British Columbia has announced that it will begin a regional pilot program for immigrants who are trying to start their own businesses. The two-year program, known as the Entrepreneur Immigration-Regional Pilot, is set to start early in 2019. The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) will work with regional communities to support thousands of immigrant entrepreneurs. It is meant to attract entrepreneurs from outside to help the local communities.
Who Can Enroll?
A Community must be more than 30 kilometers away from a population center of over 75, 000 people to qualify for the Entrepreneur Immigration program. BC PNP feels that smaller regional communities need help with their economic and demographic issues. This is because the population is aging and there aren’t many job opportunities. The program may help to deal with the issues. It may create more opportunities for young people and improve the economy.
Candidates that choose to enroll have to complete an exploratory visit to the area where they intend to do business. They have to get a community referral. Only successful candidates get a temporary work permit. They only get a nomination for permanent residence if their business meets the set criteria.
