British Columbia Invited Entrepreneurs Through the Regional Pilot

On April 6, 2020, British Columbia issued 18 invitations to candidates under the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). This was the 5th Entrepreneur Immigration Draw of 2020, with a total of 62 invitations issued. And, the minimum score required for this EI draw was 107 only. This is the lowest score since October 2019 for Entrepreneur Immigration.

Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot

The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot is an immigration stream under the British Columbia PNP. It was launched in 2019 to provide a pathway for immigration to those foreign nationals who are looking to start a new business in the smaller communities spread across British Columbia. British Columbia wants those candidates, who can settle in the province and operate a business that can provide benefits to the economy of British Columbia.

Two Categories of EI Stream:

There are two streams for the entrepreneurs who are interested to settle in B.C.

The Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Category: It is mainly for entrepreneurs who are experienced and who want to establish a new business in the province or take over the existing businesses and expand them.
The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot: It is launched to attract new entrepreneurs who can set up businesses in the communities and help in the economic development of communities.

In order to apply through the EI – Regional Pilot, the foreign entrepreneur should have made a mandatory visit to the community and presented the business proposal to the representative, who will eventually submit a referral form to the British Columbia PNP.

Eligibility Criteria for BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot:

To be eligible under the EI – Regional Pilot, Entrepreneurs must:

Make a community visit;
Have a personal net worth of at least $300,000;
Have a minimum sum of $100,00 in business investments;
Take a 51 percent ownership;
Create at least one new job for Canadian resident
Have experience of over 3 years as an active business owner or experience of over 4 years as a senior manager.

The personal net worth and minimum investment eligibility criteria are lower for the regional pilot category of the EI compared to the Base Category.