First Round Under the New Rules: Invitations Funnel Into "Care" and "Build"
On May 6, the BCPNP issued a total of 333 ITAs under Skills Immigration across four occupational streams, with minimum scores ranging from 100 to 115. Every invitation in this round mapped directly to the two of the three new core objectives that BC has activated so far — Care and Build — while the Innovate pillar saw no dedicated draw this round.
The breakdown by occupational category (NOC) is as follows:
- Care — Health: 31 NOCs targeted, 117 ITAs issued, minimum score 108.
- Care — Veterinary: 2 NOCs targeted, 9 ITAs issued, minimum score 100.
- Care — Education: 1 NOC targeted, 86 ITAs issued, minimum score 115.
- Build — Construction Trades: 9 NOCs targeted, 121 ITAs issued, minimum score 108 — the single largest category in this round, representing 36.3 per cent of all ITAs.
This is the fourth SI draw of the year. Earlier 2026 rounds had selected candidates based primarily on minimum wage, qualifying job offer and overall score, but this draw has fully transitioned to a targeted, occupation-category-based selection model that maps one-to-one with the three pillars announced on April 23. Year-to-date, the BCPNP has now issued 1,706 ITAs through its Skills Immigration category.
Registration Pool: Most Candidates Cluster Between 90 and 120 Points
As of May 6, there were 9,967 active registrations in the BC PNP Skills Immigration pool. Scores are heavily concentrated in the 90–120 range, underscoring just how competitive the mid-to-upper bands have become under the new framework:
| Score range | Registrations |
|---|---|
| 0—59 | 215 |
| 60—69 | 401 |
| 70—79 | 853 |
| 80—89 | 1,353 |
| 90—99 | 1,781 |
| 100—109 | 2,107 |
| 110—119 | 1,550 |
| 120—129 | 1,148 |
| 130—139 | 522 |
| 140—149 | 32 |
| 150+ | 5 |
In this draw, both Construction Trades and Health came in at a minimum score of 108 — squarely within the most densely populated 100–109 bracket — meaning competition in those streams remains tight. Education, by contrast, was set at a notably higher cut-off of 115, suggesting that BC is filtering for educators with stronger overall profiles and a closer fit to local labour-market needs.
Entrepreneur Immigration Returns: First 2026 Draw With Identical Base and Regional Cut-offs
On May 5, the BCPNP issued at least eight ITAs under Entrepreneur Immigration, covering both subcategories — the Base Stream and the Regional Stream:
- Base Stream: 8 ITAs issued, minimum score 115.
- Regional Stream: Fewer than 5 ITAs issued, minimum score 115.
Notably, this is the first 2026 EI selection round in which both streams used an identical cut-off score. The Base Stream is open to foreign nationals looking to start or take over a business anywhere in the province, while the Regional Stream is restricted to ventures outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District and additionally requires a community referral and an exploratory visit. The two streams also carry different net-worth and investment thresholds.
To date, BC has run eight EI draws in 2026 — five through the Base Stream and three through the Regional Stream — issuing at least 49 ITAs in total.
Policy Backdrop: First Real-World Test of the April 23 Overhaul
These back-to-back draws are the first formal selections held since the province introduced its "Look West" strategy on April 23, and are therefore being read as the first real-world test of how the new framework will operate in practice. Under that strategy, 100 per cent of BC's 2026 nomination allocation is being funnelled into three pillars:
- Care: Covers 36 occupations across health, education, childcare and veterinary services — the largest pillar by capacity in the new framework.
- Build: Targets nine priority TEER 2 construction trades, including electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, steamfitters, construction millwrights, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, pipefitters and HVAC mechanics.
- Innovate: Continues to issue High Economic Impact invitations aimed at top-tier professionals and entrepreneurs whose work meaningfully drives economic growth.
At the same time, British Columbia has closed or cancelled three previously available pathways: the Entry Level and Semi-Skilled (ELSS) stream — which had served tourism, hospitality and food-processing workers — has been permanently shut down (its last draw was held in December 2024); technology-specific draws (the so-called "Tech Draws") have been discontinued, with the final round dating back to December 3, 2024; and the previously planned dedicated pathway for international student graduates has been scrapped.
The province has also stated that at least 35 per cent of all 2026 nominations are expected to go to candidates working outside Metro Vancouver, in a deliberate push to spread economic and population growth more evenly across BC. In this round, the Build and Care pillars together account for virtually all ITAs issued, with construction trades taking the largest share — a result that aligns closely with the new policy's stated priority of addressing healthcare and infrastructure shortages first.
What This Means for Candidates: A Tighter, Clearer Pathway
Industry observers note that this round sends at least three signals to prospective applicants:
First, occupation-based filtering is replacing broad-based filtering. The earlier model, which leaned heavily on wages and job offers as the primary screen, is being phased out. From here on, the central question for BC-based hopefuls will be whether their NOC falls within the Care, Build or Innovate target lists.
Second, work-permit holders already employed in BC in health, education, childcare, veterinary services or any of the nine priority construction trades stand to benefit most. Health continues to be served both by the dedicated BCPNP Health Authority pathway and by the broader health-sector stream, meaning that candidates working in hospitals, long-term care, early childhood education and veterinary practices now enjoy a relatively predictable path to nomination.
Third, candidates who were counting on the technology stream or the graduate pathway need to rethink their strategy. With tech-specific draws formally retired and the graduate pathway cancelled, multiple immigration advisory firms have noted that affected candidates will likely need to pivot toward roles that fall within the three pillars, or shift their focus to federal options such as Express Entry category-based draws.
With this first "live test" of the new framework now complete, BC is expected to hold more draws targeted at Care, Build and Innovate in the coming weeks. Whether nomination volume and pacing shift further toward any one pillar will be the key thing to watch in the months ahead.
