BC’s New Regional Entrepreneur Immigration Program

In 2019, British Columbia (B.C.) launched a new Regional Entrepreneur Immigration Program. It is a business immigration program focused on encouraging new business creation in the smaller communities in British Columbia, Canada.

Its requirements are less stringent than B.C.’s traditional Entrepreneur Immigration Program. The applicant’s net worth requirement (including the applicant’s spouse) is only $300,000 instead of the usual $600,000 requirement. The minimum eligible investment is $100,000 (or the amount needed to start the business, if that amount is greater). The applicant must also be able to demonstrate language skills equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmarks level 4 in English or French.

The applicant needs to show at least 3 years of experience as a business owner-manager or 4 years of experience as a senior manager, or a combination of 1 year of experience as a business owner-manager and 2 years of experience as a senior manager. The proposed new business must be in an eligible community and in a sector that has been identified by that community as a priority. Each community has identified three sectors (such as retail, warehousing, transportation, accommodations, professional services, manufacturing or food and beverage) that the community is seeking. The number of eligible communities has been growing and there are now more than 60 eligible communities in B.C.

Pathway to Canada Immigration has experience in preparing Entrepreneur Immigration applications, including assistance with business plans and all aspects of the process. Pathway to Canada’s connections to the community, including with key professionals, regional economic development offices and for the exploratory visits are valuable and contribute to successful applications.

To express interest in this or another program or to see if you qualify, please email info@pathwaytocanada.ca