BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) is a way for international entrepreneurs wishing to immigrate to British Columbia (B.C.) to set up businesses that support innovation and economic growth in the province.
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.
Please review our Entrepreneur Immigration - Base Program Guide to see the complete personal, business, investment and job requirements.
The first step is to prepare a great business proposal that is well suited to your unique knowledge and experience and to the needs to the B.C. economy. You should do research to help you determine what kind of business to propose and which location in B.C. would be a good fit for your business. There are government resources to help you, such as the Starting a Small Business Guide.
You may also want to consider proposing a business that is related to one of the key sectors or significant economic benefits that are listed in the program guide. The Trade and Invest British Columbia website contains a wealth of information about the key industries and sectors as well as different regions and communities in B.C.
Once you have prepared a business proposal, it will be time to reach out to the BC PNP. You will need to create a profile in BCPNP Online and complete the online registration. This includes providing a short business concept. There is a non-refundable registration fee of $300.
We reserve the right to limit the number of registrations that we will accept for Entrepreneur Immigration to ensure we are able to meet our processing service standards.
The system will award points based on human capital factors - such as your education, experience, language - and economic factors such as the commercial viability of your proposal, the sector, the economic benefit and the region. The system will auto-calculate your section scores, based on the information you provide. The business concept section will be scored separately by the BC PNP staff within six weeks. You can find a breakdown of the scoring in the EI Base Program Guide.
If you meet the minimum requirements, you will enter the qualified pool. You stay in the pool for up to six months, or 180 days, or until you receive an invitation to apply. Registering does not guarantee that you will be invited to apply.
If you are invited to apply, a BC PNP-authorized accounting firm must review your personal net worth and verify your accumulation of funds. This review must happen before you submit your application. A list of authorized accounting firms and instructions will be included with your invitation to apply.
After you receive an invitation to apply, you will have four months to submit a complete application through BCPNP Online.
We may invite you to attend an interview. You will be asked about your business/work experience and your business plan.
We will assess your application according to the information you provide in both your application and interview.
If the application is approved, you will sign a performance agreement with the Province of B.C. Your performance agreement is unique to you. It is based on the information provided in your application, business plan and interview.
We may refuse your application if your application details differ from your registration information.
If your application to the BC PNP is approved, we will give you a letter of support that you can use to apply for a work permit. This will enable you and your dependents to move to B.C. You have 90 days to submit your work permit application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). After getting a work permit, you must arrive in B.C. within 12 months.
Once you arrive in B.C., you will have up to 20 months to:
To be nominated, you must show that you have met the terms and conditions of your performance agreement. You do this by submitting a final report to the BC PNP between 18 and 20 months after you arrive in B.C.
You must also submit proof of language skill to show that your language ability meets a Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4.
We will review and evaluate your final report. When we are satisfied that you have met your performance agreement terms, you will be required to sign a Conditions of Nomination declaration.
After you sign the declaration, you will be issued a confirmation of nomination as a provincial nominee. You may then apply for permanent residence to IRCC under the Provincial Nominee Class.
We use the information in registrations to rank, select and invite people who best meet the province’s economic needs. Periodically, we invite people to apply through BCPNP Online. Visit the Invitations to Apply page for more information about invitations.
The BC PNP reserves the right to make changes to the registration process without prior notice, including changes to the score grid, the minimum total score required in each section, how long registrations stay in the qualified pool, and the number and frequency of registrants invited to apply.
British Columbia welcomes entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the many business opportunities across all regions of the province. Entrepreneurs can open a business in one of B.C.’s smaller communities and experience first-hand why many choose to live outside of a large urban center for their families.
Through the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional stream, 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 stream was introduced as a Pilot in March 2019 and will be continuing as part of an expanded BC PNP regional initiative.
Participating communities play a key role. Each has identified the kinds of businesses that are a priority for their community. They are looking for entrepreneurs with experience managing these types of businesses.
Communities are also interested in learning more about your background and your proposed business. When you reach out to them, you may be asked to provide information so that their contact person can see if your proposal and/or business experience is a fit with their priorities.
Communities have implemented their own administrative process, and some communities may charge a fee for services. We ask interested parties to respect and follow each community’s specific process. Please contact the community using only the contact details listed in each profile.
If a community sees your business proposal as a possible match with their priorities, they may invite you for an in-person exploratory visit to their community and meet with their contact person. The visit will also give you first-hand experience of the location you are proposing for your business, and you will also be able to assess whether the lifestyle is a fit for your family.
The community contact will be interested in learning more about your proposal and can provide information about relevant supports and services to help you decide whether this community is the right place for your business.
The decision to invite a candidate for an exploratory visit is at the discretion of the community.
After your visit to the community, if you feel that it is the right place for your business and your family, you may request a referral from the community. A referral allows entrepreneur candidates to register and apply for the EI Regional stream.
The decision to issue a referral is at the discretion of the community.
The EI - Regional stream 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 stream, or purchase an existing business, you are not eligible for this stream.
Before considering the EI Regional stream, become familiar with the program criteria and check your eligibility. To qualify, you must:
If you meet the criteria and have the experience that the community is seeking, you can connect directly with the designated community contact identified in the community’s profile page to learn more.
You can view the full list of participating communities below and on the community profiles pages.