Entrepreneur Category

The British Columbia Entrepreneur stream is one of the streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), operated by the province of British Columbia. This initiative is designed to target experienced business owner-managers or senior business managers who want to live in British Columbia. Successful applicants must start a new business or buy an existing business in which they participate in the day-to-day management duties. After operating the business for a minimum of 550 days, the entrepreneur may be nominated for permanent resident status.

Interested candidates must first register a profile with the BC PNP. After registering a profile the candidate will be assigned a score based on the British Columbia Entrepreneur Ranking System. The applicants with the most competitive scores will be invited to submit an official application to the program. Foreign-controlled corporations wishing to establish a branch office or operating facility in BC may be eligible to submit an Entrepreneur application through the Strategic Projects initiative. This initiative allows innovative companies to transition up to five foreign staff members to BC to actively manage the proposed operation.

Program Requirements

Level of Education

To be eligible for the BC Entrepreneur stream, candidates must have at least post-secondary level education. Note that some candidates may be exempt from this requirement if they have three (3) years of experience as an active business owner-manager with 100% ownership in the last five (5) years.

Work Experience

Candidates must have sufficient work experience to successfully establish and run a business in British Columbia. This can be demonstrated through at least three (3) years of experience as an active business owner-manager, more than four (4) years experience as a senior manager, or a combination of at least one (1) year experience as an active business owner-manager and at least two (2) years of experience as a senior manager. Work experience must have been in an active role, meaning that the candidate participated in day-to-day operations rather than as a passive business investor.

Investment Requirement

Candidates need to demonstrate that they are able to invest in and establish a business in British Columbia. Candidates must therefore demonstrate a personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD, and make a minimum investment of $200,000 CAD in a new or existing business that they purchase. The candidate must demonstrate that they will own at least one-third (33.33%) of the business. If the candidate will own less than one-third of the business, they may be eligible if they invest a minimum of $1,000,000 CAD in an equity purchase. Candidates must sign a performance agreement with the province.

Performance Agreement: A performance agreement is an agreement signed with British Columbia that outlines the conditions under which the candidate will receive a nomination for permanent residence. BC will issue a provincial nomination to the candidate if they meet all of the conditions of the performance agreement, and maintain residence in BC within 100km of the location of their business and for at least 75% of their time while on a temporary work permit

Co-Registrants

A candidate may be able to submit an application with co-registrants who propose shared ownership of the BC business.

Application Procedure

The British Columbia Entrepreneur stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Candidates who meet the minimum stream requirements can register a profile using the BC’s online immigration portal. The BC Entrepreneur stream charges a $300 CAD registration fee. Once the profile has been submitted, candidates will be assigned a score and ranked against one another using the BC Entrepreneur Immigration Ranking System. The highest ranking candidates will be invited to apply to the stream in one of the stream’s periodic intakes.

Candidates must submit a complete application to the stream within 120 days from when they receive the invitation to apply. This application must include a business concept, verification of personal net worth, and supporting documents. The BC Entrepreneur stream charges a $3,500 CAD application fee, plus an additional $1,000 CAD if the applicant includes a key staff member. Candidates and key staff members may be required to attend an interview in Vancouver with BC PNP staff. If the application is approved, the candidate and key staff (if applicable) 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 of confirmation, also called a work permit support letter, allows the candidate and key staff member to apply to IRCC for a two-year temporary work permit. Note that applying for a temporary work permit represents a separate application IRCC.

If the applicant receives a temporary work permit from IRCC, they must come to British Columbia to implement their business plan. The applicant will have up to 20 months to implement the business plan and satisfy the performance agreement. If the candidate meets the conditions of the performance agreement, they will be issued a provincial nomination for permanent residence from British Columbia.

After receiving a provincial nomination, the applicant has six months to submit a federal application for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants in this program must complete and submit a paper-based application for permanent residence and submit it by mail to the appropriate application centre. Paper-based PNP applications for permanent residence are generally processed within 18 months.

British Columbia Entrepreneur Ranking System

The British Columbia Entrepreneur uses the following points-grid to rank candidates who have registered profiles. Only those candidates with the most competitive scores will be invited to apply to the program.

British Columbia Entrepreneur - Recent Draws & Invitation History

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