British Columbia business immigration is a great opportunity for individuals who wish to establish a business in B.C. and immigrate there. It is an amazing place with a lot of opportunities. 

It is possible to immigrate to B.C. under the following business streams:

• Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category
• Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot
• Strategic Projects

Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category

The person needs to have a net worth of at least $600,000, have at least three years of experience as a business owner or senior manager, invest at least $200,000 and create at least one full time job opportunity for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 

What are the basic eligibility criterias for this stream?

• Within the last ten years the person needs to have 3+ years of experience as a business owner or 4+ years of experience as a senior manager.
• The person needs to have a net worth of at least $600,000.
• The person should have post secondary education or be a business owner actively managing a business for at least 3 years within the last 5 years with 100% ownership of the business.
• The person needs to invest at least $200,000 to establish a new business in B.C. or to purchase/improve an existing business and have at least 33.3% ownership of the business.
• Create at least one full time job opportunity for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Obtain a minimum CLB 4 in either English or French.
• The person should have legal status in Canada or should be eligible to get one in the future.
• The person should be legally residing in the country where they are currently present.

What are the steps to apply for this stream?

• The candidate will register online and submit a business concept. They will then be ranked as per their points and placed in a pool of candidates.
• The candidates who get invited then have four months to submit their application and documents.
• The candidates who get invited will then need to get their net worth assessed by a qualified person like a chartered accountant.
• The candidates may be invited for an interview to Vancouver after submitting an application. They would then need to sign a Performance Agreement with B.C.
• The candidates will get a letter of support from B.C to apply for their work permit. A temporary work permit will then be issued to the applicant and his spouse/common law partner. Once they land in B.C. they have about 20 months to meet the requirements of the Performance Agreement and submit a final report to B.C. PNP.
• After getting a nomination from B.C. they can then apply for Permanent Residence.

Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot

It aims to attract entrepreneurs who are willing to open a business in a smaller community in B.C. It can help in growing the community and creating job opportunities there. 

The person needs to have a net worth of at least $300,000, have at least three years of experience as a business owner or senior manager, invest at least $100,000 and create at least one full time job opportunity for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They need to open the business in a community with a population less than 75,000. It should be located at least 30 km outside the locality of a community with a population of more than 75,000. 

What are the basic eligibility criterias for this stream?

• Within the last five years the person needs to have 3+ years of experience as a business owner or 4+ years of experience as a senior manager.
• The person needs to have a net worth of at least $300,000.
• The person should have post secondary education or be a business owner actively managing a business for at least 3 years within the last 5 years with 100% ownership of the business.
• The person needs to invest at least $100,000 to establish a new business in a participating community in B.C. and have at least 51% ownership of the business.
• Create at least one full time job opportunity for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Obtain a minimum CLB 4 in either English or French.
• The person should have legal status in Canada or should be eligible to get one in the future.
• The person should be legally residing in the country where they are currently present.

 

Strategic Projects

It helps foreign companies that want to establish a business in B.C. to nominate key staff members, professionals or technical staff who are willing to become permanent residents of Canada and settle in B.C.

What are the basic eligibility criterias for this stream?

• The company needs to make an equity investment of at least $500,000.
• For every key staff member that it nominates, it would have to create at least three full time job opportunities for Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents.

For further details in regards to the program please contact us at SAM Law. We would be happy to guide you through the whole process and help you settle in B.C.