BC ENTREPRENEUR IMMIGRATION

BC Entrepreneur Immigration is a “temporary to permanent” immigration pathway. That means that if you are approved, you will initially come to B.C. as a temporary resident, and then apply to stay permanently once you have successfully started a business. There are 3 stream available currently.
•      Base stream
•      Regional Pilot
•      Strategic Projects

Base stream

Personal requirements

•      personal net worth of at least CAD$600,000
•      business and/or management experience; if no business experience, must have the equivalent of a 2-year post-secondary diploma
•      basic English or French language skill equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher
•      have been lawfully admitted in the country where you currently live
•      have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada

Business, job and investment requirements

•      establish an eligible new business or buy and improve an existing business
•      make an eligible personal investment of at least CAD$200,000 in the business
•      create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Regional Pilot

Through the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot, the Province offers an immigration pathway for enterprising individuals who are looking to start a new business in a small community and make B.C. their new home.

The EI Regional Pilot was introduced in March 2019 and has been extended to March 31, 2024.

Requirements

The EI – Regional Pilot is designed for foreign entrepreneurs who are interested in starting a new business in a smaller community. If you want to settle in one that is not participating in the EI Regional Pilot, or purchase an existing business, you are not eligible for this stream.

To qualify, you must:

•      establish an eligible new business aligned with the priorities of the referring community
•      show business and/or management experience
•      have a personal net worth of at least CAD$300,000
•      make an eligible personal investment of at least CAD$100,000 in the business
•      create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
•      demonstrate a minimum language proficiency of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4
•      have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada
•      have been lawfully admitted in the country where you currently live

Strategic Projects

The Strategic Projects stream is for foreign corporations who have identified strategic investment opportunities in B.C. to establish operations that are integral to the growth and expansion of their core business.

This stream enables foreign corporations to permanently transfer key staff with the corporate knowledge and expertise to B.C. The foreign corporation may apply for provincial nomination to support the permanent residence of up to five of its current senior employees. These employees will actively manage the B.C. operation.