British Columbia confirms its 2026 PNP nomination numbers, i.e., British Columbia has become the first Canadian province to announce how many provincial nominations it will receive in 2026. The province has confirmed that its nomination allocation for next year is lower than what it originally asked for.
Other provinces are expected to announce their 2026 nomination numbers in the coming weeks or months.
The update was shared by the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) on its official PNP updates webpage on December 18, 2025.
For 2026, the federal government has given British Columbia a total of 5,254 nomination spaces.
This number is about 31% higher than the allocation British Columbia received at the start of 2025, when it was given only 4,000 nominations.
However, during 2025, the federal government increased British Columbia’s allocation twice:
- October 2, 2025: 1,254 extra nominations were added
- December 15, 2025: 960 more nominations were added
Because of these increases, British Columbia finished 2025 with 6,214 nomination spaces. This is more than what it has been given for 2026.
In its latest update, the province explained that it had requested 9,000 nominations for 2026. This request was part of a larger plan to meet labour shortages and support economic growth in the province.
With only 5,254 nominations approved, British Columbia received 41.6% fewer slots than it had requested.
The province also said it will continue talks with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about its 2026 allocation. This suggests that British Columbia may receive more nomination spaces later if discussions are successful.
What This Could Mean For Other Provinces?
Based on British Columbia’s 2026 allocation, it is likely that other provinces may also see higher nomination numbers than what they were initially given at the start of 2025.
For context, the federal government set the permanent resident admissions target for Provincial Nominee Programs at 55,000 in 2025, down from 110,000 the year before. For 2026, this target has been raised to 91,500, according to the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. This is a 66% increase.
Most provinces and territories received extra nomination spaces during 2025. Because of this, it is not yet clear whether other provinces will receive the same number, fewer nominations, or more than what they ended 2025 with.
Who British Columbia May Focus On In 2026?
In 2025, British Columbia focused its PNP invitations on healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and candidates with a high economic impact. At this time, the province has not confirmed whether these same priorities will continue in 2026.
The BC PNP said it is still deciding how to best use its limited number of nominations. More details about priority groups for 2026 are expected to be shared in the new year.
BC PNP Invitations Issued In 2025
During 2025, British Columbia invited 978 high economic impact candidates through its Skills Immigration stream. It also invited no more than 132 entrepreneurs through the Entrepreneur Immigration stream.
Although most of the province’s 19 draws in 2025 focused on entrepreneurs, with 16 draws, the Skills Immigration draws resulted in a higher total number of invitations.
Unless more draws are held before the end of the year, British Columbia will have issued no more than 1,110 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for provincial nomination in 2025.
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