BC Entrepreneur Immigration Program

British Columbia (BC) has provision for entrepreneurs to become eligible to apply for immigration under the BC nominee program.

BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration

Overview:

To immigrate to B.C. and be ready to invest in and actively manage a valid business here, you may qualify for our Entrepreneur Immigration stream.

Basic Criterion

  • Personal Requirements
    • Net worth of at least CAD$600,000
    • Business and/or management experience
  • Legal immigration status in Canada
    • Admitted in the home country
  • Business, job and investment requirements
    • Establish an eligible new business or purchase and improve an existing business
    • Invest at least CAD$200,000 in the business
  • Create at least one new full-time job

 

Specific Criterion:

  • General Requirement:
    • Active management: Day-to-day operation
    • Residency: At least 75% of the time in BC. (About 15 months)
  • Personal Requirement:

The BC PNP will not nominate someone who:

    • is prohibited from entering Canada
    • has not been lawfully admitted in the country of current residence
    • is in Canada and is out of status
    • an individual whose status has expired, and who has not applied for restoration of status within the 90-day eligibility period, will be considered out of status
    • is working in Canada without authorization
    • has an unresolved refugee claim in Canada
    • is under a removal order in or outside of Canada

 

Personal Net Worth

  • At least a minimum of $600,000
  • Must disclose all of your personal net worth, including all your assets and those of your spouse or common-law partner

 

Business and/or work experience

  • More than three years of experience as an active business owner-manager

OR

  • More than four years of experience as a senior manager

OR

  • A combination of at least one year of experience as an active business owner-manager and at least two years of experience as a senior manager

 

Education:

  • A post-secondary credential or an active business owner-manager with 100 per cent ownership of the business for at least three of the past five years.

 

Business Requirement

  • Eligible businesses for the purpose of earning profits by providing products and/or services.

 

Franchises

The BC PNP will only consider the purchase of an existing franchise location as an eligible business if it includes an expansion/improvement plan that is consistent with franchisor requirements.

 

Seasonal businesses : NO

 

Ineligible business:

  • an immigration-linked investment scheme pursuant to Provincial Immigration Programs Regulation section 6(e) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) section 87(5)(b) and as defined in IRPR 87(9)
  • any business where the terms of investment include a redemption option pursuant to IRPR 87(6)(d)
  • bed and breakfasts, hobby farms and home-based businesses
  • payday loan, cheque cashing, money changing and cash machine businesses
  • pawnbrokers
  • scrap metal recycling
  • coin-operated laundries
  • automated car wash operations
  • businesses selling used goods (excluding businesses that provide value-added services such as repairs, refurbishing or recycling)
  • real estate development/brokerage, insurance brokerage or business brokerage
  • businesses involved in producing, distributing or selling pornography or sexually explicit products or services, or providing sexually oriented services
  • any other type of business that by association would tend to bring the BC PNP or the Government of British Columbia into disrepute

 

Minimum Investment Requirements:

  • Eligible personal investment

eligible personal investment of at least $200,000 in the proposed business within 610 days (approximately 20 months) of arriving in B.C. on a BC PNP- supported work permit.

Meeting the minimum eligible investment requirements does not guarantee that you will be invited to apply or be approved as a provincial nominee – only the highest-scoring registrants are invited to apply.

  • Ineligible Investment
    • cash and working capital
    • wage payments made to yourself and your family members, if applicable
    • real estate (when purchasing an existing business only the business value portion of the purchase price will be considered as an eligible expense).

 

Timing of your investment

The BC PNP will not consider as eligible any investment made prior to the date you are invited to apply. Any investment made prior to obtaining approval and a valid work permit is solely at your own risk.

 

External Financing

BC PNP requires that you make the minimum eligible personal investment from your personal funds. However, you may also use external financing from a business partner or financial institutions.

If external financing is a requirement of business operations, you must identify how you will obtain the financing and how it will be applied in your proposed investment.

 

Job Requirements

  • Minimum job creation requirements : At least one
  • Determining the skill level of positions .

Job maintenance requirements Failure to maintain the number of existing jobs may result in your refusal at the nomination stage.

 

Requirements at nomination stage

You have consistently employed the required number of full-time equivalent jobs, continuously, for at least six months before submitting your final report.