparatively small number of nominations BC has to work with, the changes announced yesterday show that BC is trying to be more intentional about how it uses them.  

If you don’t work in one of the newly targeted occupations, it doesn’t mean your pathway to British Columbia is closed—but it does mean you’ll need to consider all your options carefully.  

Remember that BC hasn’t eliminated eligibility for non-priority occupations, and the Skilled Worker stream is still open.