Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot Find out how the Entrepreneur Immigration — Regional Pilot benefits B.C.’s smaller communities and foreign entrepreneurs.
British Columbia welcomes entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the many business opportunities across all regions of the province. Entrepreneurs can open a business in one of B.C.’s smaller communities and experience first-hand why many choose to live outside of a large urban center for their families.
Read More
The EI Stream is designed to target experienced entrepreneurs who can support innovation and economic growth in the province. It has three categories:
Base
Regional Pilot
Strategic Projects
The EI selection process has two steps. If an entrepreneur’s business proposal is approved, the Province supports their application for a work permit that allows them to come to B.C. as temporary residents to implement their business plan. Entrepreneurs then have a specific period of time (between 12 and 24 months, depending on their application category) to establish their businesses before they become eligible for nomination.
Read More
The Skilled Worker category is for experienced workers in a professional, management, technical, trade or other skilled occupation. The Healthcare Professionals category was focused specifically on medical professionals. The International Graduate and Post-Graduate categories is for international students (undergraduate and postgraduate) who have come to study at Canadian institutions and who wish to remain in Canada and start their careers in British Columbia. The Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled category is open to workers in specific occupations in tourism/hospitality, long-haul trucking, food processing, and healthcare.
Except for ELSS, all categories have an Express Entry BC (EEBC) option. The EEBC option requires applicants to meet BC PNP criteria and those of the federal Express Entry programs to benefit from faster processing of their federal permanent residency application.
Read More
REGIONAL PILOT – COMMUNITY PROFILES – Vancouver Island/Coast
The following communities are participating in the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot. Please be advised that each community has implemented its own unique process for arranging exploratory visits or issuing referrals to foreign entrepreneurs. This may include the implementation of administrative fees for services related to the community’s administration of the EI Regional Pilot.