In a first for any Canadian province, British Columbia on November 21 released a full score-band breakdown of its Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) skills-immigration pool. The data set shows exactly how many of the 10,733 active profiles fall into each 10-point SIRS range, revealing that the largest cluster (over 2,000 candidates) sits between 100 and 109 points.
The move responds to widespread frustration after Ottawa halved B.C.’s 2025 nomination quota, forcing the province to replace occupation-specific draws with “high economic impact” general draws. By publishing the distribution table and associated percentiles, the province is giving foreign workers and corporate mobility managers unprecedented visibility into how competitive a profile really is before investing in an application.
![British Columbia Publishes Detailed PNP Pool Data to Help Candidates Gauge ITA Chances]()
For employers, the transparency is a planning tool: HR teams can benchmark transferees’ scores against pool percentiles and decide whether to pursue a provincial nomination, an Express Entry pathway or an LMIA-based work permit. For candidates, it may shape settlement choices—those at the lower end of the 90-to-99 band, for example, now know they outrank only half the pool and may accelerate language testing or credential upgrades.
Immigration lawyers note that other provinces could follow suit, especially as IRCC pressures provincial programs to demonstrate labour-market impact and integrity. If replicated nationally, real-time score curves could make provincial nomination a more data-driven process and reduce speculative applications that clog processing queues.
Practically, the next B.C. draw is expected in early December. Mobility teams should compare their foreign workers’ SIRS scores to the published table and, where close to a percentile cut-off, consider strategic options such as job-offer wage increases or regional employment to boost points before the draw window.
The move responds to widespread frustration after Ottawa halved B.C.’s 2025 nomination quota, forcing the province to replace occupation-specific draws with “high economic impact” general draws. By publishing the distribution table and associated percentiles, the province is giving foreign workers and corporate mobility managers unprecedented visibility into how competitive a profile really is before investing in an application.
For employers, the transparency is a planning tool: HR teams can benchmark transferees’ scores against pool percentiles and decide whether to pursue a provincial nomination, an Express Entry pathway or an LMIA-based work permit. For candidates, it may shape settlement choices—those at the lower end of the 90-to-99 band, for example, now know they outrank only half the pool and may accelerate language testing or credential upgrades.
Immigration lawyers note that other provinces could follow suit, especially as IRCC pressures provincial programs to demonstrate labour-market impact and integrity. If replicated nationally, real-time score curves could make provincial nomination a more data-driven process and reduce speculative applications that clog processing queues.
Practically, the next B.C. draw is expected in early December. Mobility teams should compare their foreign workers’ SIRS scores to the published table and, where close to a percentile cut-off, consider strategic options such as job-offer wage increases or regional employment to boost points before the draw window.
