British Columbia updates rules for its immigration nominee program

British Columbia has announced major changes to its Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) for 2025. The province will only accept 1,100 new applications this year. These spots will go to front-line healthcare workers, skilled professionals who bring strong economic value, and entrepreneurs. The number of accepted applicants is much lower than in previous years.

Officials shared that over 10,000 people have already registered under the BC PNP. Out of this large group, only about 100 high-impact individuals will receive a nomination this year. The province has also paused all general and priority occupation draws for the rest of 2025.

The BC PNP has stopped accepting International Post-Graduate (IPG) applications submitted between September 1, 2024, and January 7, 2025. These will be waitlisted. Other IPG applications received earlier in 2024 and early 2025 will still be reviewed and processed.

The province won’t introduce its three planned student immigration streams until B.C. receives a higher number of allowed nominations from the federal government.

Entrepreneur applicants will continue to receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs), but other changes are now in place. The Health Authority stream will now only be open to front-line healthcare workers. Earlier, it accepted people in any job under a Health Authority. Now, only those working directly with patients qualify.

Also, draws for the education sector will now focus only on Early Childhood Educators. Assistants in this field are no longer eligible for targeted invitations.

At the start of 2025, British Columbia already had a backlog of 5,200 applications waiting for review. But this year, the federal government gave the province only 4,000 nomination spots. Out of those, 2,900 nominations will be used to clear part of the backlog.

These updates were officially shared on April 14, 2025. The changes follow a decision made by the federal government in late 2024. That decision cut the number of people provinces can nominate for permanent residency in half—from 110,000 in 2024 to 55,000 in 2025.

As a result of these changes, many provinces, including B.C., paused parts of their immigration programs. They also adjusted who can apply and how applications are handled. The cuts have made the process more selective than ever.

People who are still interested in moving to British Columbia through this program must now meet stricter rules. The province is focusing on high-demand jobs and applicants who can quickly support the local economy and job market.