B.C. Opens Rural Health PR Pathway for Support Workers

British Columbia has released full details for a new time-limited immigration pathway for some cleaning and security workers employed by public health authorities in rural or remote communities.

The province is calling the program a “temporary stream” under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program. Registration opens June 15, 2026, and closes August 31, 2026. A pre-registration webinar is scheduled for June 10.

The province first announced the targeted initiative on April 23, 2026, and published the full eligibility rules on May 28, 2026. B.C. says it wants to help retain and nominate up to 250 selected workers so they can move toward permanent residence.

Who can apply

The stream is limited to three job groups. Eligible workers must have a “regular, indeterminate, full-time job” with a B.C. health authority in a rural or remote area.

The eligible occupations are janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners (NOC 65312); light-duty cleaners (NOC 65310); and security guards and related security service workers (NOC 64410).

Applicants must already have worked full-time in one of these jobs with the same health authority for at least nine months before registering with the BCPNP. They must also have a valid job offer at registration and at application, and they must keep working full-time in that role during the process.

Health authority support required

Workers cannot apply on their own without employer backing. Each health authority will set its own process for choosing which applications it will support.

The eligible public health authorities are the Provincial Health Services Authority, First Nations Health Authority, Fraser Health, Interior Health, Island Health, Northern Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care.

Support must be confirmed by an authorized representative of the health authority. Only designated representatives may sign the Employer Declaration Form. The province also says health authorities are not required to support a worker’s application.

The employer must provide a signed job offer on official letterhead. The worker must be employed in a rural or remote part of B.C. by the same health authority that signed the offer.

Other requirements

Applicants must have at least a secondary school education, completed either in Canada or another country. They must provide an English copy of their highest diploma, certificate, degree or transcripts.

They must also meet the minimum income requirement for the full nine months before submitting both the registration and application. Income is based on annual wages, where the applicant lives in B.C., and the number of dependants. A spouse or common-law partner’s regular gross annual wage in B.C. may also be counted, where applicable.

Applicants must meet the general Skills Immigration rules, including intent to live in B.C., language ability, work experience and other factors. Their employer must also meet BCPNP employer rules on legal operations, business structure and economic benefit. If the employer does not qualify, the worker will not qualify either.

Because the stream is capped at 250 workers, applicants are advised to prepare documents early and review the BCPNP Skills Immigration guide before registration opens.