The British Columbia immigration program will issue fewer invitations in 2025.
The quota has been cut in half, with priority given to healthcare and strategic professions.
The government of British Columbia has updated its provincial immigration program BC PNP to adapt to the new quota set by the federal government of Canada. In 2025, the number of nominations the province can issue has been cut almost in half — from 8,000 to 4,000. This decision significantly limits British Columbia's ability to attract needed specialists.
Quota Reduction
In 2024, the province fully used the allocated 8,000 nomination spots for workers and entrepreneurs whose activities support regional priorities. For 2025, British Columbia requested an increase to 11,000 spots, but in January received only 4,000 from the federal government. This decision was a serious blow to the province's workforce development capabilities.
As of the beginning of the year, there were already about 5,200 applications in the system, exceeding the available number of nominations. Now the provincial program will prioritize processing existing applications and accept only about 1,100 new applications — mainly from:
- healthcare workers (including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals),
- entrepreneurs,
- highly skilled workers creating significant economic impact in the region.
The remaining 2,900 spots will be used to process previously submitted applications.
Key Program Changes for 2025
In 2025, the provincial immigration program radically changes its approach to issuing invitations. General and priority draws for most occupations have been suspended. Instead, the program will focus on invitations for a narrow group of candidates capable of creating a high economic impact in British Columbia. Only about 100 such applicants are planned to be selected from more than 10,000 registered in the pool. Specific criteria will be published before each draw — they may change from round to round and will depend on the province's strategic goals.
Significant changes have also affected individual streams. The Health Authority stream is now open only to those directly involved in providing medical services — doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.
Early childhood education remains a priority, but with a narrower focus: in 2025, invitations will only be directed to Early Childhood Educator positions, while ECE Assistants are no longer on the target occupation list.
Additional guidelines for nominating social workers and community service workers will be developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
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Unlike most streams, entrepreneur immigration streams will continue to operate: invitations for entrepreneurs will be issued throughout 2025.
The launch of three new streams for international students, which was previously planned, has been temporarily suspended until the federal government restores the previous quota levels.
Among the positive changes is BC PNP's aim to return to a three-month standard for processing new applications. Additionally, the province will work with federal authorities to ensure work permit extensions for applicants waiting for nomination.
Program Support and Future
BC PNP remains the only tool that allows the province to nominate new immigrants for in-demand occupations. Most applicants already live and work in British Columbia. The program plays a key role in addressing workforce challenges in priority sectors such as healthcare, childcare, construction, and housing.
The provincial government continues to actively push for the restoration of previous quota levels from the federal government to continue developing the economy and attracting needed specialists.
