British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

Fortunately for international entrepreneurs, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) offers a unique entrepreneur immigration stream. Eligible entrepreneurs who successfully establish their business in BC, as well their accompanying family members, can look forward to obtaining Canadian permanent residence, which may then be followed by Canadian citizenship if residency requirements are met.

There are, however, a few preliminaries that must be satisfied before permanent residence may be acquired through this immigration option. First, you have to determine your eligibility for the BC PNP entrepreneur stream. If eligible, you may then make a formal Expression of Interest (EOI) in applying to the program.

Once the EOI has been submitted, you will be assigned a score reflecting your credentials. BC immigration authorities then invited the highest-ranked candidates to apply during periodic draws from this pool. If invited, you may submit an application. Successful applicants obtain a work permit and, if the business operation in BC fulfills the requirements on an ongoing basis, work permit holders will then be able to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

BC PNP Entrepreneur Stream Criteria

To qualify, candidates must have:

1. a personal net worth of at least CAD$600,000, legally obtained and verifiable;

2. a minimum of:

• 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; and

3. a post-secondary education credential OR experience as an active business owner-manager with 100 per cent ownership of the business for at least three of the past five years;

4. have basic English or French language proficiency equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher;

Candidates must also answer questions and provide details of their business proposal, which will be scored by the BC PNP. Candidates must aim to:

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

If invited to submit an application, the business plan must then demonstrate:

• the proposed business is consistent with the registration business concept; and
• potential for commercial viability, including a market entry strategy to show how the proposed business will be successful in BC.

In addition, if planning to purchase an existing business candidates must also be able to demonstrate:

• how the business will grow;
• that the business is a going concern (i.e. the business is in operation and is not in receivership at the time of purchase);
• that the business will generate a profit and can sustain the expanded workforce; and
• that the business has been operated by the current owner for at least five years.

Candidates cannot change their business concept after submitting a registration.

In order to register, candidates must demonstrate that they can and will make an eligible personal investment of at least $200,000 in the proposed business. If proposing a Key Staff Member, candidates must demonstrate that they will make an eligible personal investment of $400,000.

BC PNP Entrepreneur Stream points system

Up to 200 points are available to eligible candidates, who will receive a score upon registration. Candidates must meet the minimum scores in each section in order to be entered into the selection pool.

Experience

Maximum score available: 24

Minimum requirements for eligibility: 8

Details of the candidate’s business/work experience for the last 10 years should be included, but experience should not be duplicated. For example, if a candidate owned 100 percent of a business but also worked at the business as the General Manager, only the Business Owner-Manager experience should be selected.

In addition, candidates may be awarded points if they have owned 100 per cent of a business for at least three of the most recent five years. The 100 per cent ownership of the business may be shared between the candidate, his or her spouse or common-law partner and/or your dependent child(ren).

Net worth

Maximum score available: 12

Minimum requirements for eligibility: 5

Candidates may receive points based on their total net worth including that of their spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.

Personal investment

Maximum score available: 20

Minimum requirements for eligibility: 8 (10, if proposing a key staff member)

Jobs created/maintained

Maximum score available: 20

Minimum requirements for eligibility: Create at least 1 job (3, if proposing a key staff member)

Regional District

Maximum score available: 12

Minimum requirements for eligibility: The applicant must work at the primary place of business in the proposed regional district.

Points are awarded for the location of the proposed business based on the population sizes of BC’s Regional Districts.

Based on official 2016 data, this would translate into the following points totals being awarded in specific Regional Districts.

*Source: BC Stats 2016 Sub-Provincial Population Estimates

Adaptability

Maximum score available: 32

Minimum requirements for eligibility: none

*If your score for Education Level is 0, you will not be eligible to register unless you have at least three years of active management experience of a business that you had 100 per cent ownership in the last five years.

Business concept

Maximum score available: 80

Minimum requirements for eligibility: 32

The BC PNP assesses the business concept and scores it according to the following framework: commercial viability (up to 30 points), transferability of skills (up to 20 points), and economic benefits (up to 30 points).

Commercial viability

This section is divided into the following factors, with a corresponding points breakdown.

* If you score 0 points in this section, your registration will be disqualified.

** If you are proposing a key staff and your score in this section is less than 2 points, your registration will be disqualified.

*If your ownership is less than 33 1/3 per cent, you must invest a minimum of $1 million in order to not be disqualified. This investment must be an equity purchase.

Transferability of skills

Candidates will receive points based on their direct experience and/or experience in related industries for the last 10 years, according to the following points breakdown.

Economic benefits

This section is divided into the following factors and corresponding points totals.

The following key sectors are eligible for additional points:

• Agrifoods: food production and food processing
• Technology and Green Economy
• Forestry
• Transportation
• International Education: proposed accredited educational institutions that offer educational programs in B.C. to foreign students
• Biomedical: includes research and development, manufacturing, etc.
• Mining & Energy or Natural Gas Sector
• Destination Tourism: businesses that target tourists directly where its products/services are the tourist attractions rather than businesses that offer spin-off activities from the tourism industry
• Value-Added Manufacturing: for businesses the offer high-value added manufacturing – not basic or simple assembly of foreign-made products
• Aboriginal Peoples and First Nations: partnering with or receiving support from First Nations communities for businesses that affect the First Nation community, and/or largely benefit First Nations communities

Other significant economic benefits that the proposed business may demonstrate:

• Adopting new technology: the new technology must not already be in regular use in similar business
• Developing new products & services
• Developing innovative approaches to traditional businesses: innovative approaches are considered high-value (technology-based) and not already in regular use by similar businesses
• Increasing exports: primary businesses that will/may increase exports. This does not include businesses that facilitate exports/trade such as trading companies or agencies
• Increasing research and development, and technology commercialization
• Providing products or services to an under-served local or regional market
• Transferring technology and specialized knowledge to BC: facilitates and/or supports the high technology industry, and/or provides opportunities to develop technology products/services in BC

*If you score 0 points in this section, your registration will be disqualified.

The BC PNP will assign additional points for the location of the proposed business based on BC’s development regions.

The pool

Registrations that meet the minimum points total in every section will be entered into the qualified pool. Registrations in the qualified pool are valid for 180 days.

Candidates who are not invited to apply to the BC PNP within 180 days of qualifying will be removed from the pool. Registrants may only have one active BC PNP registration or application at any given time.

Invitation to Apply

When the BC PNP conducts one of its periodic draws from the pool, the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply to the program.

In the event of a tie, registrants will be ranked according to the scores in the individual sections in the following order:

1. business concept
2. job creation
3. business/work experience

Candidates who are invited to apply will have up to 120 days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application. This allows invited candidates time to finalize their business plan and obtain a verification report of net worth from a qualified supplier.

The BC PNP may refuse an application if the information in the application is materially different from that provided in the registration.

Work Permit stage

If an application is approved, the BC PNP will issue a Letter of Confirmation. This serves as a work permit support letter in order to apply for a two-year work permit to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This will enable the applicant, along with his or her family, to move to B.C. and implement the business plan. The applicant will sign a Performance Agreement and will have up to 20 months to implement the business proposal in B.C.

Applicants who are invited to apply will need to engage a qualified supplier to verify their personal net worth and accumulation of funds as part of the nomination process.

Transition to Permanent Residence

If the individual meets the requirements of the Performance Agreement within the 20 months, the BC PNP will nominate him or her for permanent residence. He or she, along with his or her dependent family members can then apply for permanent residence under the BC PNP with IRCC.

Once the entrepreneur completes the terms of the Performance Agreement, he or she can submit a Final Report to the BC PNP to be issued a nomination certificate. The entrepreneur must demonstrate to the BC PNP that he or she:

• is actively managing a business (i.e., be accountable for the day-to-day operations of the business) in British Columbia;
• resides within 100 kilometers of the business;
• has been physically present in BC for at least 75 percent of the time that he or she was on a work permit; and
• has complied with any other terms of the Performance Agreement.

Get help

The BC PNP Entrepreneur stream provides a wonderful opportunity for international business people and their families to enjoy the best that Canada has to offer, both from a business perspective and in quality of life. This immigration options may prove particularly attractive to potential applicants who may not necessarily be eligible under one of the skilled worker immigration programs, either at the federal or provincial level.

However, it should be noted that this is a complex and unpredictable program, with many stages and documentation requirements. Consequently, it may be beneficial to retain the services of an accredited representative with extensive experience in assisting with BC PNP applications. Our recommended immigration consultant in BC, Jenny Perez, will be able to provide a consultation of your options, as well as the full range of immigration services if you choose to work together.

To learn more and to book a consultation with Jenny, please visit this page.