British Columbia Becomes the First Province to Announce Its 2026 PNP Nomination Allocation
British Columbia has become the first Canadian province to officially announce its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination allocation for 2026. The update was published on the BC PNP’s official updates page on December 18, 2025.
While the province did receive an increase compared to its initial 2025 allocation, the total number of nominations approved for 2026 is lower than what British Columbia had requested from the federal government.
BC PNP Nomination Allocation for 2026
For 2026, the federal government has granted British Columbia a total of 5,254 nomination spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program.
This represents an increase of about 31% compared to the original 2025 allocation, which was set at 4,000 nominations. However, during 2025, British Columbia received additional nomination spaces on two separate occasions:
In October 2025, the province was granted an additional 1,254 nominations
In December 2025, it received another 960 nominations
As a result, British Columbia ended 2025 with a total of 6,214 nomination spaces, which is higher than its confirmed allocation for 2026.
Allocation Falls Short of Provincial Request
British Columbia had originally requested 9,000 nomination spaces for 2026. The province stated that this request was part of a broader strategy to address labour shortages and strengthen the provincial workforce.
With only 5,254 nominations approved, the final allocation is approximately 41.6% lower than what the province had requested.
Despite this shortfall, British Columbia has confirmed that it will continue discussions with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This leaves open the possibility that additional nomination spaces could be granted later in the year if negotiations are successful.
What This Means for Other Provinces
British Columbia’s announcement is expected to be followed by similar updates from other provinces in the coming weeks or months.
At the federal level, the permanent resident admissions target for Provincial Nominee Programs increased significantly. In 2025, the PNP target was set at 55,000 admissions, compared to 110,000 in the previous year. For 2026, this target has been increased to 91,500 under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, representing a 66% increase from 2025.
Most provinces received additional nomination spaces during 2025, which makes it uncertain whether their 2026 allocations will match or exceed the total number of nominations they ended the year with.
BC PNP Priorities for 2026 Still Unclear
In 2025, British Columbia focused its PNP nominations on healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and candidates with a high economic impact. At this time, it has not been confirmed whether these same priority groups will continue into 2026.
The province has stated that it is still planning how to best use its limited allocation and expects to share more details about its 2026 priorities in the new year.
BC PNP Invitations Issued in 2025
Throughout 2025, British Columbia issued invitations under both its Skills Immigration and Entrepreneur Immigration categories.
The province invited 978 high economic impact candidates through the Skills Immigration stream and issued no more than 132 invitations through the Entrepreneur Immigration category.
Although most of the province’s draws in 2025 focused on entrepreneurs, the Skills Immigration draws resulted in a higher total number of invitations.
Unless additional draws are held, British Columbia is expected to have issued no more than 1,110 Invitations to Apply for provincial nomination in 2025.
