British Columbia Entrepreneur Program – A Complete Guide

This stream is intended for international entrepreneurs who are planning to set up a new business in British Columbia. The selection process for nomination in this system is points-based like the Express Entry system.

You will need to meet the following criteria to meet the eligibility requirements for this category

• You will need to have a minimum personal net worth of 600,000 USD that was legitimately acquired.
• You should be committed to investing at least 200,000 USD in a new or existing business in British Columbia that meets the criteria.
• You should be in a position to create at least one fresh full-time employment opportunity for a citizen of Canada or a permanent resident
• You should have scored Level 4 in your CLB
• In all four categories, reading, speaking, listening, and writing in English and/or French
• You should have prior work experience in management and/or business.
• You should either be legally residing in Canada temporarily or be eligible to apply for temporary immigration status.

Eligibility criteria for a regional pilot stream

• You will need to have a minimum net worth of at least 300,000 CAD, out of which 100000 CAD should be earmarked for investing in a business
• You are required to have at least 51 percent ownership in the company that is set up by you in the province
• You will need to have Level 4 of the CLB in English and/ or French for each of the categories
• You should be able to employ at least one Canadian citizen or permanent resident

The strategic project category allows foreign-based companies to set up a branch of their operations in the British Columbia province. Five foreign professionals who can work for the business can be nominated for PR under this scheme in the province.

Eligibility requirements for this category are as follows

• You should be in a position to make an equity investment of 50000 CAD
• You should commit to creating three new positions for permanent residents and citizens for each foreign staff member
• You should be able to start a new business on your own or buy one that has already been established and be able to expand it

You will need to have the following documents to apply for any of the above programs

• Documents to prove that you have sufficient funds
• Documents that prove that you have sufficient business and management experience
• Documents that demonstrate that you already have or are eligible to apply for immigration to Canada
• Your passport with the details and personal ID page as well as pages of visa stamps
• Transcripts of all your academic qualifications

You will need to take the following steps to apply for the Entrepreneurs program

• Make sure that you meet all the eligibility requirements for the category that you are applying for
• Keep all your documents ready
• You should register online for application on the appropriate website
• You will then need to wait for your ITA, which you can get if you meet the required score
• Once you have received your ITA, you will have to submit your final application along with your business plan
• You will be required to go through an assessment process, which will mostly include an in-person interview

If your application is approved, you will need to sign a performance agreement and get

The eligibility criteria are different for each category of the entrepreneur's program and have been listed above. However, the criteria are subject to change and therefore we recommend that you get in touch with our Canadian immigration experts for knowing more about the exact requirements

The time taken to apply for the British Columbia PNP will differ based on the category that you are applying for and your profile. We suggest that you get in touch with our Canadian immigration consultants to know all the details about how to apply for the program.