According to Maple News, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has received an additional 1,254 nomination spaces, raising the province’s total nomination allocation for 2025 to 5,254. This marks a notable increase from the initial 4,000, enabling British Columbia to recover approximately 69% of its original 2024 allocation of 8,000 provincial nominations.
This boost in nominations has allowed the province to begin processing a portion of the 2,240 International Post-Graduate (IPG) applications that were previously waitlisted. These applications were submitted between September 1, 2024, and January 7, 2025, and had been paused earlier due to allocation limits. With fresh nomination capacity now available, British Columbia is taking steps to address this backlog.
The IPG stream is a key pathway for recent graduates from eligible B.C. post-secondary institutions holding advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and healthcare fields. These graduates are highly valued for their potential contributions to the province’s innovation economy and vital sectors like public health.
In addition to revisiting the IPG backlog, British Columbia will continue using its increased allocations to prioritize in-demand sectors. This includes recruiting healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and other high-impact economic contributors who can support local labor market needs and long-term development goals.
The province emphasized that it remains in discussions with the federal government to access more nominations. Until further allocations are secured, it does not plan to expand the program to new priority groups in 2025.
British Columbia’s nomination increase follows a broader federal shift towards tightening immigration levels, due in part to rising pressure on Canada’s housing market and public services. These challenges have prompted Ottawa to reevaluate immigration levels and adjust provincial allocations accordingly.
Despite these constraints, B.C.’s updated nomination cap represents progress for international graduates who have studied and lived in the province, offering them renewed hope for a permanent pathway in one of Canada’s most dynamic and economically diverse regions.