British Columbia has announced a new immigrant entrepreneur pilot program, The Entrepreneur Immigration stream of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), an opportunity for experienced entrepreneurs to move to Canada and bring innovation and economic growth to British Columbia. BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration - Regional Pilot is a 2-year program that will launch in early 2019 to "attract entrepreneurs with a desire to start businesses, create jobs and settle in regional centres, and contribute to their local economy."
The immigrant entrepreneur program's application criteria targets entrepreneurs with a desire to start a business and settle in regional communities (populations of fewer than 75,000):
- exploratory community visit
- minimum of $100,000 in eligible business investments
- minimum personal net worth of $300,000
- minimum of 51% ownership
- minimum of 1 new job created
Immigration to Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver is Canada's 3rd largest city and is a welcoming city for immigrants who want to move to Vancouver, and immigrants make up 40% of the city's population. The Welcome BC program provides resources for qualified immigrants to move to British Columbia. In addition to the new BC Immigrant Entrepreneur pilot program, British Columbia offers other programs to support immigration:
- British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP): British Columbia’s economic growth program to meet skilled and qualified labour market needs by recruiting high-demand foreign workers and experienced entrepreneurs who want to immigrate to Canada and apply for permanent residency in BC.
- Express Entry BC: EEBC is a faster way for eligible skilled workers to gain permanent residence in B.C. and connects with the Canadian Permanent Residence Express Entry immigration application process.
- BC PNP - Skills Immigration: The Skills Immigration (SI) stream of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is for foreign workers with the skills, experience and qualifications needed by British Columbia employers.
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BC PNP Technology Pilot: Launched on August 28, 2017, the BC PNP Pilot allows for a fast-track, permanent immigration pathway for in-demand foreign workers and international students.
Vancouver, British Columbia, was named one of the world's top ten most livable cities in 2018, along with Canadian cities Calgary and Toronto; the only North American cities in the top 10 of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s 2018 Global Liveability Index.
Vancouver was ranked the 6th most livable city in the world based on 5 factors:
- Stability: The prevalence of crime, threat of terror, military conflict or civil unrest.
- Healthcare: The availability and quality of private and public healthcare, over-the-counter drugs and other general healthcare indicators.
- Culture and Environment: Indicators that range from temperature rating, climate, level of corruption, social or religious restrictions, food and drink, and other social indicators.
- Education: The availability and quality of private and public education.
- Infrastructure: The quality of roads, public transportation, availability of housing, and other indicators.
Express Entry BC connects with the Canadian Permanent Residence Express Entry immigration application process, which provides eligible applicants to receive priority processing of both their BC PNP application and if nominated, their permanent residence application. Express Entry is Canada's skilled-worker immigration application system, launched in January 2015, to attract high-skilled foreign workers and former international students who want to live in Canada permanently and whose in-demand skills are needed by employers across the country.
The job categories that are eligible for Express Entry British Columbia are:
- Skilled Worker
- Health Care Professional
- International Graduate
- International Post-Graduate
Vancouver immigration lawyer Evelyn Ackah, founder and managing lawyer at Ackah Business Immigration Law with offices in Vancouver and Toronto in addition to the Calgary headquarters, has 20 years expertise helping immigrants move to new opportunities:
Vancouver is a welcoming destination for people who want to move to Canada. At Ackah Law, we open doors to new opportunities - whether our clients are moving for work, education or personal pursuits, they are all seeking to ensure smooth sailing and confidence through the immigration process to Canada. We work with clients around the globe — in person, by phone, by email, or via Skype.
