British Columbia Invites 343+ Skilled Workers in Targeted Care and Construction Draw

Key Takeaways

• On July 9, British Columbia held a targeted, occupation-based Skills Immigration draw, issuing at least 343 invitations.
• Invitations spanned four categories under two core objectives — Care (childcare, healthcare, veterinary) and Build (construction trades).
• It was BC's eighth Skills Immigration draw of 2026 and its 15th round of selections overall.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) ran a targeted occupation-based draw on July 9, inviting more skilled workers to apply for provincial nomination. The province selected "highly qualified workers" across in-demand sectors, with an emphasis on care occupations and construction trades. This was BC's eighth Skills Immigration (SI) draw of 2026 and its 15th round of selections overall.

Draw results

British Columbia issued no fewer than 343 invitations across four occupational categories, aligned with two of its three core objectives (care and build). Priority construction trades drew the largest single share:

Targeted occupations and requirements

Childcare: Only early childhood educators (NOC 42202) were invited, and they must have held a one-year or five-year ECE Certificate from the ECE registry.

Healthcare (31 NOCs targeted):

• 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 assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
• 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 electrophysiological 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

Candidates with a job offer under NOC 33102 qualified for a targeted healthcare invitation only if registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.

Veterinary care: Veterinarians (31103) and animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (32104), with a valid professional designation required.

Construction trades (9 NOCs targeted):

• 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

Trades candidates needed a valid trade certificate from SkilledTradesBC, or registration in a SkilledTradesBC apprenticeship aligned with their job offer.

Selection factors and the registration pool

This was BC's third occupation-targeted SI draw of 2026; other rounds prioritized minimum registration score, wage or salary, and job-offer TEER, and future rounds may use different priorities. Candidates in the SI pool may be assessed on education, provincial professional designation, work experience, language ability, occupation, job-offer wage or skill level, intent to live and work in a particular region, and strategic provincial priorities. As of July 9, BC has issued at least 3,107 SI invitations this year.

Foreign nationals must submit a registration (Expression of Interest) to be scored and entered into the pool. As of July 7 — the latest update — BC reported 8,683 registrations:

The largest group sits in the 100–109 range, at 19.9% of all registrations. Following the July 9 draw, the pool likely holds at least 343 fewer entries than on July 7, before accounting for expired or newly added registrations.

What This Means for Applicants: BC's occupation-targeted draws reward a specific job offer in a priority field far more than a high generic score — a healthcare candidate was invited at 96 and construction trades at 97, while childcare required 108. If your occupation and credentials match one of these categories, ensuring the required designation or trade certificate is in place, and your registration accurately reflects it, is what turns eligibility into an invitation.