British Columbia just held its first immigration draw of the year for skilled workers — and it looks like the province is already close to hitting its limit for this stream.
This draw, which took place on May 8, 2025, is part of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). This program helps the province choose immigrants who can help fill job shortages and grow the economy. Until now, all of B.C.’s 2025 draws were only for entrepreneurs.
Who Got Invited?
In this draw, 94 people were invited to apply for permanent residence through B.C.’s immigration system.
To get an invitation, applicants had to meet one of these two conditions:
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Be earning at least $105 per hour in a skilled job, while already working for their employer in B.C. As per our experience at Questjobs, Kelowna BC is one of the communities with the most jobs under the Rural & Francophone Immigration program. or
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Score 150 points or more based on B.C.’s immigration scoring system (which looks at things like your job, pay, education, and work experience)
The 94 invites were split evenly between the two groups.
Why It Matters
The federal government has given B.C. fewer spots for new immigrants this year. Because of this, the province said it would only invite about 100 skilled workers through this special “high economic impact” stream.
That means this draw might be the only one of its kind this year — or close to it — unless more spots open up later.
What Might Change in Future Draws?
B.C. says it might use different rules to choose skilled immigrants in future draws. These could include:
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What you studied and where
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Your job title and qualifications
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Your English language skills
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How long you've worked and what kind of work you do
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How much money you earn
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Whether you plan to live and work in a specific part of B.C.
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How your skills match B.C.’s job needs
What’s Next for B.C. Immigration in 2025?
B.C. is only planning to accept about 1,100 new applications through its nominee program this year. Now that most skilled worker spots are likely taken, the remaining openings will mainly go to:
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Front-line healthcare workers and healthcare managers, and
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Entrepreneurs
Other Big Changes This Year:
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Regular and priority job draws are on hold for now
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Applications from international post-graduate students (submitted from Sept 2024 to Jan 2025) are being waitlisted
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Three new student immigration streams are postponed
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The Health Authority stream now only includes certain healthcare jobs
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ECE assistants are no longer included in education draws — only fully qualified early childhood educators (ECEs) are now eligible
B.C.’s immigration system is changing fast this year, so make sure to stay updated.
If you have not been lucky to land a job under BC PNP, you must explore other options as there are many other jobs eligible under different PR pathways such as AIP, Rural Renewal Stream, etc. You can explore more than 12 PR pathways jobs at Questjobs.