B.C. adds more communities to Entrepreneur Immigration Pilot Program

For all the Foreign entrepreneurs who want to set up their business in rural British Columbia, here’s good news for you. The British Columbia has added 8 more communities to the eligible list for the Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Program.

The BC PNP’s Entrepreneur Regional Pilot program was introduced in March this year, with a goal of attracting experienced entrepreneurs to establish a new business and creating new jobs in smaller communities within the province. Communities that have lesser than 75,000 people and are located at least 30 kilometers away from the nearest urban center have been participating in this program.

With the addition of 8 new communities to the list, the number of participating communities has reached 66. Here is the list of communities that have been added to this program:

• Parksville
• Canal Flats
• Radium Hot Springs
• Invermere
• Akisqnuk First Nation
• Regional District of East Kootenay (Area F and G)
• Peachland
• Shuswap Indian Band

To participate in this program, the communities must prove that they can offer eligible entrepreneurs a network of business and settlement agencies. Community representatives must attend immigration training and pilot-specific programs to host exploratory visits for interested applicants.

Who can apply?

To apply for the Entrepreneur Regional Pilot program, the applicants need to create a profile with the BC PNP, which will include their work experience, language eligibility, investment requirement, and a business proposal that would create at least one full-time job for a Canadian permanent resident. The applicant must complete an exploratory visit to the community they wish to set up their business. They are also required to submit a viable business proposal to the community representative and meeting with a program representative so that they receive a referral from the community representative.
The net worth required for the Regional Pilot Program is lesser than other Entrepreneur programs.

Eligibility criteria

• To be eligible to participate in the program, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
• Applicant must make an of minimum $100,000 in eligible business in the community
• Should have a net worth of a minimum $300,000
• Should have business experience of 3 years or at least 4 years as a Senior Manager in the last 5 years
• Should be able to create one job for a Canadian PR or citizen
• Meet other eligibility criteria of the program

Once the registration process is complete, applicants will receive a score and candidates with the highest scores will receive an invitation through regularly held invitation rounds.
The BC PNP issues a work permit letter to the candidates who receive an invitation. Using that, the candidate can apply for a 2-year Work Permit.