British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

 

The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) is a pathway for international entrepreneurs aiming to immigrate to British Columbia (B.C.) and establish businesses supporting innovation and economic growth in the province. This program follows a “temporary to permanent” immigration model, where approved individuals initially come to B.C. as temporary residents and later apply for permanent residence after successfully starting a business.

 

The program consists of three streams for entrepreneurs: Base stream, Regional Pilot, and Strategic Projects. The Base stream has specific personal, business, investment, and job requirements, including a personal net worth of at least CAD$600,000, business and/or management experience, basic language skills, and lawful admission in the current country of residence. Business, job, and investment requirements include establishing an eligible new business, making a minimum CAD$200,000 personal investment, and creating at least one new full-time job.

 

The process involves preparing a comprehensive business proposal, registering it with BC PNP, getting a work permit, building the business in B.C., receiving BC PNP nomination, and finally applying for permanent residence.

 

The Regional Pilot encourages entrepreneurs to open businesses in smaller B.C. communities. Prospective candidates must explore participating communities, undergo an exploratory visit, and obtain a community referral before registering and applying for the EI Regional Pilot. Eligibility criteria include establishing an eligible new business, business and/or management experience, a personal net worth of at least CAD$300,000, a minimum CAD$100,000 personal investment, creating one new full-time job, language proficiency, legal immigration status in Canada, and lawful admission in the current country of residence.

 

The Strategic Projects program is one of the subcategories of the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) stream of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). The Strategic Projects stream allows foreign companies to establish a presence in British Columbia (B.C.) by either setting up a branch of their company or organizing other operational activities. In this program, companies can propose up to 5 key employees to manage the branch’s activities in British Columbia.

 

If chosen by the province, employees managing the company in British Columbia can then apply for permanent residence in Canada. Industries that have utilized the Strategic Projects program in British Columbia operate in specific fields such as manufacturing, technology, new media, engineering, forestry, and scientific research and development. In most cases, these businesses have created highly impactful ventures in British Columbia.

 

Interested individuals can find detailed program information, criteria, and the registration process in the Base Program Guide and Post-Arrival Guide available on the BC PNP website. (https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/EI-Regional-Pilot-Communities).

 

 

Source: https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/Entrepreneur-Immigration