British Columbia PNP 2025 Sees Second Allocation Boost, IPG Waitlist Gains

British Columbia has received a second federal nomination allocation increase for 2025, strengthening the province’s ability to select skilled immigrants aligned with labor market needs. The update, announced by the provincial government on December 15, 2025, adds 960 new nomination spaces to the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, bringing the total 2025 allocation to 6,214.

The increase includes nominations earmarked for waitlisted International Post-Graduate applications, signaling partial relief for applicants affected by earlier processing backlogs.

Understanding the British Columbia PNP 2025 Allocation Increase

The federal government’s approval of an additional 960 nominations builds on a prior increase earlier in the year. In October 2025, British Columbia’s allocation rose from 4,000 to 5,254 , reflecting negotiations between the province and the federal government to address economic and workforce priorities.

With the latest adjustment, the BC PNP now has expanded capacity to nominate candidates across multiple streams, including Skills Immigration and Entrepreneur Immigration.

How it Impacts Priority Candidates and IPG Waitlist Processing

British Columbia has confirmed that the new nominations will be directed toward priority applicants who can address acute labor market shortages. These include healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and candidates assessed as having high economic impact based on occupation, education, and wage levels.

A portion of the additional allocation will also be used to process waitlisted International Post-Graduate applications submitted in 2024. The province previously reported a backlog of 2,240 IPG applications, and this increase allows some of those cases to move forward.

However, provincial officials have not yet confirmed how many IPG applicants will be invited or when processing will resume for specific files.

Provincial Nomination Capacity and Federal Context

Following the latest increase, British Columbia has recovered approximately 77 percent of its 2024 provincial nomination capacity of 8,000 spaces. The province has stated that it intends to fully utilize its nomination allotment by year-end and will announce immigration priorities for 2026 at a later date.

Provincial nominee programs operate within annual federal limits, requiring coordination between provinces and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

BC PNP Draw Activity in 2025

Throughout 2025, British Columbia has concentrated invitations on entrepreneurs and high economic impact candidates. Most invitations have been issued through the Skills Immigration category, with targeted draws based on National Occupational Classification TEER levels and minimum score thresholds.

So far in 2025, the province has conducted:

14 Entrepreneur Immigration draws across two streams

Eight Base stream draws issuing up to 80 invitations

Six Regional stream draws issuing up to 30 invitations

Three Skills Immigration draws issuing 978 invitations

These selections align with British Columbia’s emphasis on attracting candidates who can contribute immediately to economic growth and workforce stability.

Key Takeaways

British Columbia received 960 additional PNP nominations for 2025

The announcement was made on December 15, 2025

Total BC PNP allocation for 2025 now stands at 6,214

Some waitlisted International Post-Graduate applications will be processed

Priority remains on healthcare, entrepreneurs, and high economic impact candidates

The latest BC PNP allocation increase underscores the province’s ongoing efforts to balance federal limits with economic demand. While the added nominations provide new opportunities for select applicants, the update also reflects the increasingly strategic and targeted nature of provincial immigration selection in Canada.