BC Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot: Province Extends Program Until 2024

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program has extended its Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot for three more years, until March 31, 2024.

The extension will “help communities welcome new entrepreneurs to their regions, and be well-positioned to support recovery post-pandemic,” said a statement from the BC PNP.

The Regional Pilot aims to attract motivated and experienced entrepreneurs to open a business in smaller communities of British Columbia and contribute to their specific labour needs.

It was initially a two-year pilot, with enrolment opened in early 2019.

British Columbia reports 65 communities sign up in the initial pilot phase. “Many will receive new entrepreneurs in their communities once international travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement said.

“Over the past two years, it has demonstrated its ability to attract entrepreneurs from around the world and to contribute to regional economic development needs, despite the impacts of COVID-19.”

Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot

Eligibility Requirements for Candidates

Net worth of minimum $300,000.
Minimum of $100,000 in eligible business investments.
Minimum of 51% ownership in the new business.
Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4 In English or French in each of the four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Conduct an exploratory visit in the target community

Eligibility Requirements for Communities

A population of fewer than 75,000 people.
Located beyond 30 km of a municipality of more than 75,000 people.
Demonstrate capacity to support the entrepreneur through a network of established settlement and business support agencies.

Program Key Features

Community Involvement: Participation communities are actively involved in attracting foreign entrepreneur, and helping them settle after arrival.
BC PNP Referrals: Communities can refer foreign entrepreneurs to the BC PNP. The candidates must have visited the community and have a business proposal aligned with its economic priorities.
Community Concierge: Participating communities have access to the services of a dedicated BC PNP Community Concierge.
Invitations and Prioritization: Referred candidates register as a separate BC PNP pool. Monthly invitations are issued to the best-scoring candidates. Those invited received priority processing.

Colin Singer

Colin Singer is an international acclaimed Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca featured on Wikipedia. Colin Singer is also founding director of the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration Resource Center (CCIRC) Inc. He served as an Associate Editor of ‘Immigration Law Reporter’, the pre-eminent immigration law publication in Canada. He previously served as an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Quebec and National Immigration Law Sections and is currently a member of the Canadian Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Colin has twice appeared as an expert witness before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He is frequently recognized as a recommended authority at national conferences sponsored by government and non-government organizations on matters affecting Canada’s immigration and human resource industries. Since 2009, Colin has been a Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of the profession, and became a lifetime member in 2018.