British Columbia Entrepreneurship Program

About the province of British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada and is located next to the Pacific Ocean. Victoria is the capital of this province, which is located on Vancouver Island. This province has one of the richest indigenous histories in Canada. The most populous city of the province is Vancouver. Forestry, mining and telecommunication are important economic sectors of this province. Tourism is one of the main sources of income of this province. This province is known for having a high standard of living in the city of Vancouver, one of the most important cities in the world in terms of work and life.

Immigration through Entrepreneurship in British Columbia

The entrepreneurship program of the province of British Columbia is for active and experienced entrepreneurs who have been successful in developing and managing their business and are interested in investing and active management in this province, which will eventually lead to obtaining permanent residence in Canada.

BC Entrepreneurship Program has two subgroups:

• Provincial Regional Entrepreneurship (BC Pilot Project)
• Provincial Entrepreneurship (BC Base Category) – This program is temporarily closed

Provincial Regional Entrepreneurship Program (BC Pilot Project)

The regional entrepreneurship program in the province of British Columbia is designed for those who own a business or have senior management experience outside of Canada. Applicants can apply for Canadian permanent residence one year after establishing and investing in a new business. This program has been introduced with the aim of developing entrepreneurship in areas whose population is less than 75 thousand people.

The scoring system of this program, like most immigration programs, is based on factors such as age, work history, educational qualifications, business plan, etc. An invitation is issued.

Terms of action of this program

• Having a minimum movable and immovable property of 300 thousand Canadian dollars

Assets include cash, bank account balance, fixed and investment deposits, ownership documents, business value, etc., which are in the name of the applicant or his spouse. This net worth must be obtained legally and can be proven.

• Investment of at least 100 thousand Canadian dollars
• Having at least 3 years of business ownership and management experience or 4 years of senior management experience in the last 5 years or

A combination of at least 1 year of business management and ownership experience along with 2 years of senior management experience

• Having a minimum score of CLB 4 from IELTS General English or French

Approved language tests and minimum score required
Speaking	Writing	Reading	Listening
4	4	3.5	4.5	IELTS – General
4	4	4	4	CELPIP
181	181	121	145	TEF
4-5	331-368	4-5	342-374	TCF Canada

• Having at least a post-graduate degree or work experience of at least 3

years in the last 5 years as a manager and business owner with 100% ownership
exploratory and research trip to the desired area and obtaining written confirmation and introduction letter

Conducting an exploratory trip to the area where the applicant plans to start his business is one of the main requirements of this program. In the exploratory trip, the applicant must present his business proposal to the regional representatives. The purpose of this trip is to receive a regional letter of introduction, which is one of the requirements for registration in the British Columbia Regional Entrepreneurial Migration Program. Each of these areas has its own conditions and processes.

During this exploratory trip, consider the following to learn more about local business and opportunities:

• Review and evaluate potential business opportunities
• Conduct market research
• Making local business calls
• Learn more about living and doing business in British Columbia and gain a better understanding of health care and education programs, housing, culture, recreational opportunities and lifestyles, and more.

Benefits of taking action from this program

• Obtaining permanent residence in Canada one year after investing and starting a business
• No need to pay a deposit (guarantee deposit)
• Low investment amount

Provincial entrepreneurship program (BC Base Category)

The province of British Columbia is considered one of the most popular provinces for establishing and running a business due to its geographical location. Countless investors from all over the world migrate to this province every year. The way to apply for this program is that qualified applicants first register their application online, and if they receive an invitation from the province, they can send their application to the immigration office to obtain a work permit. Finally, after entering this province and setting up a business according to the province’s criteria, applicants can submit their and their family’s permanent residence application.

Terms of action of this program

• Having a minimum movable and immovable property of 600 thousand Canadian dollars

Assets include cash, bank account balance, fixed and investment deposits, ownership documents, business value, etc., which are in the name of the applicant or his spouse. This net worth must be obtained legally and can be proven.

• Investment of at least 200 thousand Canadian dollars
• Having more than 3 years of personal business ownership and management experience, or more than 4 years of senior management experience in the last 10 years, or
• A combination of at least 1 year of business management and ownership experience along with 2 years of senior management experience
• Having a minimum score of CLB 4 from an English language degree or a French degree that is less than 2 years old

Approved language tests and minimum score required
Speaking	Writing	Reading	Listening
4	4	3.5	4.5	IELTS – General
4	4	4	4	CELPIP
181	181	121	145	TEF
4-5	331-368	4-5	342-374	TCF Canada

Having at least a post-graduate degree or work experience of at least 3 years in the last 5 years as a manager and business owner with 100% ownership

Action steps for this program

To apply for this program and receive permanent residence, you must go through 6 main steps:

1- Preparation and research regarding business and labor market in this province. Our advice is to have an exploratory visit to this province at the beginning of the process.

2- Creating a profile and sending a request to act online – Expression of Interest

3- Waiting to receive the Invitation to Apply letter – applicants with the highest scores are selected to send the application during periodic draws.

At this stage, the applicant has 120 days to send all the required documents to the province. After that, the file will be reviewed and evaluated, and if a face-to-face interview is needed, the applicant will be notified to provide further explanations.

If the application is accepted, the applicant as a foreign entrepreneur will sign a contract with the province and after that, a letter of approval will be issued to submit a work visa application.

4- After receiving the work permit and entering the province, the applicant must take the measures related to starting his business in accordance with the business plan within the period specified by the province, which is 20 months. In this case, manage the business actively and fulfill all obligations according to the executive contract.

5- Sending the final report on the process of doing work in the province and obtaining nominations to apply for permanent residence in Canada

6- Sending the Canadian permanent residence application file to the Immigration Department

Advantages of taking this method

• Obtaining permanent residence in Canada one year after investing and starting a business
• The possibility of starting a business in any city of British Columbia
• No need to pay a deposit (guarantee deposit)