Immigration to British Columbia for entrepreneurs

The BC Entrepreneur Immigration — Base Stream program offers an opportunity for businesspeople and managers who intend to settle in British Columbia and actively manage a business to immigrate to Canada.

Requirements

To apply for this stream, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Personal net worth: have at least CAD $600,000 in capital.
• Investment: invest a minimum of CAD $200,000 in the business.
• Experience: candidates must have business or management experience. If a candidate lacks business experience, they must have the equivalent of a two-year post-secondary education diploma.
• Language requirements: minimum language level of CLB 4 (English or French).
• Job creation: create at least one new job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Business requirements: candidates can start a new business or improve an existing one. Some types of businesses are not eligible for the program.

Experience Requirements

• Business owners must have more than 36 months of active management experience with at least 10% ownership in the past 10 years. This includes personal involvement in operations management and decision-making.
• Senior managers must have more than 48 months of management experience, supervising at least three full-time employees, in TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupations.
• Combined experience: a combination of at least 12 months of business ownership experience and 24 months of senior management experience is acceptable.

Business Requirements

Some types of businesses are not eligible for immigration under the Entrepreneur Immigration — Base Category:

• certain types of passive businesses, as defined by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations;
• bed and breakfasts, hobby farms, home-based businesses;
• payday loan, cheque cashing, money exchange, and ATM businesses;
• pawnbrokers;
• tanning salons;
• DVD rental stores;
• coin-operated laundromats;
• automatic car washes;
• scrap metal recycling;
• businesses selling used goods (except those involving repair and refurbishment);
• real estate development, brokerage, and insurance or business brokerage companies;
• businesses involved in producing, selling, or distributing pornography or pornographic products or services;
• any business that may damage the reputation of British Columbia's Provincial Nominee Program or the Government of British Columbia.

Candidate Evaluation and Application Process

To participate in the Entrepreneur Immigration stream, candidates need to create an account on the official British Columbia website and complete the application.

Candidates are evaluated based on a points system, with a maximum of 200 points available. Points are awarded for business experience, capital amount and investments, economic benefits of the business, and its location in British Columbia.

Application Process:

• Creating a business plan: candidates must prepare a business plan that meets British Columbia's economic needs. The plan is registered in the BCPNP Online system.
• Obtaining a work permit: after application approval, candidates receive a work permit and must arrive in the province within 12 months. After arrival, candidates have up to 20 months to implement their business plan and meet the conditions.
• Reporting and nomination: candidates submit a report on meeting the business plan conditions 18-20 months after arrival. If all conditions are met, candidates receive a nomination for permanent residency.

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To learn about other streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program, check out the article "Immigration to British Columbia — Canada's Provincial Program (BC PNP)".