Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category

With a strategic location, competitive taxes and a multicultural workforce that is well-educated, highly-skilled and productive, British Columbia is one of Canada’s most dynamic places to do business, presenting unique opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Find out your eligibility for British Columbia Entrepreneur Provincial Nomination | Canadian Visa News

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 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  BC Entrepreneur Immigration Ranking System (detailed mentioned below). 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.

Requirement
Express Entry Profile No
Connection to Province No
Job Offer No
Language Proficiency No minimum
Level of Education Post-secondary, or sufficient business management experience
Work Experience Business ownership / Management
3 years
Investment Requirement Investment: $200,000 CAD
Personal Net Worth: $600,000 CAD

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.

Key Staff

Candidates may be eligible to propose one key staff member whose expertise is essential to the success of the business to accompany them if the following conditions are met. The candidate must make a minimum personal investment of at least $400,000 CAD. The proposed business must also create at least three new permanent, full-time equivalent positions for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

The key staff must have worked with the candidate in a senior position for at least one year out of the last three years, and their position in the proposed business must be at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0 or A. The key staff must have either two years of post-secondary education or education and work experience specifically aligned with the proposed position. The key staff will also be required to sign a performance agreement with British Columbia.

Key Staff

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. (Detailed Mention Below). 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.

Find out your eligibility for British Columbia provincial nomination | Canadian visa news

BC Entrepreneur Immigration 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.

Scoring Sections Points
Self-declared
Experience 20
Ownership 4
Net Worth 12
Total Personal Investment 20
Jobs 20
Regional District 12
Adaptability 32
Self-declared SUBTOTAL score 120
Business concept
Commercial Viability 30
Transferability of Skills 20
Economic Benefits 30
Business concept SUBTOTAL score 80
Maximum Score Available 200

 

Experience Total Duration

Experience Total Duration Points
Business owner-manager experience
Less than 12 months 0
12 to 24 months 4
25 to 36 months 6
37 to 48 months 12
49 to 60 months 15
More than 60 months 20
Senior manager work experience
Less than 24 months 0
24 to 48 months 4
49 to 60 months 8
More than 60 months 12
Maximum Score Available 20

Ownership Amount

Ownership Amount Points
Business ownership
Less than three years of 100% business ownership in the past five years 0
100% ownership of a business for at least three of the last five years 4
Maximum Score Available 4

Personal Net Worth

Personal Net Worth Points
Your total current assets (cash and liquid funds)
Less than $50,000 0
$50,000 to $199,999 2
$200,000 to $399,999 3
$400,000 or more 4
Your total personal net worth
Less than $600,000 0
$600,000 to $799,999 5
$800,000 to $1,999,999 6
$2,000,000 to $4,999,999 7
$5,000,000 or more 8
Maximum Score Available 12

Personal Investment

Total Personal Investment Points
Less than $200,000 0
$200,000 to $399,999 8
$400,000 to $599,999 10
$600,000 to $999,999 11
$1,000,000 to $1,999,999 12
$2,000,000 to $3,999,999 14
$4,000,000 to $7,999,999 16
$8,000,000 or more 20
Maximum Score Available 20

Total Proposed Full-Time Jobs

Total Proposed FTE Jobs Points
Less than 1 0
1 job 8
2 jobs 9
3 jobs 10
4 jobs 11
5 jobs 12
6 jobs 13
7 – 9 jobs 14
10 – 19 jobs 16
20 or more jobs 20
Maximum Score Available 20

Location-Based on B.C. Regional District

500,000 people or more 0
200,000 to 499,999 1
100,000 to 199,999 3
70,000 to 99,999 6
60,000 to 69,999 8
35,000 to 59,999 10
Fewer than 35,000 people 12
Maximum Score Available 12

Adaptability Factor

Adaptability Factor Points
English language proficiency
None or minimal, similar to CLB 3 and below 0
Basic understanding, similar to CLB 4 2
Intermediate and advanced, similar to CLB 5 and above 4
Education level
Secondary school or less 0*
Associate degree 2
Diploma / certificate (non-trades) 2
Diploma / certificate (trades) 2
Bachelor’s degree 5
Post-graduate diploma / certificate 5
Master’s degree 8
Doctorate / PhD 8
Age
Less than 25 0
25 – 34 4
35 – 44 8
45 – 54 6
55 – 64 4
65 or older 0
Business exploratory visits
No, or visited B.C. more than 3 years ago 0
Yes, visited B.C. 1 – 3 years ago 1
Yes, visited B.C. less than 1 year ago, but did not visit the Regional District of the proposed business 2
Yes, visited the Regional District of the proposed business less than 1 year ago 4
Canadian work experience, business experience, or studies from within Canada for at least 12 months
No 0
Yes 8
Maximum Score Available 32

Overall Commercial Viability

Overall Commercial Viability Points
Business model 10
Unsatisfactory / Unclear 1
Fair 5
Good 10
Market & products/services 4
Does not satisfactorily address any of the Market/Product factors 1
Addresses at least one of the Market/Product factors, and is consistent with Business Model 4
Eligible personal investment 4
Less than $200,000 or less than $50,000 of eligible expansion investments 0*
$200,000 to $399,999 1
$400,000 to $599,999 2**
$600,000 to $799,999 3
$800,000 or more 4
Assessment of proposed personal investment 6
Investment proposal does not correspond to the type or scale of the business 0
Investment proposal corresponds to the type and scale of the business 4
Investment proposal corresponds to the type and scale of the business, the market, the proposed products and/or services, the business model, and the industry standard. 6
Ownership percentage 4
100% ownership 4
More than 50% and less than 100% 3
33 1/3% to 50% 2
Less than 33 1/3% ownership* 0
Risk factors 2
– proposing external financing
OR
– proposing to invest more than 50% of your PNW
OR
– you are proposing to partner with a co-registrant		 0
None of the above 2
Maximum Score Available 30

Transferability of Skills

Transferability of Skills Points
Business experience only 20
12+ months of experience in an unrelated industry 2
12 months or less of direct experience or 12 to 36 months of related experience 5
13 to 24 months of direct experience or 37+ months of related experience 8
13 to 24 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience 10
25 to 36 months of direct experience 12
25 to 36 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience 14
37 to 60 months of direct experience 16
37 to 60 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience 18
More than 60 months of direct experience 20
Work experience only 14
12+ months of experience in an unrelated industry 2
12 months or less of direct experience or 12 to 36 months of related experience 4
13 to 36 months of direct experience or 37+ months of related experience 6
13 to 36 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience 8
37 to 60 months of direct experience 10
37 to 60 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience 12
More than 60 months of direct experience 14
Language ability 2
Minimal to none (Similar to CLB 3 or below) 0
Basic language proficiency (Similar to CLB 4) 1
Intermediate or above language proficiency (Similar to CLB 5 or above) 2
Maximum Score Available 20

Overall Economic Benefit Points

Overall Economic Benefit Points Points
Key Sector & Significant Economic Benefit 12
Does not identify or substantiate any key sectors or any significant economic benefits 3
Substantiates at least 1 key sector or at least 1 significant economic benefit 8
Substantiates at least 1 key sector and at least 1 significant economic benefit 12
Jobs assessment 6
The business concept does not support the creation of at least 1 FTE position, or, if proposing a key staff, the creation of at least 3 FTE positions 0
Jobs plan does not correspond to the type and scale of the business 1
Jobs plan corresponds to the type and scale of the business 6
High-skilled jobs (NOC 0, A or B) 4
Business concept does not propose or substantiate hiring any high-skilled positions 0
Business concept substantiates the creation/maintenance of 1 high-skilled position 2
Business concept substantiates the creation/maintenance of 2 or more highskilled positions 4
Regional Development 8
Lower Mainland / Southwest 2
Vancouver Island and Coast 4
Thompson / Okanagan 4
Cariboo 6
Kootenay 8
Nechako 8
North Coast 8
Northeast 8
Maximum Score Available 30

 

British Columbia Entrepreneur – Recent Draws & Invitation History

 

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