What you need to know
• BC is targeting between 1,620 and 2,015 nominees in prioritized health care occupations for 2026.
• The province is also targeting between 360 and 440 early childhood educator nominees.
• BC’s total 2026 nomination allocation is now 6,254 after the federal government added 1,000 spaces in August.
• Health care and child care have been part of BC’s Care priority throughout 2026, with targeted draws already held in May, June, July, and August.
• A priority occupation does not automatically mean you qualify. Your NOC, job offer, work experience, professional requirements, location, language results, and other stream criteria still matter.
What actually changed?
The new figures appear in the BC PNP Statistical Report and Year in Review 2025, released on August 26.
For its 2026 Essential Services performance target, BC says it plans to nominate between 1,620 and 2,015 people in prioritized health care occupations. The target for early childhood educators is between 360 and 440 nominees.
That is a clear increase in the health care target compared with what the program delivered in 2025. Last year, BC nominated 1,435 people in prioritized health care occupations. Early childhood educator nominations reached 409, which already falls inside the new 2026 target range.
For applicants, the bigger question is what this priority means for their broader work and permanent residence plan. BorderPass Pathway Assessment reviews your profile against federal and provincial programs in one place, with a licensed immigration lawyer reviewing the analysis, so you can see whether BC is one option available to you and what other routes may also be open.
The targets sit inside a larger BC PNP allocation of 6,254 nominations for 2026. BC originally received fewer spaces, then gained another 1,000 from the federal government on August 18.
Those April objectives are Care, Build and Innovate, and the new health care and child care targets show how much of the 2026 program BC expects Care occupations to absorb. Changes like this are exactly why a PR plan cannot rely on one program staying the same. BorderPass Pathway Assessment checks your options against current federal and provincial rules and gives you a lawyer-reviewed plan at a fraction of the cost of traditional legal support.
Why are health care and child care getting this much space?
BC began prioritizing care economy occupations in 2022, and the province has continued using the BC PNP to respond to shortages in services people rely on. Since 2022, BC says the program has nominated 3,887 health care professionals and 2,957 licensed child care workers.
The focus became even sharper in 2025 when the province’s nomination allocation was cut. BC restricted much of its new application intake, but continued making room for urgently needed health care professionals. The number of health authority professionals nominated rose from 675 in 2024 to 1,241 in 2025.
Then, in April 2026, the province formally reorganized its priorities around Care, Build and Innovate. Under Care, the BC PNP now prioritizes 36 occupations across health care, education, child care, and veterinary care. Certified early childhood educators remain specifically prioritized.
For workers in these sectors, this can make BC more relevant, but it may not be the only route worth considering. BorderPass Pathway Assessment compares BC options with other federal and provincial work and PR pathways, so you can see the full set of routes available to you instead of building your plan around one announcement.
BC is also trying to spread nominations beyond Metro Vancouver. At least 35% of Skills Immigration nominations are expected to go to candidates working outside Metro Vancouver in 2026. That regional target matters because the province is using nomination spaces not only to fill occupations, but also to support communities where labour shortages can be harder to fill.
What does the 2026 draw history tell us?
The targets match what BC has already been doing in its invitation rounds.
Health care workers have received targeted Care invitations four times so far in 2026:
• May 6: 117 invitations, minimum score 108
• June 2: 117 invitations, minimum score 100
• July 9: 116 invitations, minimum score 96
• August 6: 124 invitations, minimum score 84
That is 474 targeted health care invitations across those four rounds. The minimum score also moved down from 108 in May to 84 in August.
Early childhood educators have followed a similar pattern:
• May 6: 86 invitations, minimum score 115
• June 2: 91 invitations, minimum score 111
• July 9: 91 invitations, minimum score 108
• August 6: 183 invitations, minimum score 102
That is 451 targeted child care invitations so far, with the August round alone issuing 183 invitations.
There was also a separate July 23 draw under the Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative, which issued 60 invitations at a minimum score of 50. The initiative can support up to 250 eligible workers already working for a health authority in cleaning or security roles in rural or remote communities.
The pattern is more useful than any one draw. BC has repeatedly returned to Care occupations throughout 2026, while also reserving nomination capacity for high economic impact workers and other priorities. For someone planning PR, the value is in knowing how this fits beside every other route available. BorderPass Pathway Assessment maps your profile across federal and provincial programs, is reviewed by an immigration lawyer, and gives you clear next steps for the pathways that fit.
Where does a PNP nomination fit in your bigger PR plan?
A BC PNP nomination can be a powerful route to permanent residence, especially if it is aligned with Express Entry and adds 600 points to your CRS score.
But this update also gives you a reason to look at your broader PR strategy. If you work in health care or child care, BC may now deserve more attention than it did a few months ago. At the same time, Express Entry, other provincial programs, and employer-supported pathways may still be available depending on your profile.
That is where BorderPass can help.
If you are not sure which route fits you, a BorderPass Pathway Assessment gives you a lawyer-reviewed view of your federal and provincial work and PR options, along with clear next steps, at a fraction of the cost of traditional legal support.
If you’re pursuing Express Entry, BorderPass can help you build your profile step by step, calculate your CRS score, provide tips for improvement, and have immigration lawyers through BorderPass support you throughout the process.
FAQs
The BC PNP has set a 2026 target of between 1,620 and 2,015 nominees in prioritized health care occupations.
How BorderPass can help
BC’s 2026 targets make one thing clear: health care and child care continue to matter inside the province’s nomination strategy. But a target is not the same as individual eligibility.
BorderPass helps you see whether your profile fits a pathway and how that option compares with the other ways you may be able to work or pursue permanent residence in Canada. Your Pathway Assessment reviews your full profile across federal and provincial programs and is reviewed by a licensed immigration lawyer.
Related reading: Canada Adds 303 Provincial Nomination Spaces for 2026
https://www.borderpass.ai/blog/canada-adds-303-provincial-nomination-spaces-for-2026
If you want to know which pathways you may qualify for now, or what to work toward, start your Pathway Assessment: https://www.borderpass.ai/pathway-assessment
