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British Columbia · Skills Immigration · Skilled Worker

Qualifying is the easy part. Being in a category is not.

This is the stream every British Columbia targeted draw selects from, so its requirements are the ones that matter most. They are not demanding. What decides your outcome is whether your occupation sits in a priority category, and whether it is on the list of twelve occupations the province barred in June.

Overview

A full time indeterminate job offer from a British Columbia employer, two years of skilled experience, and modest language. On paper this is among the more accessible provincial streams in the country. In practice it is now one of the harder ones to actually use.

The reason is that the province stopped running general draws in April 2026. Registration puts you in a pool the province does not currently publish a size for, and it draws only from priority categories. If your occupation is not in one, your registration sits there until it expires, however high your score.

Best suited to: someone with a job offer in health care, childcare, French language teaching, veterinary care or one of nine certified construction trades, or someone earning around $58 an hour or more in any occupation.

Eligibility

  • The job offer. Full time, meaning at least 30 hours a week year round, and indeterminate, meaning no end date. Certain occupations, largely academic and technology roles, may instead use a fixed term offer of at least a year provided at least 120 days remain when you apply.
  • Skill level. The occupation must be at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
  • Work experience. At least two years of full time, or full time equivalent, work in any skilled occupation within the last ten years. It does not have to be in the occupation you have been offered, though experience that does match earns considerably more points.
  • Language. CLB 4 in all four abilities where the offer is at TEER 2, 3, 4 or 5. At TEER 0 or 1 a test is not required to register, though the province can ask for one and it earns points either way.
  • Wage. Within the published range for that occupation and location, comparable to what citizens and permanent residents doing similar work are paid, and consistent with the employer's own pay structure. Bonuses, commissions, tips, overtime and board are excluded from the figure.
  • Education. No minimum. It is scored, not required.
  • Residence. None required. You may register from outside Canada, though working in British Columbia for the supporting employer is worth ten points.

The barred occupations

For applications after 13 June 2026

Twelve occupations became ineligible for this stream and every other skills immigration stream. There is no score that overcomes it and no discretion to apply.

Ineligible occupations, effective 13 June 2026
OccupationOccupation
Executive assistantsRetail sales supervisors
Human resources and recruitment officersFood service supervisors
Accounting technicians and bookkeepersReal estate agents and salespersons
Administrative officersReligious leaders
Administrative assistantsReligious workers
Legal administrative assistantsMedical administrative assistants

Half of them are office roles. If a client's offer is administrative, British Columbia is closed and the honest advice is to look at another province rather than to improve the file. The province also barred organisations providing immigration services from acting as employers in the same revision.

Requirements checker

A structured way to see where you stand against the published criteria. It returns an indication only, not an eligibility decision, not legal advice, and not a prediction that you will be invited.

Your situation

Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Based on the British Columbia Skills Immigration Program Guide and the province's published selection criteria, reviewed 18 August 2026. The final question is the one that decides outcomes and the answer changes as the province revises its priorities. Meeting the criteria does not mean you will be invited, and being invited does not mean you will be approved. General information, not legal advice.

What to expect when you work with us on a British Columbia skilled worker file

The first thing worth establishing is not your score. It is whether your occupation is in a category being drawn, whether it is on the barred list, and whether a health authority offer would take you out of the pool altogether.

01 / Start here

Strategy consultation

A paid session that tests your record against this route and the alternatives, checks how your work is classified, and tells you plainly where you actually stand.

02 / Review

Lawyer review, you file

You prepare and submit; we review the classification, the evidence and the documentation before it goes in, and flag what would be questioned.

03 / Representation

Full representation

We build, document and file the matter as your lawyer of record, and carry it through to the federal permanent residence stage.

Every matter begins with the strategy consultation. If you instruct us within six months of that consultation for a lawyer review or for full representation, the consultation fee is credited against that work. One credit per person.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need experience in the job I have been offered?

Not to qualify. Two years in any skilled occupation is enough for eligibility. But directly related experience, in the same occupation as the offer, is worth up to 20 points, and up to 40 with the Canadian and in province bonuses, so it makes a large difference to whether you are ever invited.

My offer is at TEER 0. Do I still need a language test?

Not to register. The province does not require test results at registration for TEER 0 or 1 offers, though it can request them during assessment. You would usually take one anyway, because language is worth up to 40 points and going without means scoring zero in that category.

Can my job offer have an end date?

Generally no, it must be indeterminate. There is an exception for a list of occupations, mainly academic and technology roles, which may use a fixed term offer of at least a year provided at least 120 days remain when the application goes in.

What if my occupation is not in a priority category?

Then registering achieves very little. There are no general draws, so a registration outside the categories will sit in the pool until it expires. That is the honest answer, and it usually means looking at another province.

How long is a registration valid?

Twelve months. If you are not invited within that period it is removed and you would need to register again.