What Is the Job Seeker Validation Code? Where to Find It and How BC PNP Uses It (2026)

If you are asking "what is the job seeker validation code?", you have probably just hit a form field that wants it: the BC PNP Online registration for Express Entry BC, a Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia application, or a Manitoba expression of interest. The code is easy to find once you know where IRCC puts it, but easy to get wrong: it changes when you create a new profile, it is useless once your profile expires, and a stale code can cost you a nomination. This guide uses IRCC's help pages and the provinces' current instructions.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, check the official sources listed at the end or speak to a licensed representative.

What Is the Job Seeker Validation Code?

When you submit an Express Entry profile and IRCC finds you eligible for at least one of the three federal programs it manages (the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class), your profile enters the pool. IRCC then posts a letter to your account that contains two identifiers: your Express Entry profile number and your Job Seeker Validation Code.

The code exists because of Job Bank, the federal government's job board. When Express Entry launched in 2015, candidates without a job offer or a provincial nomination had to register with Job Bank, and the validation code is what proved to Job Bank that a person really had a profile in the pool. IRCC made Job Bank registration voluntary for Express Entry candidates on June 6, 2017. IRCC's help centre still describes a Job Match account as optional, and the letter still prints the code under the heading "To register with Job Bank."

Today the code's main job is verification: the profile number identifies your profile, and the validation code shows you are the person who holds it. That is why provinces with Express Entry-linked streams ask for both.

Key Takeaway

You only get a Job Seeker Validation Code if your profile is found eligible and enters the pool. If your account says your profile is not eligible, you will not have a usable code, and you cannot use an Express Entry-linked provincial stream until you submit a new, eligible profile.

Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Validation Code: How They Differ From Other IRCC Numbers

IRCC gives you several reference numbers over the course of an immigration file, and people often enter the wrong one. This table separates them.

Number	When you get it	What it is used for
Express Entry profile number	After your profile is submitted; shown at the top of the IRCC letter	Identifies your profile in the pool; requested by provinces, Job Bank and IRCC support
Job Seeker Validation Code	Issued with the profile number when you enter the pool	Proves you hold that profile; used for Job Bank and by provincial Express Entry streams
Personal reference code	Before you start a profile, from IRCC's "Come to Canada" eligibility questions	Carries your answers into a new profile; IRCC notes it will not work once you have already started a profile
Unique client identifier (UCI)	On earlier Canadian visas, permits or applications	Your permanent IRCC client number across all applications; not a substitute for either Express Entry number

About the format: IRCC does not publish a written description of either number's format, so we will not guess at one. What Job Bank's support page does say is useful: the codes are case sensitive and should be entered exactly as they appear. It also advises against copy and paste, because a hidden extra character can trigger an error. Type each character by hand and check upper and lower case.

Where to Find Your Job Seeker Validation Code

As of October 2026, Express Entry profiles are still created and managed in the IRCC secure account, the account you sign in to with a GCKey or a Sign-in Partner. IRCC has said a new case management platform will eventually bring a new expression of interest system for Express Entry, but no launch date has been announced and canada.ca's current instructions still point to the secure account. IRCC's help centre answer on this question, last updated September 28, 2026, gives this route:

Sign in to your IRCC secure account the same way you did when you created your profile.
Find your submitted profile. Go to the section for viewing your submitted applications or profiles.
Open your messages. Select the option to check status and messages for your Express Entry profile.
Open the letter. In the Correspondence table, open the drop-down for the relevant message and click the link to open the PDF.
Read the numbers. Your Express Entry profile number is at the top of the letter. The Job Seeker Validation Code is under the section titled "To register with Job Bank."
Check you have the right letter. If the message you opened does not look like the profile letter, IRCC says to check your other messages. If you have ever submitted more than one profile, make sure the letter belongs to your current one.

Save a copy of that PDF. Ontario, for instance, asks for a copy of the IRCC letter showing a new profile's number and validation code if your profile changes during processing.

If you lost the code or cannot find it

You lost the number but still have account access: nothing is lost. The letter stays in your account messages; follow the steps above.
You have a profile number but no validation code: IRCC says to contact it through the Case Specific Enquiry form for technical issues. Name the program you are applying under, describe the problem and upload screenshots of the page and any error message. If you have no unique client identifier, IRCC's instructions say to enter 1111111111 in that field.
There is no profile number at all: IRCC directs you to the same form. Also check whether your profile was actually submitted and found eligible. IRCC notes that if the button on your profile only says "View form," the profile was not found eligible.
You cannot sign in: recover your GCKey or Sign-in Partner access first. Do not create a second profile just to see a code: it gets a different number and code, which confuses any province that already has the first set.

When the Code Changes, Expires or Stops Working

Situation	What happens to your numbers	What to do
You update an eligible profile (new test score, new job, new address)	IRCC's update instructions do not say new numbers are issued	Use the numbers in your latest IRCC letter; if a province has your file, report material changes to it
Profile expires after 12 months without an invitation	The profile is removed from the system; its number and code are no longer usable	Submit a new profile and give the new numbers to any province involved
Profile is found ineligible	IRCC says you cannot update an ineligible profile and must create a new one	Fix the cause, submit a new profile, and notify the province with the new letter
You submit a new profile	IRCC states you get a new profile number and a new Job Seeker Validation Code	If you use Job Bank, link the new numbers there too
You want to start over before expiry	IRCC says not to create a new profile until the old one expires, or to withdraw the old one first	Withdraw through your account before creating the new profile

A note on a common claim: you will see it said, including in some older posts on this site, that the codes "refresh" every time you update your profile. We could not find any IRCC statement supporting that. The only event IRCC documents as producing a new code is submitting a new profile. Whatever the cause, the practical rule is the same: the numbers in your most recent IRCC letter are the ones that count, and any province with your file needs those.

The November 3, 2026 Express Entry changes

IRCC announced on October 16, 2026 that, from November 3, profiles in the pool will have their CRS scores recalculated automatically, and candidates who want points for a qualifying job offer must update their profiles before that date. The announcement says nothing about profile numbers or validation codes, and it describes updating existing profiles, not creating new ones. Check your account messages afterward and use whatever your latest IRCC letter shows.

Your profile's expiry date is shown in your account. Check it before you register with a province. A Nova Scotia or BC process can take months, and Alberta warns on its Express Entry stream page that you may be less likely to be asked to apply if your profile expires in five months or less.

How BC PNP Uses the Job Seeker Validation Code

British Columbia runs Express Entry BC (EEBC) as an option inside Skills Immigration rather than as a separate program. Under the BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide effective June 10, 2026, the EEBC option is available in the Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams. You choose it by selecting the stream whose name starts with "Express Entry BC" in BC PNP Online, which connects your nomination to your federal profile. For the full stream rules, see our Express Entry BC guide.

What BC's guide requires on the Express Entry side:

A valid profile number and Job Seeker Validation Code. You receive both from IRCC once you meet the criteria for a federal Express Entry program.
Interest in B.C. Your federal profile must indicate that you are interested in settling in British Columbia.
A TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offer. Only those occupations are eligible for the EEBC option.
A profile that stays valid and visible. BC can only nominate you through EEBC if your profile remains valid and visible to the BC PNP. The guide warns that your profile stops being visible if your job offer is TEER 4 or 5, if the profile has expired, or if you have received an invitation to apply from IRCC before BC finishes its assessment.
Telling BC about a new profile. If your federal profile expires during the BC PNP process, create a new one and email PNPInfo@gov.bc.ca with the new profile number and Job Seeker Validation Code.

If you register under a regular (non-EEBC) Skills Immigration stream, you do not need the code at all. BC's guide says applicants not using the EEBC option do not require an IRCC Express Entry profile number or Job Seeker Validation Code. Your SIRS registration score is calculated the same way under either option, and BC's 2026 Care, Build and Innovate draws invite from both. The difference comes after nomination: an EEBC nomination is linked to your federal profile, while a regular nomination leads to a separate, non-Express Entry (base) PR application. Our comparison of EEBC and regular Skills Immigration covers the trade-offs, and you can estimate your registration score with the BC PNP Calculator.

Watch the timing

If your CRS score is high enough to be invited in a federal draw while BC is still assessing you, accepting that federal invitation makes your profile invisible to the BC PNP and ends the EEBC route for that profile. Decide in advance which path you will take if both arrive. Our BC PNP vs CRS guide explains how the two scores interact.

Which Provinces' Express Entry Streams Ask for the Code

We only list provinces whose current official pages we checked in October 2026. Other provinces and territories with Express Entry-linked streams may also ask for the code; check their own instructions.

Province	Where it is asked	What the official page says
British Columbia (BC PNP)	Express Entry BC option of the Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams	Valid profile number and Job Seeker Validation Code required; email PNPInfo@gov.bc.ca with new numbers if your profile expires during the process
Saskatchewan (SINP)	International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry; Express Entry applicants in the Health Talent and Innovation and Tech Talent pathways	Profile number and code are the first required document; you must tell the SINP if you get new ones while your application is in process; language results must match your Express Entry profile
Nova Scotia (NSNP)	Nova Scotia: Express Entry stream expression of interest	Both numbers are needed to submit an EOI; the February 2026 guide says a submission without them will be refused
Ontario (OINP)	Ontario Workforce Priority stream, if you choose nomination through Express Entry	You must keep a valid profile until nominated; if it expires or becomes ineligible, provide IRCC's letter showing the new profile's number and validation code
Manitoba (MPNP)	Skilled Worker stream expressions of interest	2026 draw results report how many invitations went to candidates who declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code
Alberta (AAIP)	Alberta Express Entry Stream	The stream page does not mention the code; it requires an active profile whose primary occupation matches your Worker EOI, and lets you submit an updated profile through the AAIP portal

For broader comparisons of these programs, see BC vs Saskatchewan and BC vs Ontario. Both were written earlier in 2026, and Ontario has since replaced its old Express Entry streams with the Ontario Workforce Priority stream.

Common Job Seeker Validation Code Errors and How to Avoid Them

Usually the problem is not the code but the profile behind it, or a mismatch between the profile and what you tell the province.

Typing errors. The code is case sensitive. Enter it character by character instead of pasting, and confirm you have not swapped it with the profile number.
Using numbers from an old profile. If you have ever withdrawn, let expire or replaced a profile, you have more than one letter in your account. Use the one for the profile that is currently in the pool.
An expired profile. A profile you submitted 11 months ago may expire before a province finishes its review. Check the expiry date in your account before registering and plan for a new profile if needed.
Different personal details. Your name, date of birth and passport details should be identical in your Express Entry profile and your provincial registration. Small differences, like a missing middle name, can stop a province from matching the two.
A language test that does not match. Saskatchewan states that your test results must match the language level in your Express Entry profile. If you retake a test and use the new result with the province, update your federal profile too. Our language requirements guide covers BC's thresholds.
A different occupation. Alberta requires the primary occupation in your profile to match your Worker EOI, and BC's EEBC option only works with a TEER 0 to 3 job offer. Make sure the NOC code is consistent across your profile, job offer and registration. See our NOC and TEER guide.
B.C. not selected as a province of interest. BC's guide requires your federal profile to show interest in settling in B.C.

Our BC PNP common mistakes guide and documents checklist cover other registration problems. If you have already been invited, see what to do after a BC PNP ITA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a job seeker validation code?

The Job Seeker Validation Code is a case-sensitive code IRCC issues together with your Express Entry profile number when your profile is accepted into the Express Entry pool. It was created so candidates could link their profile to a Job Bank account, which has been optional since June 6, 2017. Provinces such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia now ask for it, with the profile number, to confirm you have a genuine Express Entry profile.

Where can I find my job seeker validation code?

Log in to your IRCC secure account, go to the section for your submitted applications or profiles, choose Check status and messages, and open the PDF letter in the Correspondence table. The profile number is at the top of the letter and the code is under the heading To register with Job Bank.

Does the job seeker validation code change if I update my Express Entry profile?

IRCC's help pages explain how to update a submitted profile but do not say that an update issues new numbers. What IRCC does document is that submitting a new profile, for example after the old one expires or is found ineligible, gives you a new profile number and a new code. Always use the numbers in your most recent IRCC letter.

Does the job seeker validation code expire?

The code is tied to your profile, and an Express Entry profile expires automatically if you are not invited to apply within 12 months of submitting it. An expired profile is removed from the system, so its number and code stop being useful. You then need a new profile, which comes with a new number and code.

Do I need a job seeker validation code for BC PNP Skills Immigration?

Only if you choose an Express Entry BC option, which BC offers under its Skilled Worker and Health Authority streams. BC's Skills Immigration Program Guide, effective June 10, 2026, says applicants who do not use the EEBC option do not need an Express Entry profile number or a Job Seeker Validation Code.

What if I have an Express Entry profile number but no job seeker validation code?

IRCC says to contact it through the Case Specific Enquiry form for technical issues. Name the program you are applying under, describe the problem and attach screenshots of the page and any error message. If you do not have a unique client identifier, IRCC's instructions say to enter 1111111111 in that field.

My Express Entry profile expired during my BC PNP process. What do I do?

Create a new Express Entry profile, then email PNPInfo@gov.bc.ca with your new profile number and Job Seeker Validation Code, as BC's program guide instructs. BC can only nominate you through Express Entry BC while your profile is valid and visible to the BC PNP.

Can my spouse and I use the same job seeker validation code?

No. Each Express Entry profile has its own profile number and code, and Job Bank says they cannot be shared between spouses. For a provincial application, give the numbers from the profile of the person who will be the principal applicant.

Sources

Information current as of October 18, 2026. Program rules change often; confirm on IRCC or WelcomeBC before applying.