BC PNP High Economic Impact Draw: Wage Floor Falls to $49 an Hour

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) invited 772 people on October 29, 2026. It was the BC PNP high economic impact draw, listed by BC as “Innovate: High Economic Impact,” and the biggest BC PNP high economic impact draw of 2026. It gave 524 invitations to jobs paying at least $49 an hour, and 248 to scores of 131 or more.

All figures come from the official BC PNP invitations page. We checked it on October 30 and again on October 31, 2026, and added up each round ourselves.

Key takeaways

• BC invited 772 people on October 29, 2026, its biggest high economic impact round this year.
• The wage path needed $49 an hour ($99,000 a year) in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job, with no minimum score.
• The points path held at 131 and invited 248 people.
• The wage path has led every round since August. On October 29 it took 524 of 772 spots, about 68 percent.
• A nomination adds 600 CRS points but is not a promise of permanent residence.

Wondering if your offer clears $49 an hour? Book Your Strategy Consultation with Amir Ismail, RCIC #R412319.

What happened in the BC PNP high economic impact draw on October 29, 2026?

British Columbia invited 772 skilled workers in two groups on October 29, 2026. One group had job offers that met a wage floor and a skill level. The other group was picked by score, and the cut-off held at 131 points, the same as in September.

• Wage path: 524 invitations for a job offer paying at least $49 an hour and $99,000 a year.
• Job level on the wage path: a job offer in a National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation. TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities.
• Points path: 248 invitations at a minimum score of 131.
• Total: 524 plus 248 equals 772.

BC says the factors for future high economic impact rounds can change, and points to section 7.3(a) of its Skills Immigration Program Guide. Only people who registered before the draw date can be invited.

How far has the BC PNP high economic impact draw wage floor fallen in 2026?

The wage floor fell from $62 an hour in June to $49 an hour in October. That is a drop of $13 an hour, and it fell in each of the last four rounds. The yearly salary floor went down from $125,000 to $99,000 over the same months.

Here is every high economic impact round in 2026:

• October 29: wage floor $49 an hour ($99,000 a year), 524 invited; points cut-off 131, 248 invited; 772 in total.
• September 24: wage floor $52 an hour ($105,000 a year), 426 invited; points cut-off 131, 288 invited; 714 in total.
• August 20: wage floor $55 an hour ($110,000 a year), 337 invited; points cut-off 132, 265 invited; 602 in total.
• July 16: wage floor $58 an hour ($115,000 a year), 223 invited; points cut-off 132, 346 invited; 569 in total.
• June 18: wage floor $62 an hour ($125,000 a year), 130 invited; points cut-off 136, 149 invited; 279 in total.
• May 14: wage floor $59 an hour ($120,000 a year), 225 invited; points cut-off 135, 212 invited; 437 in total.
• April 22: wage floor $62 an hour ($125,000 a year), 252 invited; points cut-off 138, 232 invited; 484 in total.
• February 11: wage floor $62 an hour ($125,000 a year), 195 invited; points cut-off 135, 265 invited; 460 in total.
• February 4: wage floor $70 an hour ($145,000 a year), 206 invited; points cut-off 138, 223 invited; 429 in total.

Across these nine rounds, BC invited 4,746 people. Every round from July on was bigger than the one before it.

Think your salary could qualify under the $99,000 floor? Book Your Strategy Consultation and we will check it against your job offer and NOC code.

How does the points path compare with the wage path in the BC PNP high economic impact draw?

Since August, the wage path has brought in more people than the points path each round. In October, job offers on the wage path took 524 of the 772 spots, about 68 percent. Back in June, the wage path took only 130 of 279 spots, or about 47 percent.

The points cut-off moved much less. It stayed between 131 and 138 all year.

For the other October rounds, read our report on the BC PNP Care and Build draws of October 2026. To compare provinces, see our PNP draw cut-offs for 2026.

What does the October 6 BC PNP registration pool say about a 131 score?

Very few people in the BC skills pool have a score high enough to hit 131. On October 6, 2026, BC listed 203 people at 130 points or more, out of 7,695 in total. That is under 3 percent of everyone waiting in the skills pool on that date.

• 150 points or more: 9 people.
• 140 to 149 points: 23 people.
• 130 to 139 points: 171 people.
• 120 to 129 points: 854 people.

A nomination is not permanent residence. You still apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) after BC nominates you. Our BC PNP skilled worker guide walks through each step.

What does a BC nomination add to your Express Entry score?

IRCC adds 600 CRS points for a provincial or territorial nomination. That is the biggest single item on IRCC’s points table. If your nomination is linked to an Express Entry profile, IRCC adds the points to that profile. Whether your nomination goes through Express Entry or a paper application depends on the stream, so check your invitation.

Points are not an invitation. IRCC says it keeps inviting nominees through general and PNP-specific rounds. In round 451 on October 26, 2026, it invited 792 nominees at a lowest score of 761. A nomination is not a promise of permanent residence.

Check your own numbers with our BC PNP points calculator and Express Entry CRS calculator. Our PNP draw tracker lists provincial rounds, and the BC PNP Skilled Worker Stream page covers the route.

FAQ on the BC PNP high economic impact draw

Not sure which path fits your job offer? Book Your Strategy Consultation and we will map it out with you.