British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

The British Columbia Entrepreneur migration allows experienced businesspersons to establish themselves in British Columbia, to invest and operate a commercially viable business which can provide significant benefits to the B.C economy. This pathway leads to Canadian permanent residence.

The process is an online registration system, with a maximum of 200 registrations accepted each month. The highest scoring applicants will be invited to apply. If successful, applicants will receive a valid work permit. Applicants are first advised to make a preliminary visit to B.C and learn about the opportunities in the Province and the viability of the business, before they make the decision to register.

Assessment criteria

• Business and/or work experience
• Personal net worth and source of funds
• Adaptability
• Business proposal

Minimum Requirements

• Be responsible for the active and ongoing management of the day-to-day business operations;
• demonstrate residence in B.C. within 100 kilometres of the business
• must not be prohibited from entering Canada or have been residing in Canada illegally
• have a personal net worth of at least $600,000 under his or her name or under the spouse’s name
• have a post-secondary credential or experience as an active business owner with full ownership of the business for at three years out of the last five years (The ownership could be shared between the owner, spouse/partner or dependent children)
• The owner must have
  • more than three years of experience as an active business owner-manager, or
  • more than four years of experience as a senior manager, or
  • a combination of at least one year of experience as an active business owner/manager and at least two years of experience as a senior manager.
• A solid business plan
• Make a minimum investment of $200,000 within 20 months of arriving in the province
• The applicant must create at least one new full-time permanent job position for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in the proposed business within one year of arriving in the province as well as support long-term employment of citizens and permanent residents in the business.
• If you purchase an existing business, the number of existing jobs in the business must be maintained and all employees must be paid a wage that matches their skill level.

Registration and application fees

All applicants must pay the following fees:

• $300 registration fee
• $3,500 application fee
• $1,000 for each key staff application  

The Invitation to Apply

If a candidate is invited to apply, he or she will receive an email notification and will have up to 120 days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application.

The applicant may be called to attend an in-person interview at the BC PNP office in Vancouver. If an application is approved, the BC PNP will require applicants to sign a Performance Agreement. Failure to meet the Performance Agreement expectations may result in a loss of nomination.

Provincial Nomination to Permanent Residence

If the applicants meet the requirements of the Performance Agreement within 20 months, the BC PNP will nominate him or her for permanent residence. An applicant, along with his or her dependent family members, can then apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Once the terms of the Performance Agreement have been met, he or she can submit a final report to the BC PNP to be issued a nomination certificate. The entrepreneur must demonstrate that he or she:

• is actively managing a business
• resides within 100 kilometres of the business
• has been physically present in BC for at least 75% of the time that he or she was on a work permit
• has complied with all terms of the performance agreement

Applicants will be scored based on the following factors. The maximum score available is 200.

• Experience: Candidates must score at least 8 points to meet the minimum requirements for this section. The applicant will get an additional 4 points if they have held 100% ownership of the proposed business for at least three of the last five years
• Net Worth: candidates must have at least a minimum of $600,000 in personal net worth. Candidates must score at least 5 points to meet the minimum requirements for net worth.
• Total Personal Investment: A proposed business-related investment must be completed within 20 months of arriving in B.C. Candidates must score at least 6 points in this section.
• Jobs Created / Maintained: Candidates will receive points based on their proposed job creation. Candidates must score at least 2 points to meet the minimum requirements for this section.

Adaptability: Candidates will receive points based on their self-declared adaptability factors. The maximum score available for this section is 32. There is no minimum required score for this section.

Business Concept: The proposed business concept will be evaluated by the BC PNP and must include an overview of the following:

• description of the business model and its operations
• description of the types of goods and/or services the business will provide
• proposed job title and duties
• description of how the business will be commercially viable
• description of all staffing requirements

A candidate must score at least 32 points overall in this section, but there is no minimum requirement in each category. The business concept will be scored on the following factors.

• Commercial viability
• Transferability of skills
• Economic benefits

*If the candidate qualifies for the selection pool, he or she will receive an email confirmation from the BC PNP.

Steps to Apply

• Registration: The first step is to complete the online registration through BCPNP Online. Including paying a non-refundable registration fee of $300.
•  Invitation: Eligible registrants receive an invitation to apply online to the BC PNP under the Entrepreneur Immigration stream.
• Net worth review: If you are invited to apply, a BC PNP-authorized accounting firm must review your personal net worth and verify your financial situation
• Application: After being invited to apply, you have four months (120 days) to submit a complete application through BCPNP Online.
• Building your business in B.C.: The next step is to establish your business according to the terms and conditions of your Performance Agreement.
• Nomination: Receive a provincial nomination and apply to IRCC for permanent residence.