Latest BC PNP Skilled Worker draws: scores and invitations
This section covers selected BC PNP Skilled Worker draws, including high economic impact and priority occupation rounds. The most recent priority occupation draw included here took place on September 10, 2026. Compare your profile with the relevant category and visit WelcomeBC for the complete selection criteria and all program draws.
High economic impact draws
These general rounds are announced together and select in two ways: the highest-scoring candidates, and the highest-wage candidates. A high wage can earn an invitation even when your total score falls below the score-based cutoff. Tables show annual salary cutoffs only.
| Date | Score cutoff | Salary cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| August 20, 2026 | Min Score: 132 265 invited | Min Salary: $110,000 337 invited |
| July 16, 2026 | Min Score: 132 346 invited | Min Salary: $115,000 223 invited |
| June 18, 2026 | Min Score: 136 149 invited | Min Salary: $125,000 130 invited |
| May 14, 2026 | Min Score: 135 212 invited | Min Salary: $120,000 225 invited |
Priority occupation draws
These rounds target priority occupations and are also announced together. Their cutoffs are typically much lower than general draws. Recent rounds have focused on healthcare, childcare, construction trades, and veterinary care.
| Date | Health | Childcare | Construction Trades | Veterinary Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10, 2026 | Min Score: 76 143 invited | Min Score: 99 182 invited | Min Score: 94 104 invited | Min Score: 90 Fewer than 5 |
| August 6, 2026 | Min Score: 84 124 invited | Min Score: 102 183 invited | Min Score: 88 187 invited | Min Score: 72 6 invited |
| July 9, 2026 | Min Score: 96 116 invited | Min Score: 108 91 invited | Min Score: 97 136 invited | Min Score: 88 Fewer than 5 |
| June 2, 2026 | Min Score: 100 117 invited | Min Score: 111 91 invited | Min Score: 101 128 invited | Min Score: 92 6 invited |
| May 6, 2026 | Min Score: 108 117 invited | Min Score: 115 86 invited | Min Score: 108 121 invited | Min Score: 100 9 invited |
Education also appeared on August 6, 2026, with a cutoff of 68 and fewer than 5 invitations.
Source: WelcomeBC's official invitation record. These tables summarize selected draws. Previous cutoffs do not predict the next invitation round.
Calculate your BC PNP points
Use the free BC PNP points calculator to estimate your score across work experience, education, language, wage, and job location. Review your breakdown alongside the scoring tables, then compare it with invitation criteria relevant to your situation.
How BC PNP points are calculated
Your BC PNP registration score combines human capital factors with economic factors related to your job offer. The tables below explain where the points come from and which bonuses may apply. Use the BC PNP calculator to apply these factors to your profile and see your score breakdown.
The 200 points split into human capital factors (120 points) and economic factors (80 points) — see the table below.
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Human capital factors | 120 |
| Directly related work experience | 40 |
| Highest level of education | 40 |
| Language proficiency | 40 |
| Economic factors | 80 |
| Hourly wage of the B.C. job offer | 55 |
| Area of employment within B.C. | 25 |
| Maximum | 200 |
Work experience points
Work experience is worth up to 40 points. The BC PNP counts experience directly related to your BC job offer — paid work under the same NOC code as the offer (or a related occupation at an equal or higher TEER level, if you can demonstrate the connection). Experience in an unrelated field, however long, does not score. Only the last ten years count, and part-time work is credited at 50%.
| Directly related experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 5+ years | 20 |
| 4 to <5 years | 16 |
| 3 to <4 years | 12 |
| 2 to <3 years | 8 |
| 1 to <2 years | 4 |
| Less than 1 year | 1 |
| None | 0 |
| Bonus: 1+ year directly related experience in Canada | +10 |
| Bonus: currently working full-time in BC for the supporting employer in the offered occupation | +10 |
| Maximum | 40 |
Where people miscalculate: counting total career experience instead of same-NOC experience; counting work done on a study permit (not eligible — though paid co-op terms can count after graduation).
Education points
Education is worth up to 40 points, based on your highest completed credential. Partial completion earns nothing, programs must be longer than six months, and distance-education programs from Canadian institutions are not eligible.
| Highest education | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 27 |
| Master’s degree | 22 |
| Post-graduate certificate/diploma | 15 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 15 |
| Associate degree | 5 |
| Post-secondary diploma/certificate | 5 |
| High school or less | 0 |
| Bonus: highest credential completed in BC | +8 |
| Bonus: highest credential completed in Canada, outside BC | +6 |
| Bonus: eligible BC professional designation (e.g. trades certified with SkilledTradesBC, ECEs, dental and pharmacy occupations, practical nurses) | +5 |
| Maximum | 40 |
The BC/Canada bonus applies only to your highest credential — a foreign master’s plus a BC diploma earns the master’s 22 points and no Canadian bonus.
Language points
Language is worth up to 40 points, based on your Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level — determined by your lowest score across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Accepted tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, or PTE Core for English; TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French. Results are valid for two years from issuance.
| CLB level (lowest ability) | Points |
|---|---|
| 9+ | 30 |
| 8 | 25 |
| 7 | 20 |
| 6 | 15 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 4 | 5 |
| Below 4 / no test | 0 |
| Bonus: CLB 4+ in both English and French (both tests valid) | +10 |
| Maximum | 40 |
Where people miscalculate: using their best band instead of their lowest.
In practice, language is the most controllable factor in the score: retaking a test after preparation is often the fastest way to add 5–10 points.
Wage points
The hourly wage of your BC job offer is worth up to 55 points — the single largest factor in the grid, and the reason wage also drives its own draws. Scoring is simple: one point per dollar of hourly wage, starting at $16.00/hour (1 point) and maxing out at $70.00/hour and above (55 points). Anything below $16.00 scores zero.
Two examples:
- A job offer at $32.50/hour falls in the $32.00–$32.99 bracket → 17 points
- A job offer at $48.00/hour falls in the $48.00–$48.99 bracket → 33 points
If your offer states an annual salary, the hourly wage is calculated as: annual wage ÷ 52 ÷ weekly hours, where weekly hours must be between 30 and 40.
Where people miscalculate: including bonuses, commissions, tips, overtime, or housing allowances — none of these count, only the base hourly rate. Note that the BC PNP refuses applications where it believes the wage was inflated just to gain points.
Location points
The area factor is worth up to 25 points, based on your main work location (for remote workers, your residential address):
| Area of employment | Points |
|---|---|
| Area 1: Metro Vancouver Regional District | 0 |
| Area 2: Squamish, Abbotsford, Agassiz, Mission, Chilliwack | 5 |
| Area 3: everywhere else in BC | 15 |
| Bonus: regional experience (1+ year working in Area 2/3 within the last 5 years) or regional alumni (graduated from a public BC institution outside Metro Vancouver within the last 3 years) | +10 |
| Maximum | 25 |
The bonus requires the job itself to be in Area 2 or 3, and you can only claim one of the two (experience or alumni), even if you qualify for both.
Where people miscalculate: assuming the score follows where they live rather than where the job is; and assuming nearby cities count as “outside Vancouver” — Surrey and Langley are Area 1 (0 points), Abbotsford and Chilliwack are Area 2 (5 points), while Kelowna, Victoria, or Prince George are Area 3 (15 points).
BC PNP eligibility and employer requirements
Skilled Worker eligibility
To register under the Skilled Worker stream, you must meet all of the following before scoring even matters:
- A full-time job offer (at least 30 hours/week) from a BC employer that is indeterminate — no end date. (Some tech, university, and teaching occupations are exempt and may qualify with a job offer of at least one year.)
- The job must be in an eligible skilled occupation — NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3
- At least two years of full-time skilled work experience (any TEER 0–3 occupation, in Canada or abroad, within the last ten years) — this eligibility requirement is separate from the experience that is scored
- Language: for job offers in TEER 2 or 3, at least CLB 4 in all four abilities. For TEER 0 or 1, a test is generally unnecessary at registration unless you claim language points. BC PNP may request results during assessment.
- Your family income must meet minimum thresholds based on family size and where in BC you live
- You must hold less than a 10% ownership stake in the employer, and have legal immigration status
Some occupations are not eligible at all — for applications after June 13, 2026, this includes executive assistants, HR and recruitment officers, bookkeepers and accounting technicians, administrative officers and assistants (including legal and medical), retail sales supervisors, food service supervisors, real estate agents, and religious occupations.
Employer requirements
Your employer's support is part of the application. Confirm that the employer meets BC PNP requirements and can provide the required declaration and supporting documents. These cover the business, job offer, and recruitment efforts. See the official employer requirements.
- Established and physically operating in BC for at least one year
- At least 5 full-time employees in Metro Vancouver, or 3 outside it
- Able to show genuine local recruitment efforts
How BC PNP invitations work
SIRS stands for the Skills Immigration Registration System — the points-based system British Columbia uses to rank candidates for its Provincial Nominee Program. When you create a Skills Immigration registration in the BCPNP Online portal, the system automatically scores your profile out of 200 points based on the information you enter.
Registration is free, is an expression of interest rather than an application, and stays in the pool for 12 months — if you are not invited within 12 months, the registration expires and must be resubmitted.
One stream works differently: the Health Authority stream (for health workers supported by a BC public health authority) does not use SIRS at all — eligible candidates apply directly without registering or being scored.
The BC PNP holds periodic draws. In each draw, the province sets a minimum score (the cutoff) and invites registered candidates at or above it. There is no fixed passing score — the cutoff changes with every draw depending on the pool. If invited, you have 30 calendar days to submit a complete application; this deadline cannot be extended.
There are two practical routes to an invitation:
- Qualify for a targeted category draw. The BC PNP targets invitations to support government priorities — recent category draws have focused on sectors such as healthcare, childcare, construction, and veterinary care. These draws have substantially lower cutoffs.
- Compete in the general draws. General draws select in two ways, usually announced together: candidates with the highest scores, and candidates with the highest hourly wages.
BC PNP processing times
As checked on September 18, 2026, WelcomeBC lists an estimated three months for Skills Immigration application processing, generally covering around 80% of cases. This is separate from waiting for an invitation and from IRCC's permanent residence processing. Individual cases may take longer. See the current provincial processing estimate.
BC PNP and Express Entry: SIRS vs CRS
They are different scores in different systems. The SIRS score (out of 200) is British Columbia’s provincial ranking score. The CRS score (out of 1,200) is the federal Express Entry ranking score. They measure different things with different formulas: a candidate can have a strong CRS and a weak SIRS, or the reverse. If you are comparing your score to BC PNP draw cutoffs, make sure it is your SIRS score.
The two systems connect through the Express Entry BC (EEBC) option: if you qualify for a federal Express Entry program and are nominated by BC through EEBC, your Express Entry profile receives 600 additional CRS points. You must still meet the applicable federal requirements, receive an invitation, and submit your permanent residence application to IRCC. A provincial nomination is not permanent residence approval. See IRCC's Express Entry PNP process.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What are the requirements for BC PNP Skilled Worker? A: A full-time, indeterminate job offer from an eligible BC employer in a TEER 0–3 occupation, at least two years of full-time skilled work experience within the last ten years, meeting minimum language (CLB 4 for TEER 2–3 offers) and family income thresholds, and holding less than 10% ownership in the employer.
Q: Which occupations are not eligible for BC PNP? A: For applications after June 13, 2026: executive assistants, HR and recruitment officers, accounting technicians and bookkeepers, administrative officers and assistants (including legal and medical), retail sales supervisors, food service supervisors, real estate agents, and religious occupations.
Q: Which language tests does BC PNP accept? A: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, and PTE Core for English; TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. Results must be less than two years old, and academic versions of these tests are not accepted.
Q: Does a nomination guarantee permanent residence? A: No. A provincial nomination is a major step, but permanent residence is granted by the federal government (IRCC), which conducts its own admissibility checks. A nomination through the Express Entry BC option adds 600 CRS points to your federal profile.
Q: How is the wage factor calculated if I have an annual salary? A: Hourly wage = annual wage ÷ 52 ÷ weekly hours (between 30 and 40). Bonuses, commissions, overtime, tips, and allowances are not counted.
Q: How long does BC PNP processing take? A: After you are invited, you have 30 calendar days to submit your application. As checked on September 18, 2026, WelcomeBC lists an estimated three months for Skills Immigration application processing, generally covering around 80% of cases. This is separate from waiting for an invitation and from IRCC's permanent residence processing. Individual cases may take longer.