British Columbia Entrepreneur 2023 ❤️

British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration

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With a dynamic, educated, and skilled workforce, low operating costs, competitive tax rates, and strategic location, British Columbia is one of the best locations in North America to develop a business.

 

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 British Columbia 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.

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British Columbia 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.

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British Columbia 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.

Scoring section	Points
Self-declared	Experience	20
	Ownership	4
	Net worth	12
	Total personal investment	20
	Jobs	20
	Regional district	12
	Adaptability	32
Self-declared subtotal		120
Business concept	Commercial viability	30
	Transferability of skills	20
	Economic benefits	30
Business concept subtotal		80
Maximum score available		200

Experience

The 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 the 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.

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

 

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).

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

Net worth

The 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 net worth		Points
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
Subtotal		4
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
Subtotal		8
Maximum score available		12

Personal investment

Maximum score available: 20

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

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

Jobs created/maintained

Maximum score available: 20

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

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 to 9 jobs	14
10 to 19 jobs	16
20 or more jobs	20
Maximum score available	20

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.

Location Based on BC 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

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

Regional District	Population	Points
Greater Vancouver	2,558,029	0
Capital	382,645	1
Fraser Valley	301,238	1
Central Okanagan	197,075	3
Nanaimo	157,599	3
Thompson-Nicola	135,074	3
Fraser-Fort George	90,915	6
North Okanagan	85,164	6
Cowichan Valley	84,014	6
Okanagan-Similkameen	80,622	6
Peace River	66,504	8
Comox	64,847	8
Cariboo	63,111	8
Central Kootenay	60,775	8
East Kootenay	58,960	10
Columbia-Shuswap	52,021	10
Strathcona	46,175	10
Squamish-Lillooet	41,531	10
Bulkley-Nechako	40,383	10
Kitimat-Stikine	36,270	10
Alberni-Clayoquot	30,721	12
Kootenay-Boundary	29,926	12
Sunshine Coast	29,243	12
Powell River	20,328	12
Skeena-Queen Charlotte	17,389	12
Mount Waddington	11,139	12
Northern Rockies	5,992	12
Central Coast	3,248	12
Stikine	674	12

Adaptability

Maximum score available: 32

Minimum requirements for eligibility: none

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 BC more than 3 years ago	0
	Yes, visited BC 1 – 3 years ago	1
	Yes, visited BC 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

*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.

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Business concept for British Columbia Entrepreneur

The 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).

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Commercial viability

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

Overall Commercial Viability	Points
Business model	10
Market & products/services	4
Eligible personal investment	4
Assessment of proposed personal investment	6
Ownership percentage	4
Risk factors	2
Maximum score available	30

 

Business Model	Points
Unsatisfactory / Unclear ·         Proposed scale of business is not consistent with industry/regional norms. ·         Business model does not clearly identify and/or describe the business operation from start to finish. ·         Business model does not clearly identify the products and/or services being offered. ·         Business concept does not provide details of applicant’s proposed role. ·         Business concept does not provide substantive information on local business partner and/or co-applicant and/or key staff (if applicable). ·         Proposed key staff is ineligible and/or the co-registrants do not demonstrate a prior working/business relationship. ·         If purchasing an existing business: the proposed expansion plan does not effectively address a plan to upgrade/improve or expand the existing business, or is ineligible. ·         If purchasing an existing business: the proposed expansion plan relies primarily upon unsubstantiated investment and/or job creation and appears to be inconsistent with industry/regional norms.	1
Fair ·         Business model is clearly identified and describes the business operation from start to finish. ·         Business model clearly identifies the products and/or services being offered. ·         Proposed scale of business is consistent with industry/regional norms iv. business concept provides substantive information on local business partner and/or co-applicant and/or key staff (if applicable).	5
Good A good business model will be determined if, in addition to core requirements for fair, the business concept also meets at least 3 of the following factors: ·         Proposed investment and jobs plan is consistent with the business model (must score 6 points for assessment of investment and score 6 points for jobs assessment) ·         Business model identifies a clear strategy to become commercially viable. ·         Business model’s operational plan is internally consistent iv. applicant’s proposed duties with the business are consistent with applicant’s experience	10
Maximum score available	10

 

Market & Product	Points
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
Maximum score available	4

 

Eligible Personal Investment	Points
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
Maximum score available	4

* 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.

Assessment of Proposed Personal Investment	Points
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
Maximum score available	6

 

Ownership percentage*	Points
100% ownership	4
More than 50% and less than 100%	3
33 1/3 rd % to 50%	2
Less than 33 1/3 rd % ownership*	0
Maximum score available	4

*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.

Risk factors	Points
· proposing external financing OR · proposing to invest more than 50% of your personal net worth OR · you are proposing to partner with a co-registrant	0
None of the above	2
Maximum score available	2

 

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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.

Transferability of Skills		Points
Business experience only	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
Subtotal		20
Work experience only	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
Subtotal		14
Language ability	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
Maximum score available		20

 

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Economic benefits

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

Overall Economic Benefit Points	Points
Key Sector & Significant Economic Benefit	12
Jobs assessment	6
High-skilled jobs (NOC 0, A or B)	4
Regional Development	8
Maximum score available	30

 

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

Key Sector / Significant Economic Benefit Scoring	Points
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
Maximum score available	12

 

Jobs assessment	Points
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
Maximum score available	6

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

High-skilled jobs (NOC 0, A or B)	Points
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 high-skilled positions	4
Maximum score available	4

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

Development Region	Points
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	8

 

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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.

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Invitation to Apply for British Columbia Entrepreneur

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.

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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.

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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.