B.C. adds new communities to entrepreneur immigration pilot program
Credit to Author: Shelby Thevenot| Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2019 15:33:52 +0000
Eight communities have been added to the list of those eligible for the B.C. Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot program.
The EI Regional Pilot is for foreign entrepreneurs who want to establish a new business in a smaller, regional community in B.C.
Communities with less than 75,000 people located more than 30 km away from an urban centre have been participating since the program was launched in March.
The eight new additions bring the number of communities taking part in the regional pilot program to 66.
The new communities are:
Participating communities must prove that they can offer eligible entrepreneurs a network of settlement and business agencies. Community representatives must attend immigration and pilot-specific training in order to host exploratory visits for interested candidates.
Prospective entrepreneurs must complete an exploratory visit to the community where they wish to set up their business. They must then present their business proposal to a community representative and receive a referral in order to register under the pilot.
When registering, candidates must submit details about their work and/or business experience, education, language ability, net worth, and information on the proposed business, among other details.
The personal net worth requirements for the pilot have been reduced compared to the Entrepreneur Immigration category. This is to reflect the lower cost of starting a business and settling in B.C.’s rural regions.
In order to be eligible candidates must:
Candidates will receive a score upon registration. Those with the highest scores will be invited to submit a full application to the BC PNP through monthly invitation rounds.
Applications are typically assessed within four months, and candidates may be invited to attend an in-person interview in Vancouver to discuss the details of their application.
Once approved, applicants must sign a performance agreement with the BC PNP, which outlines all the criteria needed in order to receive a nomination for Canadian permanent residence.
Successful applicants receive a work permit support letter from the BC PNP. Afterwards, they can apply to the Government of Canada for a two-year temporary work permit.
Once the BC PNP determines that the terms and conditions of the performance agreement have been met, they will nominate the entrepreneur for Canadian permanent residence.