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BC Provincial Nominee Program: how the streams, fees and invitations work

The BC PNP has two main branches on WelcomeBC: Skills Immigration for workers (the Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams) and Entrepreneur Immigration (Base, Regional and Strategic Projects). Workers register and may be invited to apply; the worker application fee on the page read was $1,750. Streams change, so check WelcomeBC on the day you apply.

British Columbia is the province many applicants name first, and its nominee program is one of the busiest. It is also one of the programs where older guides are most likely to be out of date, because BC has restructured its streams more than once. This guide describes the program as WelcomeBC, the province's immigration site, presents it on 10 October 2026.

It covers how the program is split, what the worker streams ask for in headline terms, how registration and invitations work, the entrepreneur streams, fees, what happens after nomination, and where to check for changes. It is general information. It does not tell any reader whether they would qualify, which stream suits them, or how to answer a registration question. The pages cited here carry different update dates, shown in the sources list; where a page shows an older date, this guide says so. Provincial streams open, close and change intake often, so WelcomeBC is the place to confirm anything before you act. Nothing here predicts an invitation or a draw.

How the program is organised

WelcomeBC's page for the BC Provincial Nominee Program is organised around who is applying: - Skills Immigration, described as the pathway to permanent residency as a worker. Sub-sections cover eligibility and requirements, fees and process. - Entrepreneur Immigration, for entrepreneurs and businesses. The entrepreneur branch has a Base stream and a Regional stream, plus a Strategic Projects stream for businesses. - Information for employers, covering supporting a BC PNP application and the employer's requirements and responsibilities. - Information for nominees, covering support after nomination for workers, students, and entrepreneurs and businesses.

That structure matters because older articles often describe streams under different names, such as separate Tech, Entry Level and Semi-Skilled, or International Graduate streams. The Skills Immigration page read for this guide describes two worker streams, the Skilled Worker stream and the Health Authority stream, and does not mention the others. This guide therefore does not describe them. If you have seen other names elsewhere, the live WelcomeBC page and the Skills Immigration Program Guide it links to are the places to find out what applies now.

The program is run through the BC PNP Online User Portal. The overview page says you can use it to create an account, register, apply or see if you have received an invitation to apply.

The BC PNP is a provincial program inside the federal framework described in Provincial Nominee Program explained. BC nominates; IRCC processes the permanent residence application. The page does not claim otherwise.

Skills Immigration: the two worker streams

The Skills Immigration page (updated 28 May 2026) describes two streams.

Skilled Worker stream. For workers with a job offer in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation from an eligible B.C. employer.

Health Authority stream. For workers with a job offer from a B.C. health authority in a health-authority-eligible occupation.

The page also describes an Express Entry BC (EEBC) option. It is not a separate stream. The page says: "You might be eligible for the EEBC option if you are in the federal Express Entry pool and meet the criteria" for one of these immigration streams. It describes selecting the Express Entry BC version of the Skilled Worker or Health Authority stream at registration, and says nomination can increase federal points and may speed federal processing.

Headline requirements in the page's table include: - A job offer. For the Skilled Worker stream the page wording is "Must have a full-time, indeterminate (no end date) job offer from an eligible B.C. employer". For the Health Authority stream the offer comes from a B.C. health authority. - Employer support. The employer must support the application and submit an Employer Declaration Form. - Education and qualifications that meet the minimum for the occupation. - Work experience. Skilled Worker needs at least two years of full-time equivalent experience; for Health Authority, what the BC PNP and the employer specify. - Language: "Must meet the minimum language requirement of Canadian Language Benchmark level 4" for both streams. Compare that with the federal minimums in language tests for Canada PR. - Wage and income meeting the minimum requirements.

The page says certain administrative, sales and service, and religious occupations are excluded from all streams, and that exceptions to the eligibility table exist. It also says the program prioritises workers who meet B.C.'s labour market and economic development needs. The occupation list is a real filter, so a job title is not enough: the NOC code and the TEER category are what the rule uses. See NOC and TEER categories.

Whether any particular person meets these rows depends on their facts and on the Skills Immigration Program Guide, which the page links to and which carries the detail.

Registration, scoring and invitations

For workers, BC uses a register-then-invite model. According to the Skills Immigration page: - You register through the BC PNP Online User Portal and select your stream. Registration carries no fee. - Registrations are scored on human capital factors (work experience, education, language) and economic factors (wage, job location in B.C.). The Skills Immigration page does not give point values; the Skills Immigration Program Guide it links to carries the detail. - A registration remains active in the pool, in the page's words, "for up to 12 months, or until you receive an invitation to apply." - If invited, you have up to 30 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application.

The invitations page explains how invitations are issued without giving a schedule. It says the program periodically invites candidates from its registration pool, chosen on their registration information, with priority to those seen as most likely to meet B.C.'s economic and labour market needs. The page lists past rounds by date, with the type, selection factors, minimum score and number of invitations. Skills Immigration rounds include occupation-based categories and points-based or wage-and-occupation-based criteria; entrepreneur rounds are split into Base and Regional. The page does not state a fixed schedule. Rounds appear at irregular intervals, sometimes close together and sometimes with gaps.

Two things should be said plainly. First, a past round says what happened in that round and nothing about the next one; this guide does not predict draws, and the invitations page does not either. Second, the page notes that invitations go only to qualified registrations received before the draw date. A registration that is inaccurate or incomplete is a risk at the point of invitation, because the full application is then checked against the claims made at registration.

The pool's 12-month life is also worth knowing for planning: a registration that lapses has to be made again, with whatever scores or details apply at that time.

Fees as published

WelcomeBC's Skills Immigration page (updated 28 May 2026) gives these worker fees, in Canadian dollars: - Registration: no fee. - Application: $1,750. - Request for review: $500, non-refundable. - Application fees are refunded only if the applicant withdraws before assessment begins.

The Entrepreneur Immigration page (updated 10 September 2025, so older than the worker page) gives: - Registration: $300. - Application: $3,500. For the Strategic Projects stream, the page adds $1,000 for each additional key staff member reviewed. - Request for review: $500.

These are the provincial fees. They are separate from the federal fees IRCC charges for the permanent residence application, which are on IRCC's fee list and covered in Canada PR fees 2026. They are also separate from the cost of medicals, police certificates, language tests and credential assessments (see educational credential assessment).

Fee amounts are exactly the sort of figure that is updated without notice, and the two pages carry different update dates. Read the fee line on the live page before paying, and keep a copy of the version you relied on.

If someone asks for an unusual payment connected to a job offer or a nomination, check with the province directly and read unlicensed consultant warning signs.

Entrepreneur Immigration

The entrepreneur branch is described on a separate WelcomeBC page, updated 10 September 2025. Because that page is older than the worker page, check it for newer changes.

Three streams are listed: - Base stream. For people starting a new business or taking over and growing an existing one. - Regional stream. For people starting a new business outside Metro Vancouver in a participating B.C. community. - Strategic Projects stream. For foreign corporations establishing operations in B.C., including current employees of those corporations.

The page's headline requirements for entrepreneurs include: - Personal net worth of at least $600,000 (Base) or $300,000 (Regional). - Business experience of three years as owner-manager in the last 10 years (Base) or in the last 5 years (Regional). - Personal investment of at least $200,000 (Base) or $100,000 (Regional). - Creation of at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. - Language at CLB level 4. - A community referral, required for Regional and not required for Base. - An exploratory visit, required for Regional and recommended but not required for Base.

For Strategic Projects, the page lists a minimum equity investment of $500,000 directed to B.C. operations, key staff employed full time in a permanent capacity, and at least three new full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents per key staff member proposed, up to five key staff.

These are summaries of headline rows. The detail, including how net worth is documented and how the business must operate, is on the stream pages and in the program guide. The federal Regulations also restrict nominations based on capital alone or on an immigration-linked investment scheme (section 87(5) and (6)), which is part of why the streams are built around active management and business operation. See Provincial Nominee Program explained.

After nomination, and where to check for changes

WelcomeBC's page for nominees (updated 10 September 2025) sets out the steps after nomination: 1. Submit the permanent residence application to IRCC before the expiry date on your Confirmation of Nomination. 2. Apply for a work permit with IRCC within three months of your nomination date. The BC PNP cannot apply on your behalf. 3. Request a Work Permit Support Letter from the BC PNP if your work permit has expired or is about to. The BC PNP accepts the request only if you have been confirmed as a provincial nominee, submitted your IRCC application before your nomination certificate expired, and still meet all the conditions of nomination. 4. Report changes. A job change is reported through My Dashboard on the BC PNP Online User Portal. Stopping work, or a change in immigration status or family, is reported by email to the address the page gives. Entrepreneurs report changes to their business.

The page says BC PNP support continues until IRCC reaches a decision on permanent residence. It gives no fixed validity period for the Confirmation of Nomination, only an expiry date printed on the document. That date, not a general rule, is the deadline.

For changes, WelcomeBC has a News section on the program page, an invitations page with an archive, and a documents page. A stream can be paused, changed or closed without warning, so check the news page and the stream page itself, and look at the "last updated" line. Where this guide gives a page date, the date is the date on that page.

Other useful pages: the Provincial Nominee Program explainer for the federal structure, Express Entry explained for the federal pool, and CRS score explained for how the 600 nomination points fit into the ranking. If you want a person to look at your own facts, that is advice only a lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant may give for a fee, under section 91 of the Act; check the licence on the register.

Find a regulated adviser

If you want a licensed immigration consultant or a lawyer to look at whether a BC PNP stream fits your own situation, use the Migratio directory to find a regulated adviser, and check their licence on the official register before you sign anything. Migratio is a directory and booking platform. It does not give immigration advice, does not choose a program for anyone and has no connection to IRCC or any province.

Questions people ask

What are the BC PNP streams?

WelcomeBC's Skills Immigration page, updated 28 May 2026, describes the Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams for workers. Entrepreneur Immigration has Base, Regional and Strategic Projects streams. Check WelcomeBC for the current list.

How much does the BC PNP application cost?

On the pages read on 10 October 2026, the worker application fee was $1,750 with no registration fee, and the entrepreneur application fee was $3,500 with a $300 registration fee. The request for review fee was $500 on both. Check WelcomeBC for current fees.

What is Express Entry BC?

WelcomeBC describes it as an option, not a separate stream. People in the federal Express Entry pool who meet the criteria for the Skilled Worker or Health Authority stream can select the Express Entry BC version at registration.

How long does a BC PNP registration last?

The Skills Immigration page says a registration remains active in the pool for up to 12 months, or until you receive an invitation to apply. An invited applicant has up to 30 calendar days to submit a complete application.

How often does the BC PNP hold draws?

WelcomeBC's invitations page does not state a schedule. It lists past rounds, which appear at irregular intervals. Past rounds do not show what a future round will look like.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • Provincial Nominee Program explained: provincial streams and the two paths to PR — Under the Provincial Nominee Program, a province or territory nominates people it wants to settle, and IRCC handles the permanent residence application. IRCC describes two paths: an Express Entry path, where a nomination adds 600 points to a profile, and a non-Express Entry path. Each province sets its own streams and numbers, and Quebec and Nunavut have no program.
  • Express Entry explained: how the system and its three programs work — Express Entry is an online system IRCC uses to manage applications for permanent residence under three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. You create a profile, candidates with the highest scores are invited in rounds, invited candidates apply, and an officer decides. This page explains the mechanics. It cannot tell you whether you are eligible.
  • CRS score explained: where Express Entry points come from — The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores Express Entry profiles out of 1,200: core factors up to 500 (460 with a spouse), spouse factors up to 40, skill transferability up to 100 and additional points up to 600. A provincial nomination is worth 600. Job offers have not earned CRS points since 25 March 2025. This page explains the scoring. It cannot say whether a score will lead to an invitation.
  • Language tests for Canada PR: the approved tests and how scores become CLB levels — For Express Entry, IRCC accepts five tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core in English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada in French. Results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your profile and when you apply. Scores are converted into Canadian Language Benchmark (English) or NCLC (French) levels, and the minimum level depends on the program.
  • Educational credential assessment (ECA) for Canada: who issues it and what it is used for — An educational credential assessment (ECA) is a report from an organization IRCC has designated. It says what a credential earned outside Canada is equal to in Canada. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program it must be less than 5 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and again when you submit your application. Fees and times differ by organization, so check each one.
  • NOC and TEER categories: how Canada classifies jobs for immigration — The National Occupational Classification (NOC) gives every job in Canada a code, and the TEER category groups codes by the training, education, experience and responsibilities they usually need. IRCC has used NOC 2021 since 16 November 2022. The Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Worker classes use TEER 0 to 3. The Federal Skilled Trades Program uses specified NOC groups. Duties, not job titles, decide the code.
  • Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP): the streams and how selection works — The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program lists four worker streams (Tourism and Hospitality, Alberta Opportunity, Alberta Express Entry and Rural Renewal) and four entrepreneur streams. Alberta says its draws are not regularly scheduled, that score is not the only selection factor, and that it does not disclose recent draw parameters. Check Alberta's updates page before applying.
  • Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP): categories, points grid and 2026 limits — The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program lists four categories: International Skilled Worker, Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience, Entrepreneur, and Farm Owner and Operator. Some sub-categories use a 110-point grid with a 60-point minimum. Saskatchewan says it makes the final choice on nominations, and its FAQ describes 2026 sector caps and intake windows. Check saskatchewan.ca before applying.
  • Canada PR Fees 2026: Application Fee and the $600 RPRF — On the IRCC fee list (date modified 21 September 2026), an economic permanent residence application, including Express Entry, is $1,590 with the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) and $990 without it. A spouse or partner included on the application is the same again, and each dependent child is $270. IRCC says it refunds the RPRF if you withdraw or it refuses the application.
  • Unlicensed Immigration Consultants: How to Check Before You Pay — Only RCICs and RISIAs licensed by the College, lawyers and paralegals in good standing with a law society, and Quebec notaries may charge for Canadian immigration advice. IRCC says it won't deal with unauthorized paid representatives and may return or refuse an application that uses one.