BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration
BC entrepreneur immigration runs in stages: register and be invited, sign a Performance Agreement, run the business under a work permit, then convert the nomination into permanent residence. It is the longest file we take, and the Province publishes every threshold and deadline in it.
Tell us your net worth, your business and management history, and what you intend to build. We assess at no charge which stream fits, whether your numbers clear the Province’s thresholds, and what the whole sequence would cost.
Is BC entrepreneur immigration right for you?
This is for someone who intends to own and actively manage a business in British Columbia, and who has the capital and the track record to be selected for it. It is not a passive investment programme, and the Province excludes passive investments by name.
- You have personal net worth and investable capital that meet the Province’s thresholds, and you can document where both came from. A BC PNP-authorised accounting firm verifies your net worth and the accumulation of your funds before you may submit an application.
- You have run a business or held a senior management role, and you can evidence the responsibility you actually held.
- You intend to live in British Columbia and manage the business day to day, not to hold it at arm’s length.
- You are prepared for a multi-stage process running over roughly two to three years: registration and invitation first, then a work permit and the business itself, then a nomination, then permanent residence.
If that is not you: if you want to work in Canada rather than own a business, an employer route is faster and far cheaper. See the LMIA employer page. If you qualify on skilled experience alone, Express Entry is the cheaper path.
If you were looking at the Start-up Visa
The federal Start-up Visa is paused and closed to new applications, and the entrepreneur streams of the provincial nominee programmes are where that intent goes now.
IRCC publishes the Start-up Visa Program with the status paused. Applicants holding a 2025 commitment certificate had until 30 June 2026 to apply; that date has passed, and no new applications are being accepted outside that window. We verified this against IRCC on 4 September 2026. Programme status can change, so confirm it on the IRCC page before you make a decision.
The two are not interchangeable. The Start-up Visa was built around designated organisations and a supported venture; the provincial entrepreneur streams are built around a business you own, run and are measured on, in a specific province, under an agreement with performance terms. The capital, the timeline and the evidence are all different.
If you already have a business plan written for the Start-up Visa, do not assume it transfers. What a start-up visa business plan had to contain is a useful comparison, and what is actually known about the new entrepreneur pilot separates the announcements from the rumours.
Base stream or Regional stream: the Province’s own numbers
British Columbia runs BC entrepreneur immigration as two streams for individuals. They are not variations on a theme. They differ in where the business may be, how much capital is required, and what has to happen before you may even register.
| Criterion | Base stream | Regional stream |
|---|---|---|
| Personal net worth | At least CAD 600,000 | At least CAD 300,000 |
| Eligible personal investment in the business | At least CAD 200,000 | At least CAD 100,000 |
| Business experience | At least 3 years as a business owner-manager in the last 10 years | At least 3 years as a business owner-manager in the last 5 years |
| Business type | Establish an eligible new business, or take over and grow an existing one, anywhere in British Columbia including Metro Vancouver | Establish an eligible new business outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District, aligned with the economic development priorities of the referring host community |
| Job creation | At least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident | At least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident |
| Language | Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 minimum | Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 minimum |
| Community referral | Not required | Required. A completed referral form from the host community, valid for 90 days from the date of issue. |
| Exploratory visit | Recommended but not required | Required, to the community where the business will be established |
If you do not meet the business experience requirement, the Province allows an applicant to submit proof of an eligible education credential, meaning a post-secondary degree, for consideration instead. There are further exceptions to the table above; the Entrepreneur Immigration Program Guide is the complete statement of the criteria. These figures were taken from the Province’s own WelcomeBC entrepreneur page on 5 September 2026.
A third stream, Strategic Projects, is for foreign corporations establishing operations in British Columbia rather than for individual entrepreneurs. It requires a minimum equity investment of CAD 500,000 directed at the corporation’s British Columbia operations, and three new full-time jobs for each key staff member proposed, up to a maximum of five.
Businesses the Province will not accept
The ineligible list is published and it is specific. A proposal built on any of these does not fail at the interview. It fails at eligibility.
- An immigration-linked investment scheme, any investment carrying a redemption option, and anything that may be a passive investment.
- Bed and breakfasts, hobby farms and home-based businesses.
- Payday loan, cheque cashing, money changing and cash machine businesses; pawnbrokers.
- Tanning salons, DVD rental stores, coin-operated laundries, automated car wash operations.
- Scrap metal recycling, and businesses selling used goods, unless they provide a value-added service such as repair, refurbishing or recycling.
- Real estate development, real estate brokerage, insurance brokerage and business brokerage.
- Goods trading businesses such as import and export, unless a value add is demonstrated.
The stages, and how long each one is allowed to take
Nobody can quote a single number for BC entrepreneur immigration, but the Province publishes the deadline attached to each stage. Adding them up gives you a realistic floor rather than a guess.
- Develop the business proposal. Researched against the economic development priorities of the province, and of the host community if you are on the Regional stream.
- Register online and be scored. Scoring covers human capital, meaning work experience, education and language, together with economic factors such as the commercial viability of the proposal and its benefit to the province. The business concept is scored separately by BC PNP staff within six weeks. A qualifying registration sits in the pool for up to six months, or until you are invited. Registering does not guarantee an invitation.
- Receive an invitation and verify your net worth. A BC PNP-authorised accounting firm must review your personal net worth and verify how the funds were accumulated before you submit the application.
- Submit the application within four months. You have up to four months from the date of invitation. You may be interviewed about your work experience and business plan.
- Sign the Performance Agreement and get the work permit. On approval you sign a Performance Agreement with the Province and receive a Letter of Support. You then have 90 days to submit the work permit application to IRCC, and must arrive in British Columbia within 12 months of receiving the permit.
- Run the business for up to 20 months. From arrival you have up to 20 months to implement the plan, actively manage the business and meet the performance expectations in your Agreement.
- File the final report and be nominated. The final report is submitted between 18 and 20 months after arrival. If the Province is satisfied, you sign a Conditions of Nomination Declaration and receive a Confirmation of Nomination.
- Apply to IRCC for permanent residence. The nomination allows a permanent residence application under the Provincial Nominee Class. Approval by IRCC is what makes you a permanent resident.
The Province publishes processing times for its own stages: around 80 per cent of cases see a registration score notification within 6 weeks, an application decision at the work permit stage within 4 months, an application decision at the final report stage within 4 months, and a request for review within 6 months. IRCC’s permanent residence processing is separate and additional.
What the Province and the federal government charge
Two governments charge you in this process, and neither fee is ours. These are the Province’s fees for the nomination, and IRCC’s for the permits and residence application.
| Government fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| BC PNP registration | CAD 300 |
| BC PNP application | CAD 3,500 (Strategic Projects adds CAD 1,000 for each additional key staff member reviewed) |
| BC PNP request for review | CAD 500, non-refundable |
| IRCC work permit, per person | CAD 155 |
| IRCC biometrics, one person or a family of two or more | CAD 85 / CAD 170 maximum |
Provincial fees are refunded only if you withdraw before the BC PNP begins assessing, and review fees are never refunded. Provincial figures from WelcomeBC; federal figures from the IRCC fee list, both checked on 5 September 2026. The accounting firm that verifies your net worth charges its own fee.
What BC entrepreneur immigration costs to run
These are our professional fees, on top of the government fees above and separate from the capital you invest in the business. This is the longest engagement we take and the fee reflects the number of stages we carry.
| Service | What it covers | Professional fee |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of your case | You send the form, we check your net worth, experience and business intent against the Province’s published criteria and tell you which stream fits. | Free |
| BC entrepreneur immigration, full representation | Stream selection, the business proposal and registration, the invitation and net worth verification, the application and interview preparation, the Performance Agreement, the work permit application, the performance period, the final report, and the permanent residence application. | CAD 80,000 to CAD 90,000 |
| Paid consultation | 20, 40 or 60 minutes with a senior RCIC, for a decision on whether this route is worth pursuing at all. | from CAD 120 |
Fees are professional fees only. They do not include IRCC or ESDC government fees, biometrics, medical examinations, translations, or applicable taxes.
Your journey with Canada Shaws
The same seven steps apply to every matter we take, whichever programme it is. The first two cost nothing, and the third is optional.
- Free preliminary assessment. You complete our client intake form with your background, your goals and your current circumstances. An RCIC reviews what you have provided and carries out a preliminary assessment to identify the immigration programmes or pathways that may be relevant to your situation on the information available at this stage.
- Assessment follow-up and information review. Our client representative contacts you to introduce the pathways the RCIC identified, explain our service process and professional fees, and understand your circumstances better. They may also review what you submitted, clarify anything incomplete or unclear, and confirm whether more information is needed. You can ask questions and see the available next steps.
- Optional paid RCIC consultation. After the assessment and follow-up, you decide whether you want to speak directly with an RCIC before proceeding. If your questions are complex, or you want a detailed professional discussion of the options identified, you may book a paid consultation. It is optional. You can also proceed straight to signing up if you are ready.
- Sign up with your RCIC. If you decide to proceed, you enter into a formal service agreement directly with the RCIC who will be professionally responsible for your matter. Once it is in place, the file moves into formal case preparation.
- Detailed information and document preparation. Our team collects and reviews the detailed information and supporting documents your matter requires, and guides you through preparing them.
- Application preparation and RCIC final review. The case team prepares your application package under the supervision of your RCIC: forms, supporting documents, submission letters and any other required materials. Your RCIC carries out the final professional review before submission.
- Submission, updates and next steps. After submission we keep you informed of material developments. If immigration authorities request further information or issue a decision, our team guides you through the response, the result, and what happens next.
Who will handle your file
Every file is prepared under a named licensed consultant, and you can verify either of us on the CICC public register before you pay anything.
Frederick Li
RCIC-IRB · Level 3 · College ID R506683
Authorised to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Immigration Law Professor in the Immigration Law Program at Queen’s University (Faculty of Law) and instructor for CPD programs at Ashton College.
Jin (Cellia) Xiao
RCIC · Level 2 · College ID R512398
Founder and President of Canada Shaws since 2015, leading the team that prepares applications across the practice.
Both consultants are listed as Entitled to Practise on the CICC public register. Verify any Canadian immigration consultant at register.college-ic.ca.
Questions people ask before they register
How much money do I need?
On the Base stream, a personal net worth of at least CAD 600,000 and an eligible personal investment of at least CAD 200,000 in the business. On the Regional stream, CAD 300,000 and CAD 100,000. Those are the Province’s published thresholds; the accounting firm review that follows an invitation is where the numbers actually have to hold up.
How many jobs do I have to create?
At least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, on both the Base and the Regional stream. The Strategic Projects stream for foreign corporations is different: three jobs for each key staff member proposed, up to five.
How long does the whole thing take?
Longer than any other route we offer. The Province’s own deadlines add up to roughly two to three years before a nomination: up to six months in the pool, four months to apply, 90 days to file the work permit, arrival within 12 months, then up to 20 months running the business, then the federal permanent residence application on top. Anyone quoting you a single short number is quoting one stage and calling it the whole process.
What is the BC PNP, exactly?
It is British Columbia selecting the people it wants to nominate for permanent residence, across skilled worker and entrepreneur streams. A nomination is not permanent residence. IRCC decides that. Our overview of the BC PNP covers how the programme is structured, and how PNPs sit alongside Express Entry explains where the two meet.
Can I bring my family and can my spouse work?
Yes, and the spousal work permit is usually filed alongside the principal applicant’s permit rather than afterwards. See spousal work permits for who is eligible.
Can I get a work permit before the business exists?
No. The work permit follows a signed Performance Agreement and a Letter of Support from the Province. It is tied to the business you have been selected to run, it is not a general permit and it is not the first step. Open work permits for entrepreneurs explains where the entrepreneur permits differ from open ones.
What if I would rather be self-employed than run a company with staff?
That is a different category with different criteria, and for most people it is not a substitute, because the BC streams both require at least one new full-time job for a Canadian or permanent resident. Self-employed immigration to Canada sets out who it is actually for.
Find out whether BC entrepreneur immigration fits your case
Send us your net worth, your business and management history, and the business you have in mind. There is no charge for the BC entrepreneur immigration assessment: you will get back which stream you fit, whether your numbers clear the Province thresholds, what the ineligible business list means for your idea, and what the whole sequence would cost.
Requirements described on this page are taken from the published criteria of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (and, where a page says so, Employment and Social Development Canada or the relevant province) and were checked on the date below. Immigration rules change, and the official criteria govern, so confirm the current requirement before you act on anything here.
No representative can guarantee an immigration outcome, and we do not promise one. What we commit to is a complete, correctly prepared application and a named licensed consultant responsible for it. Canada Shaws Consulting Inc. provides immigration consulting services as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants; we are not a law firm and do not provide legal services.
Page last verified: 5 September 2026.
