Priority occupations for immigration to British Columbia
If you have one of the in-demand professions, you can get permanent residency through a simplified process.
British Columbia invites candidates with certain occupations on a priority basis. The province holds targeted immigration draws for these professionals, with lower passing scores compared to general draws. Starting in April 2026, BC PNP is organizing priority draws under three strategic streams: Care, Build, and Innovate.
Requirements
The occupation list applies only to the Skilled Worker stream.
If you don't meet the requirements for this stream, you can consider other options for moving to the province, but in that case, the occupations listed below won't give you any bonus.
Priority occupations in British Columbia come from several sectors.
Education and Childcare
- Secondary school teachers (French-speaking only, CLB 5 or higher in French, working in British Columbia's public K-12 system);
- Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (French-speaking only, CLB 5 or higher in French, working in British Columbia's public K-12 system);
- Early childhood educators and assistants.
To receive a targeted invitation, workers under NOC 42202 must have a one-year or five-year ECE (Early Childhood Education) certificate.
Construction
- Welders and related machine operators;
- Electricians;
- Industrial electricians;
- Plumbers;
- Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers;
- Carpenters;
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics;
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics;
- Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.
To receive a targeted invitation, construction trades workers must have a valid trade certificate issued by SkilledTradesBC that matches the job offer.
Healthcare
- Managers in health care;
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine;
- Specialists in surgery;
- General practitioners and family physicians;
- Dentists;
- Audiologists and speech-language pathologists;
- Pharmacists;
- Dietitians and nutritionists;
- Psychologists;
- Chiropractors;
- Physiotherapists;
- Occupational therapists;
- Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment;
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating;
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors;
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses;
- Nurse practitioners;
- Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals;
- Licensed practical nurses;
- Paramedical occupations;
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists;
- Dental hygienists and dental therapists;
- Denturists and dental technologists;
- Medical laboratory technologists;
- Medical radiation technologists;
- Medical sonographers;
- Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists;
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists;
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations;
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates;
- Social workers.
For BC PNP purposes under NOC code 33102, only registered care aides have priority. To receive a targeted invitation, workers under NOC 33102 must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry
Technology
As of December 3, 2024, BC PNP no longer holds separate targeted draws for priority tech occupations. Instead, the province attracts highly skilled professionals from all industries, including tech, through High Economic Impact draws under the Innovate stream.
In High Economic Impact draws, invitations go to candidates with high wages ($62/hour and $125,000/year or more with a job offer in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3) or high ranking scores (135 points or higher based on 2026 draws). All occupations that were previously on the priority tech list are still eligible for BC PNP applications through general streams.
