British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration— Regional Pilot

British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration — Regional Pilot

British Columbia welcomes entrepreneurs from around the world to discover many business opportunities across all regions of the province. Entrepreneurs can open a business in one of B.C.’s smaller communities and experience first-hand why many choose to live outside of a large urban center for their families.

Through the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot, on of British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), the Province offers an immigration pathway for enterprising individuals who are looking to start a new business in a small community and make B.C. their new home.

The EI Regional Pilot was introduced in March 2019 and has been extended to March 31, 2024.

Key Features of the BC PNP EI Regional Pilot

1. Active community role: participating communities have an active role in the selection of prospective applicants. Designated community representatives meet with prospective entrepreneurs, hear their business proposals and refer them to the BC PNP if their proposal is selected. Communities and local partners also provide settlement support services to assist entrepreneurs once they arrive.
2. BC PNP referrals: participating communities can refer immigrant entrepreneurs to the BC PNP. In order to be referred, the entrepreneur candidate must conduct an exploratory visit to the community and the proposed business must meet the community’s economic development priorities.
3. Community concierge: participating communities can benefit from a dedicated Community Concierge appointed through the pilot to assist with their immigration need
4. Invitations & prioritization: immigrant entrepreneurs with community referrals will be able to register in a separate candidate pool for the EI Regional Pilot. BC PNP will prioritize eligible applications and invitations will be issued on a monthly basis.

Eligibility Requirements for Candidates

1. Net worth of minimum $300,000.
2. Minimum of $100,000 in eligible business investments.
3. Minimum of 51% ownership in the new business.
4. Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4 In English or French in each of the four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
5. Create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
6. Conduct an exploratory visit in the target community

Eligibility Requirements for Communities

1. A population of fewer than 75,000 people.
2. Located beyond 30 km of a municipality of more than 75,000 people.
3. Demonstrate capacity to support the entrepreneur through a network of established settlement and business support agencies.

Application Process

In order to apply to the BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot, a candidate must be referred by one of the province’s participating communities. To be referred, candidates are required to make an exploratory visit to BC and meet with the program representative from the community in which they wish to create their business. The Entrepreneur Regional Pilot operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Once a candidate has a referral from a participating community, they can register a profile using the BC’s online immigration portal and submit their EOI. The BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot charges a CAD $300 fee.

Once the profile has been submitted, candidates will be assigned a score and ranked against one another using the BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Ranking System. The highest ranking candidates will be invited to submit an official application. The official application must include a business concept, verification of personal net worth, and supporting documents. If the application is approved, the candidate will be invited to sign a performance agreement with British Columbia. Once the performance agreement is signed, candidates will be issued a letter of confirmation. This letter also called a work permit support letter which allows the candidate to apply for a two-year temporary work permit.

After receiving the work permit, the candidate must travel to BC to launch their new business. Between 12 and 20 months after arriving in BC, the candidate must submit a final report showing that they met the terms of their performance agreement. If the final report is accepted, the applicant officially receives provincial nomination and can apply to IRCC for permanent resident status.

BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Ranking System