Kelowna Lists Priority Jobs Under The Francophone PR Pilot
Kelowna lists priority jobs under the Francophone PR pilot, i.e., the city of Kelowna has announced the priority sectors and occupations that will be targeted in 2026 under the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP).
Kelowna is located in south-central British Columbia on the eastern shore of the Okanagan Valley. The city continues to participate in the FCIP program, which supports French-speaking immigration to communities outside Quebec.
For 2026, Kelowna has introduced one additional priority sector and eight new occupations that are now considered in demand.
Foreign nationals who wish to apply for permanent residence (PR) through the FCIP must meet certain requirements. Candidates must demonstrate qualifying French language ability and also obtain a valid job offer from a designated employer in the community.
This article explains Kelowna’s priority sectors for 2026, the list of targeted occupations, and the intake schedule for employer recommendations.
So, without further ado, let us begin!
Kelowna’s 2026 Priority Sectors
In 2026, Kelowna identified six priority sectors under the FCIP program. These sectors are currently marked as “open” by the British Columbia Economic Development Corporation (SDECB), which manages employer designations as well as community recommendations for the program.
The six priority sectors are:
- Sales and service
- Trades, transport and equipment operators
- Education, law and social, community and government services
- Health
- Natural and applied sciences
- Business, finance and administration
These sectors are mostly the same as the ones prioritized in 2025. The only change this year is the addition of the “Business, finance and administration” sector.
The priority sectors reflect Kelowna’s labour needs and the types of workers the community is hoping to attract through immigration.
Note: For the sales and service sector, the SDECB will issue no more than 10 community recommendation certificates (also known as referrals). In addition, no more than two referrals will be issued for each National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.
For the trades sector, each occupation will be limited to a maximum of three recommendations.
Kelowna’s 2026 Priority Occupations
Kelowna, which is the largest city in the Okanagan Valley, has identified 25 occupations that are considered in demand for 2026.
Each occupation is listed with its National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. The occupations that appear in bold represent newly added occupations for 2026. There are eight new occupations on the list this year.
All other occupations listed were already targeted in 2025.
| Occupation | NOC code |
| Accounting technicians and bookkeepers | 12200 |
| Administrative officers | 13100 |
| Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers | 72410 |
| Bakers | 63202 |
| Cabinetmakers | 72311 |
| Carpenters | 72310 |
| Cleaning supervisors | 62024 |
| Cooks | 63200 |
| Corporate sales managers | 60010 |
| Early childhood educators and assistants | 42202 |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) | 72200 |
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants | 43100 |
| Forestry technologists and technicians | 22112 |
| Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations | 44101 |
| Hotel front desk clerks | 64314 |
| Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations | 33101 |
| Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates | 33102 |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services | 33109 |
| Other repairers and servicers | 73209 |
| Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) | 73112 |
| Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers | 73102 |
| Roofers and shinglers | 73110 |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 |
| Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers | 12011 |
| Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers | 12010 |
At present, there are 40 employers that have been designated by the SDECB to participate in the FCIP program. However, many of these employers are not actively hiring at the moment.
The city has also clarified that certain types of businesses are not eligible to participate in the program. These include fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, vape stores, and cannabis retail stores.
For the occupations listed above, the expected minimum wages generally range between $21 and $28 per hour.
Occupations Removed From The 2026 Priority List
There are also several occupations that were previously included but are no longer listed as priority occupations for 2026.
In total, eight occupations have been removed from the list. Most of these positions belong to the trades or sales and service sectors.
The occupations that are no longer prioritized are:
- Chefs (62000)
- Construction trades helpers and labourers (NOC 75110)
- Food and beverage servers (NOC 65200)
- Food service supervisors (NOC 62020)
- Light duty cleaners (NOC 65310)
- Other customer and information services representatives (NOC 64409)
- Retail sales supervisors (NOC 62010)
- Veterinarians (NOC 31103)
The removal of these occupations may suggest that labour shortages in these areas were addressed during the previous year.
In 2025, these shortages may have been partly resolved through the FCIP program as well as other immigration pathways, such as the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) and the federal Express Entry system.
Kelowna’s 2026 Intake Schedule And Recommendations
Kelowna will hold seven intake periods during the 2026 calendar year.
The first intake period is expected to open in June.
During each intake period, applications for recommendations will be accepted from the 15th to the 30th of the month. During this time, designated employers may submit recommendations for potential candidates to the SDECB for review.
Each employer is allowed to submit a maximum of three candidate recommendations per intake period.
According to the SDECB, there are currently limited recommendation spots still available for certain occupations.
At the time of writing, one recommendation remains available for the occupation:
- Corporate sales managers (NOC 60010).
Two recommendations remain available for the following occupations:
- Bakers (63202)
- Cleaning supervisors (62024)
- Cooks (63200)
- Hotel front desk clerks (64314)
These limited spots suggest that some occupations may reach their recommendation limit quickly.
Overview Of The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) is a five-year immigration program that began in 2025.
It was introduced alongside the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP). Both programs aim to support immigration to smaller communities across Canada.
The FCIP specifically focuses on encouraging French-speaking immigration to communities outside Quebec where French-speaking populations are smaller.
To qualify for the program, candidates must first receive a valid job offer from an employer that has been designated by the participating community. In Kelowna’s case, this designation is managed by the SDECB.
Candidates must also demonstrate French language ability at Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) level 5 in all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Once a candidate receives a job offer, the employer may recommend them to the community for participation in the FCIP program.
However, only candidates who have job offers in a priority sector and occupation can receive a recommendation.
If the community approves the recommendation, the candidate can then submit an application for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
In addition to the job offer and language requirements, candidates must meet several other eligibility conditions.
These include:
- At least one year of related work experience within the past three years (depending on the job offer);
- TEER 0/1 offer: experience in TEERs 0–3.
- TEER 2 offer: experience in TEERs 1–4.
- TEER 3/4 offer: experience in TEERs 2–4.
- TEER 5 offer: experience in the same five-digit NOC code.
- Applicants must also have at least a Canadian high school diploma or an equivalent foreign credential supported by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
- In addition, candidates must show proof of settlement funds to support themselves and their families in Canada. For a single applicant, the required funds begin at $10,507. However, individuals who are already working in Canada on a valid work permit are not required to show proof of settlement funds.
Note: Some candidates may also qualify for a special two-year work permit. This permit allows them to begin working for their FCIP-designated employer while their permanent residence application is still being processed.
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