Entrepreneur Regional Pilot

This 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.

Free Assessment

Interested candidates must first register a profile with the BC PNP. After registering a profile the candidate will be assigned a score based on the British Columbia Regional Entrepreneur Pilot Ranking System. The applicants with the most competitive scores will be invited to submit an official application to the program. Foreign entrepreneurs may also wish to consider the base category of the BC Entrepreneur PNP.

Eligibility Requirements

Requirement
Express Entry ProfileNo
Connection to ProvinceExploratory Visit & Community Referral
Job OfferEstablish a business with at least 51% ownership
Language ProficiencyCLB 4
Level of EducationPost-Secondary; or
3 years experience as 100% business owner-manager
Work ExperienceWithin last 5 years:
3+ years as business owner-manager; or
4+ years as a senior manager; or
1+ year as business owner manager and 2+ years as senior manager
Investment RequirementPersonal Net Worth: CAD $300,000
Investment: CAD $100,000

Connection to Province

Interested candidates must participate in an exploratory visit where they travel to one of the program’s participating communities and meet with a program representative. All applicants to the program must be referred to the PNP by a participating community.

 

Job Offer

To be eligible, entrepreneurs must submit a business proposal to establish a new business in a participating community. The applicant must own at least 51% of the business and must create at least one full-time equivalent job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

 

Language Proficiency

All candidates must demonstrate English or French-language proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4. Applicants will be required to submit valid language test scores issued within the two years prior to applying.

 

Level of Education

Candidates must have obtained a post-secondary educational credential or have experience as an active business owner-manager for at least 3 of the last 5 years with 100% ownership in the business.

 

Work Experience

Within the 5 years prior to applying, candidates must meet one of the following three scenarios:

  • 3+ years of experience as a business owner-manager; or
  • 4+ years of experience as a senior manager; or
  • 1+ year of experience as a business owner-manager and 2+ years of experience as a senior manager.

 

Investment Requirement

Candidates must have a personal net worth of at least CAD $300,000 and invest a minimum of CAD $100,000 in the creation of their business. Candidates who are invited to apply will be required to obtain a new worth verification report.

 

Performance Agreement

All applicants are required to sign a Performance Agreement with the BC PNP. Only after completing the conditions set out on their performance agreement will a candidate receive their nomination and be able to apply for Canadian permanent resident status.

Application Process

In order to apply to the BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot, a candidate must be referred by one of the province’s participating communities. To be referred, candidates are required to make an exploratory visit to BC and meet with the program representative from the community in which they wish to create their business. The Entrepreneur Regional Pilot operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Once a candidate has a referral from a participating community, they can register a profile using the BC’s online immigration portal and submit their EOI. The BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot charges a CAD $300 fee.

Once the profile has been submitted, candidates will be assigned a score and ranked against one another using the BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Ranking System. The highest ranking candidates will be invited to submit an official application. The official application must include a business concept, verification of personal net worth, and supporting documents. If the application is approved, the candidate will be invited to sign a performance agreement with British Columbia. Once the performance agreement is signed, candidates will be issued a letter of confirmation. This letter, also called a work permit support letter, allows the candidate to apply for a two-year temporary work permit.

After receiving the work permit, the candidate must travel to BC to launch their new business. Between 12 and 20 months after arriving in BC, the candidate must submit a final report showing that they met the terms of their performance agreement. If the final report is accepted, the applicant officially receives provincial nomination and can apply to IRCC for permanent resident status.

BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Ranking System

The British Columbia Entrepreneur Regional Pilot 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.

Scoring SectionsPoints
Self-Declared
Experience and ownership24
Net Worth6
Total Personal Investment10
Jobs15
Community Population6
BC's Regions12
Adaptability67
Self-Declared Subtotal:140 maximum
Business Concept
Commercial viability30
Transferability of skills15
Economic benefits15
Business Concept Subtotal:60 maximum
MAXIMUM SCORE available200 points

Experience and Business Ownership

Total DurationPoints
Business owner-manager experience
Less than 12 months0
12 to 24 months7
25 to 36 months12
37 to 48 months16
49 to 59 months19
60 months or more22
Senior manager work experience
Less than 24 months0
25 to 48 months4
49 to 59 months8
60 months or more12
Business ownership
Less than three years of 100% business ownership in past 5 years0
100% ownership of a business for at least 3 of the last 5 years2
Maximum Score Available24 points
Minimum Required Score8 points

Net Worth

Personal Net WorthPoints
Your total current assets (cash and liquid)
Less than $10,0000
$10,000 to $49,9991
$50,000 to $199,9992
$200,000 or more3
Your total personal net worth
Less than $300,0000
$300,000 to $999,9992
$1,000,000 or more3
Maximum Score Available6 Points
Minimum Required Score2 points for personal net worth

Total Personal Investment

AmountPoints
Less than $100,0000
$100,000 to $349,9996
$350,000 to $599,9998
$600,000 or more10
Maximum Score Available10 points
Minimum Required Score6 points

Job Creation

Number of Propsed FTE Jobs CreatedPoints
Less than 10
1 job10
2 to 4 jobs11
5 to 7 jobs13
8 jobs or more15
Maximum Points Available15 points
Minimum Required Score10 points

Community Population

Community PopulationPoints
40,000 - 75,0001
20,000 - 39,9992
15,000 - 19,9993
10,000 - 14,9994
5,000 - 9,9995
Less than 5,0006
Maximum Score Available6

BC's Regions

BC's RegionsPoints
Lower Mainland / Southwest1
Vancouver Island and Coast2
Thompson-Okanagan6
Cariboo10
Kootenay10
Nechako12
North Coast12
Northeast12
Maximum Score Available12 points

Adaptability

Adaptability FactorPoints
Language Proficiency
CLB 3 or below0
CLB 45
CLB 510
CLB 615
CLB 7 or higher23
Education Level
Secondary school or less0
Associate Degree, Diploma, Certificate6
Bachelor's Degree, Post-Graduate Diploma14
Master's Degree, Doctorate16
Age
Less than 252
25 - 298
30 - 4416
45 - 5410
55 - 644
65 or older0
Canadian Experience
Less than 12 months0
12 to 24 months of work or studies in Canada4
More than 24 months of work or studies in Canada8
Family member living in the community for at least 12 months
No0
Yes4
Maximum Score Available67 points

Commercial Viability

Commercial ViabilityPoints
Business Model
Unsatisfactory / Unclear1
Fair / Good8
Excellent12
Market & Product
Does not address Market/Product factors1
Addresses at least on Market/Product factor4
Eligible Personal Investment
Less than $100,000not eligible
$100,000 to $299,9991
$300,000 to $499,9992
$500,000 to $799,9993
$800,000 or more4
Assessment of proposed personal investment
Does not correspond to type or scale of business0
Corresponds to type and scale of business5
Corresponds to type and scale of business, the market, the proposed products, the business model, and the industry standard8
Ownership Percentage
100% ownership2
Between 51% and 99.99%1
Less than 51%not eligible
Maximum Score Available30 points

Transferability of Skills

Transferability of SkillsPoints
Business owner-manager experience only
Less than 12 months0
12 to 35 months (related experience)2
12 to 35 months (direct experience)5
36 to 59 months (related experience)6
36 to 59 months (direct experience)10
60 months (related experience)12
60 months (direct experience)15
Senior manager work experience only
Less than 12 months0
12 to 35 months (related experience)1
12 to 35 months (direct experience)4
36 to 59 months (related experience)5
36 to 59 months (direct experience)6
60 months (related experience)8
60 months (direct experience)10
Maximum Points Available15 points

Economic Benefit

Economic BenefitPoints
Significant economic benefits
Does not identify/substantiate significant economic benefit0
Substantiates at least one significant economic benefit5
Jobs assessment
Business concept supports creation of 0 FTE positionsnot eligible
Jobs plan does not correspond to the type and scale of the business1
Jobs plan corresponds to the type and scale of the business10
Maximum Score Available15 Points

BC Entrepreneur Regional Pilot Draws

DateMinimum ScoreInvitations Sent
October 20, 20201095
September 1, 2020128< 5
July 28, 20201235
June 2, 20201189
April 6, 202010718
February 4, 20201165
January 14, 20201117
December 17, 20191128
November 26, 20191207
November 12, 20191215
October 29, 20191105
October 8, 20191067
September 17, 20191088
August 20, 20191116
July 30, 20191116
June 13, 20191185

Participating Communities

Organized by Development Regions.

Cariboo

Kootenay

Nechako

North Coast

Northeast

Thompson-Okanagan

Vancouver Island/Coast

Ready to
Start?

Free Immigration Assessment

Discover your Canadian immigration options! Complete our free assessment today and a member of the Canadim Team will contact you to discuss your immigration to Canada.

Get Started

Free assessment

Discover your Canadian immigration options. Get your free assessment now!