Yes: British Columbia runs a dedicated permanent residence stream for three healthcare support occupations — light duty cleaners, custodians, and security guards — with a lower cut-off score than the streams for healthcare professionals and skilled trades.
In short
- The cut-off score rose from 50 to 60 across two draws, and 93 invitations have already gone out of a 250-person cap.
- Only people already working in British Columbia for a regional health authority for at least 9 months can apply.
- Vancouver, Kelowna, and Victoria are excluded from the stream — only rural areas and islands around Victoria qualify.
- Hospital cleaner wages reach $24–29 CAD an hour, but real take-home income is 40–50% lower due to exchange rates and taxes.
- Registration closes on October 7, 2026 — the deadline has already been pushed back once due to wildfires.
How British Columbia’s healthcare support worker stream works
Canada runs dedicated permanent residence streams for cleaners and security guards — invitations to apply for permanent residence are already going out under them. The stream for healthcare support workers operates in British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, where Vancouver is located.
Each Canadian province designs its own immigration program and decides which workers it needs: a province invites exactly the candidates it considers necessary. The mechanics are simple: a candidate registers on a dedicated portal and earns points for work experience, language ability, education, and wage level. Periodically, the province draws and invites the candidates with the highest scores.
The cut-off score for hospital cleaners and security guards is lower than for healthcare professionals and tradespeople. For this category, the immigration requirements under the stream are simpler than for highly skilled workers — they need fewer points to receive an invitation.
The 2026 draws: scores, invitations, and the cap
British Columbia has already held two draws for healthcare facility support staff. The first took place on July 23: 60 people were invited, with a cut-off score of 50. The second draw took place on September 17 — noticeably fewer invitations went out, and the cut-off score rose by 10 points.
| Draw | Date | Invitations | Cut-off score |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | July 23 | 60 | 50 |
| Second | September 17 | 33 | 60 |
For comparison: according to available data, in that same September, healthcare professionals, childcare workers, and tradespeople needed to score between 76 and 99 points for an invitation in this province. In other words, the requirements for cleaners and security guards are noticeably softer than for highly skilled occupations.
According to available data, the province plans to approve up to 250 people under this stream. Across the two draws, 93 invitations have already gone out — about 40% of the stated cap. The later an application is submitted, the higher the score requirement may turn out to be.
British Columbia’s two 2026 draws
The cut-off score rose by 10 points between draws, while the number of invitations fell.
- First draw — July 2360 invitations, score 50
- Second draw — September 1733 invitations, score 60
Across two draws the cut-off score rose from 50 to 60, and 93 invitations have already gone out of the 250 cap. The later you apply, the higher the requirement may be.
Who can apply: requirements for the candidate and the employer
The stream is not designed for new applicants from abroad, but for people who are already working in British Columbia. The candidate must be employed in the province by one of the regional health authorities — meaning they must already be in Canada and hold a work permit.
The requirements for the employer and work history are strict:
- Employer — must be a public health authority only. A private clinic, cleaning company, or security agency does not qualify, even if the employee is physically cleaning or guarding a hospital.
- Work history — a minimum of 9 months with that specific employer. In practice, this means the candidate has already worked legally in the country for nearly a year.
- Job offer — a permanent, full-time position; a temporary or part-time contract does not count.
- Education — at least a high school level, plus meeting the income requirements set by the stream itself.
A private clinic, cleaning company, or security agency does not qualify, even if the employee is physically cleaning or guarding a hospital.
Based on the stream’s description, all conditions must be met simultaneously: missing any one of them can be grounds for a refused invitation.
Only someone already working in British Columbia for a regional health authority for at least 9 months, in a permanent full-time position, can apply.
Conditions that must all be met at once
Why Vancouver and Victoria don’t qualify: the location requirement
The place of work must be located in a rural or remote area — this is a separate condition of the stream, on top of the employer and work-history requirements.
- Vancouver and its suburbs — do not qualify under the stream, regardless of the specific neighborhood.
- The Kelowna area — is also excluded from the stream entirely.
- Victoria, as the provincial capital, does not qualify on its own.
- The islands around Victoria — Galiano, Mayne, Salt Spring, Saturna, and others — do count as qualifying locations.
Vancouver and its suburbs — do not qualify under the stream, regardless of the specific neighborhood.
So a candidate working at a clinic or hospital within Vancouver, Kelowna, or Victoria itself cannot use this stream: only work outside these cities, in rural areas or on the listed islands, qualifies.
Vancouver and its suburbs, Kelowna, and Victoria do not count as qualifying locations. Only rural areas and select islands around Victoria qualify.
How much cleaners and security guards earn in British Columbia
According to the government job bank, cleaners in British Columbia earn between $18 and $26 an hour, and security guards between $18 and $32. In hospitals, cleaner wages run above the market average: job postings at the province’s healthcare facilities show $24–$29 an hour.
| Occupation | Hourly rate | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaner | $18–26 | province-wide average |
| Security guard | $18–32 | province-wide average |
| Cleaner | $24–29 | in hospitals |
At full-time hours, a hospital cleaner’s wage translates to roughly $50,000 to $60,000 a year — the exact figure depends on the number of shifts and overtime. For work that doesn’t require a higher education, this is noticeably above many other low-skilled positions — in some cases, the hourly rate approaches $30.
Exchange rate and taxes: what actually ends up in your pocket
Wages quoted for Canada are usually listed in Canadian dollars, not US dollars. Converting to USD immediately shaves off about 30% — that’s the exchange-rate gap, not an error in the wage calculation.
The second reduction comes from taxes and mandatory deductions. All the hourly rates mentioned are pre-tax income, and take-home pay ends up 20–25% lower. The exact deduction rate depends on the province: British Columbia and New Brunswick differ on this share.
Add both adjustments together — the USD conversion and the tax deduction — and the amount a cleaner or security guard actually receives is noticeably lower than the figure quoted in the job posting.
From the stated CAD rate, subtract about 30% for the USD conversion and another 20–25% for taxes — actual take-home pay is noticeably lower than the number in the job posting.
When registration closes and what happens next
Registration for the stream closes on October 7, 2026. The deadline was originally set for August 31, but the province pushed it back because of the effects of wildfires.
Once registration closes, no new candidates will be accepted: only those who registered in time will receive invitations. The stream for cleaners and security guards in British Columbia is a one-time offer, not a permanently running channel: the province launched it to retain people who are already working in smaller communities and who are hard to replace there. Anyone who already holds an open work permit and is working as a cleaner or security guard at a hospital in a small British Columbia community should check the registration deadline as soon as possible.
The stream for cleaners and security guards in British Columbia is a one-time offer, not a permanently running channel
Registration deadline extension
The province pushed the deadline back due to the effects of wildfires.
- Registration deadline
Registration closes on October 7, 2026 — the deadline has already been pushed back once from August 31. No new candidates will be accepted after it closes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an invitation under this stream if I work at a private clinic or a cleaning company contracted to a hospital, rather than for the hospital itself?
No. The employer must be a public regional health authority — a private clinic, cleaning company, or security agency does not qualify, even if the employee is physically cleaning or guarding a hospital.
Can I apply if I’m not yet working in Canada?
No, the stream is not designed for new applicants from abroad. The candidate must already be working in British Columbia for a regional health authority, hold a valid work permit, and have at least 9 months of experience with that specific employer.
What will happen to the cut-off score in future draws?
The two draws held so far show a rising trend: from 50 points in July to 60 in September, while the number of invitations dropped by nearly half. This suggests that the later an application is submitted, the higher the score requirement may turn out to be.
Can I qualify for this stream if I work on an island near Victoria?
Yes. Victoria itself, as the provincial capital, does not qualify, but the islands around it — Galiano, Mayne, Salt Spring, Saturna, and others — do count as qualifying rural or remote locations.
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