British Columbia’s latest Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) statistics show the province doubling down on a wage-based path for high-earning talent while tightening points cut-offs in care and construction occupations. Three Skills Immigration draws in September issued 1,176 invitations—more than a quarter of B.C.’s remaining 2026 nomination quota—with the flagship Innovate: High Economic Impact round on 24 September sending a record 714 invitations. The Innovate category now admits two distinct groups. Candidates with job offers paying at least CAN $52 an hour (down from $58 in July) faced no points threshold at all, receiving automatic invitations provided their roles fall within National Occupational Classification TEER 0-3. A parallel points-based draw that day invited candidates scoring 131 or higher in the province’s Registration System, a level roughly equivalent to a 470 CRS under Express Entry. Sector-targeted rounds tell a different story. The 10 September draw for early-childhood educators, health-care staff and construction trades saw cut-offs rise in construction (94 points, up six) even as invitation volumes fell by 44 percent. Health-care, by contrast, eased to 76 points while raising invitations to 143. A rural-health pilot draw on 17 September invited just 33 nurses and allied professionals at 60 points, half the volume of July’s inaugural round—evidence that competition is heating up as B.C. manages its shrinking nomination allotment. For employers, the take-away is that salary matters more than ever. A six-figure offer can now override points entirely in the Innovate wage-based stream, accelerating hiring in technology, engineering and business services. Mid-wage talent should look to sector rounds, where targeted lists provide a realistic path despite higher competition. At the federal level, September’s numbers feed into IRCC’s deliberations on 2027–2029 immigration allocations. Provinces that can demonstrate economic yield from wage-weighted selection may gain more nomination spots, setting a template other jurisdictions could copy.
Source: IRCC.com
