The British Columbia Entrepreneur Stream is a component of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), which is administered by the province of British Columbia. This stream is specifically designed for experienced business owners or managers who are seeking to establish residency in the province. The program requires applicants to either start a new business or purchase an existing one and actively participate in its daily operations for a minimum of 550 days. Upon successful completion, the entrepreneur may be eligible for nomination for permanent residency.
Potential candidates are required to initiate their process by registering a profile with the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). Upon registration, the candidate will be evaluated and assigned a score based on the British Columbia Entrepreneur Ranking System. Candidates with the most favorable scores will receive an invitation to submit a formal application to the program. Foreign corporations interested in establishing a branch or operating facility in British Columbia may also be eligible to apply through the Strategic Projects initiative. This initiative enables innovative companies to transfer up to five foreign staff members to the province for active involvement.
British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Base Stream Requirements
To be considered eligible for the British Columbia Entrepreneur Stream, candidates must possess at least post-secondary level education. Exceptionally, this requirement may be waived for candidates with a minimum of three (3) years of experience as an active business owner-manager with 100% ownership in the past five (5) years.
Candidates must possess the necessary work experience to effectively establish and operate a business in British Columbia. This can be demonstrated through at least three (3) years of experience as an active business owner-manager or over four (4) years as a senior manager, or a combination of one (1) year as an active business owner-manager and two (2) years as a senior manager. Work experience must be in an active capacity, meaning the candidate actively participated in day-to-day operations and not as a passive business investor.
Candidates must demonstrate their ability to invest in and establish a business in British Columbia. They must exhibit a personal net worth of at least CAD 600,000 and make a minimum investment of CAD 200,000 in a new or existing business that they purchase, with ownership of at least one-third (33.33%) of the business. For ownership below one-third, the candidate may be eligible with a minimum investment of CAD 1,000,000 in an equity purchase. The candidate must also sign a performance agreement with the province.
A performance agreement is a contract signed with the province of British Columbia outlining the conditions under which the candidate will receive a nomination for permanent residency. The province will grant a provincial nomination to the candidate if they meet all conditions of the performance agreement and maintain residency within 100 km of their business location and spend at least 75% of their time in British Columbia while on a temporary work permit.
A candidate may be able to apply with co-registrants who propose shared ownership of the British Columbia business
Requirement | |
Express Entry Profile | No |
Connection to Province | No |
No | |
Language Proficiency | A minimum of CLB Level 4 in English or French |
Level of Education | Post-secondary, or sufficient business management experience |
Work Experience | Business ownership / Management |
Investment Requirement | Investment: $200,000 CAD |
British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Base Stream Application Procedure
The British Columbia Entrepreneur Stream operates using an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Eligible candidates may submit a profile through the online immigration portal of British Columbia, incurring a $300 CAD registration fee. The profiles will be scored and ranked through the BC Entrepreneur Immigration Ranking System, with the most competitive candidates being invited to submit a full application.
Within 120 days of receiving the invitation, candidates must submit a complete application, including a detailed business concept, proof of personal net worth, and supporting documents, along with a $3,500 CAD application fee, and a potential additional fee of $1,000 CAD for key staff members. The BC PNP may request an interview in Vancouver for both the candidate and the key staff member. Upon approval, a performance agreement will be signed, leading to the issuance of a letter of confirmation, or work permit support letter, allowing for a two-year temporary work permit application to be submitted to IRCC.
Once the temporary work permit is approved, the candidate must arrive in British Columbia to establish their business and fulfill the conditions outlined in the performance agreement within 20 months. Upon successful completion, a provincial nomination for permanent residency will be granted. The applicant must then submit a federal application for permanent residency through a paper-based process to the relevant application center within six months, with an expected processing time of 18 months.
British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Base Stream Ranking System
The BC Entrepreneur stream utilizes a points-grid system to evaluate and rank registered candidates. Based on the results of this evaluation, only the most competitive candidates will receive an invitation to submit an official application 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
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 |
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 imvestment
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 |
Personal imvestment
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
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 BC Regional District
Location Based on B.C. Regional District | Points |
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 |
Adoptability Factors
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 | 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 high skilled 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 |
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