Entrepreneur Immigration Stream
British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration is a category of immigration streams contained within the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of British Columbia. The BC Entrepreneur immigration streams target foreign nationals with demonstrated experience owning and operating businesses who wish to invest their finances and expertise in business opportunities in the province of British Columbia.
Candidates for BC Entrepreneur immigration are required to purchase a new or existing business in BC and become involved in the active day-to-day management of the BC operation. The entrepreneurial streams offer opportunities for wealthy individuals with business management experience, as well as wealthy foreign-owned companies who wish to expand the reach of their enterprise into British Columbia. Successful applicants will eventually receive a provincial nomination by the province of BC which will support applications for Canadian permanent residence.
BC Entrepreneur
The British Columbia Entrepreneur stream targets experienced business owners and managers who wish to live in British Columbia permanently. Applicants must demonstrate management experience as well as significant personal net worth. Successful applicants will be required to invest in the purchase and management of a new or existing BC business. After proving the successful operation of a BC business, the applicant becomes eligible for Canadian permanent residence.
BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot
The BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Stream of the BC PNP is for experienced entrepreneurs who want to invest in and manage a business in British Columbia. Applicants must be referred by one of the program’s participating communities in BC.
BC Strategic Projects
British Columbia Strategic Projects targets successful foreign-owned companies who wish to establish a new branch or operation in BC. Companies must prove their ability to generate significant annual revenue alongside the management of large staff teams. Successful companies will be required to transfer key staff to BC to manage their new proposed operation. After proving the successful operation of their BC enterprise, these key staff members become eligible for Canadian permanent residence.
British Columbia Entrepreneur Ranking System
The British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration stream uses the following points-grid to rank candidates who have registered profiles. Only those candidates with the most competitive scores will be invited to apply to the program. Please note that the BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot uses a separate ranking system.
| Scoring Sections | Points |
|---|---|
| Self-declared | |
| Experience | 20 |
| Ownership | 4 |
| Net Worth | 12 |
| Total Personal Investment | 20 |
| Jobs | 20 |
| Regional District | 12 |
| Adaptability | 32 |
| Self-declared SUBTOTAL score | 120 |
| Business concept | |
| Commercial Viability | 30 |
| Transferability of Skills | 20 |
| Economic Benefits | 30 |
| Business concept SUBTOTAL score | 80 |
| Maximum Score Available | 200 |
| Experience Total Duration | Points |
|---|---|
| Business owner-manager experience | |
| Less than 12 months | 0 |
| 12 to 24 months | 4 |
| 25 to 36 months | 6 |
| 37 to 48 months | 12 |
| 49 to 60 months | 15 |
| More than 60 months | 20 |
| Senior manager work experience | |
| Less than 24 months | 0 |
| 24 to 48 months | 4 |
| 49 to 60 months | 8 |
| More than 60 months | 12 |
| Maximum Score Available | 20 |
| Ownership Amount | Points |
|---|---|
| Business ownership | |
| Less than three years of 100% business ownership in the past five years | 0 |
| 100% ownership of a business for at least three of the last five years | 4 |
| Maximum Score Available | 4 |
| Personal Net Worth | Points |
|---|---|
| Your total current assets (cash and liquid funds) | |
| Less than $50,000 | 0 |
| $50,000 to $199,999 | 2 |
| $200,000 to $399,999 | 3 |
| $400,000 or more | 4 |
| Your total personal net worth | |
| Less than $600,000 | 0 |
| $600,000 to $799,999 | 5 |
| $800,000 to $1,999,999 | 6 |
| $2,000,000 to $4,999,999 | 7 |
| $5,000,000 or more | 8 |
| Maximum Score Available | 12 |
| Total Personal Investment | Points |
|---|---|
| Less than $200,000 | 0 |
| $200,000 to $399,999 | 8 |
| $400,000 to $599,999 | 10 |
| $600,000 to $999,999 | 11 |
| $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 | 12 |
| $2,000,000 to $3,999,999 | 14 |
| $4,000,000 to $7,999,999 | 16 |
| $8,000,000 or more | 20 |
| Maximum Score Available | 20 |
| Total Proposed FTE Jobs | Points |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 | 0 |
| 1 job | 8 |
| 2 jobs | 9 |
| 3 jobs | 10 |
| 4 jobs | 11 |
| 5 jobs | 12 |
| 6 jobs | 13 |
| 7 – 9 jobs | 14 |
| 10 – 19 jobs | 16 |
| 20 or more jobs | 20 |
| Maximum Score Available | 20 |
| Location Based on B.C. Regional District | Points |
|---|---|
| 500,000 people or more | 0 |
| 200,000 to 499,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 199,999 | 3 |
| 70,000 to 99,999 | 6 |
| 60,000 to 69,999 | 8 |
| 35,000 to 59,999 | 10 |
| Fewer than 35,000 people | 12 |
| Maximum Score Available | 12 |
| Adaptability Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| English language proficiency | |
| None or minimal, similar to CLB 3 and below | 0 |
| Basic understanding, similar to CLB 4 | 2 |
| Intermediate and advanced, similar to CLB 5 and above | 4 |
| Education level | |
| Secondary school or less | 0* |
| Associate degree | 2 |
| Diploma / certificate (non-trades) | 2 |
| Diploma / certificate (trades) | 2 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 5 |
| Post-graduate diploma / certificate | 5 |
| Master’s degree | 8 |
| Doctorate / PhD | 8 |
| Age | |
| Less than 25 | 0 |
| 25 – 34 | 4 |
| 35 – 44 | 8 |
| 45 – 54 | 6 |
| 55 – 64 | 4 |
| 65 or older | 0 |
| Business exploratory visits | |
| No, or visited B.C. more than 3 years ago | 0 |
| Yes, visited B.C. 1 – 3 years ago | 1 |
| Yes, visited B.C. less than 1 year ago, but did not visit the Regional District of the proposed business | 2 |
| Yes, visited the Regional District of the proposed business less than 1 year ago | 4 |
| Canadian work experience, business experience, or studies from within Canada for at least 12 months | |
| No | 0 |
| Yes | 8 |
| Maximum Score Available | 32 |
| Overall Commercial Viability | Points |
|---|---|
| Business model | 10 |
| Unsatisfactory / Unclear | 1 |
| Fair | 5 |
| Good | 10 |
| Market & products/services | 4 |
| Does not satisfactorily address any of the Market/Product factors | 1 |
| Addresses at least one of the Market/Product factors, and is consistent with Business Model | 4 |
| Eligible personal investment | 4 |
| Less than $200,000 or less than $50,000 of eligible expansion investments | 0* |
| $200,000 to $399,999 | 1 |
| $400,000 to $599,999 | 2** |
| $600,000 to $799,999 | 3 |
| $800,000 or more | 4 |
| Assessment of proposed personal investment | 6 |
| Investment proposal does not correspond to the type or scale of the business | 0 |
| Investment proposal corresponds to the type and scale of the business | 4 |
| Investment proposal corresponds to the type and scale of the business, the market, the proposed products and/or services, the business model, and the industry standard. | 6 |
| Ownership percentage | 4 |
| 100% ownership | 4 |
| More than 50% and less than 100% | 3 |
| 33 1/3% to 50% | 2 |
| Less than 33 1/3% ownership* | 0 |
| Risk factors | 2 |
| – proposing external financing OR – proposing to invest more than 50% of your PNW OR – you are proposing to partner with a co-registrant | 0 |
| None of the above | 2 |
| Maximum Score Available | 30 |
| Transferability of Skills | Points |
|---|---|
| Business experience only | 20 |
| 12+ months of experience in an unrelated industry | 2 |
| 12 months or less of direct experience or 12 to 36 months of related experience | 5 |
| 13 to 24 months of direct experience or 37+ months of related experience | 8 |
| 13 to 24 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience | 10 |
| 25 to 36 months of direct experience | 12 |
| 25 to 36 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience | 14 |
| 37 to 60 months of direct experience | 16 |
| 37 to 60 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience | 18 |
| More than 60 months of direct experience | 20 |
| Work experience only | 14 |
| 12+ months of experience in an unrelated industry | 2 |
| 12 months or less of direct experience or 12 to 36 months of related experience | 4 |
| 13 to 36 months of direct experience or 37+ months of related experience | 6 |
| 13 to 36 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience | 8 |
| 37 to 60 months of direct experience | 10 |
| 37 to 60 months of direct experience and 37+ months of related experience | 12 |
| More than 60 months of direct experience | 14 |
| Language ability | 2 |
| Minimal to none (Similar to CLB 3 or below) | 0 |
| Basic language proficiency (Similar to CLB 4) | 1 |
| Intermediate or above language proficiency (Similar to CLB 5 or above) | 2 |
| Overall Economic Benefit Points | Points |
|---|---|
| Key Sector & Significant Economic Benefit | 12 |
| Does not identify or substantiate any key sectors or any significant economic benefits | 3 |
| Substantiates at least 1 key sector or at least 1 significant economic benefit | 8 |
| Substantiates at least 1 key sector and at least 1 significant economic benefit | 12 |
| Jobs assessment | 6 |
| The business concept does not support the creation of at least 1 FTE position, or, if proposing a key staff, the creation of at least 3 FTE positions | 0 |
| Jobs plan does not correspond to the type and scale of the business | 1 |
| Jobs plan corresponds to the type and scale of the business | 6 |
| High-skilled jobs (NOC 0, A or B) | 4 |
| Business concept does not propose or substantiate hiring any high-skilled positions | 0 |
| Business concept substantiates the creation/maintenance of 1 high-skilled position | 2 |
| Business concept substantiates the creation/maintenance of 2 or more highskilled positions | 4 |
| Regional Development | 8 |
| Lower Mainland / Southwest | 2 |
| Vancouver Island and Coast | 4 |
| Thompson / Okanagan | 4 |
| Cariboo | 6 |
| Kootenay | 8 |
| Nechako | 8 |
| North Coast | 8 |
| Northeast | 8 |
| Maximum Score Available | 30 |
British Columbia Entrepreneur – Recent Draws & Invitation History
Below is the information regarding recent British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration draws and the historic information about issuance of invitations to apply.