Update Expected In May On British Columbia Continues Entrepreneur Category Pause

Canada immigration news: The main category of British Columbia’s Entrepreneur Immigration stream will continue its pause on applications for the time being.

A British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) statement said a review of the stream remains ongoing.

“The temporary pause on the intake of new registrations to the Entrepreneur Immigration – Base category remains in place as we continue to review the category to ensure it supports government priorities, aligns with the Stronger BC Economic Plan, and prepares prospective applicants for the greatest chance of success,” the statement said.

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Those who have already applied, or been invited to apply, are not affected by the pause, the statement added.

The Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot remains open, as do the Strategic Projects and Skills Immigration streams.

A further update is planned for May 1.

British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

Eligibility Requirements for Main Category

The personal net worth of minimum $600,000, legally obtained.
Invest minimum $200,000 in an eligible new business or to purchase and improve an existing business in BC.
Create at least one new full-time job in your business for a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4 In English or French in each of the four competencies: listening, speaking, reading and writing, BY THE TIME OF NOMINATION.
Suitable business and/or management experience.
Have, or be eligible for, legal temporary immigration status in Canada.
Have been lawfully admitted to the country where you currently reside.

British Columbia 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.

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.