British Columbia’s Entrepreneur Immigration streams remain one of the few active routes for a business owner to reach Canadian permanent residence in 2026. There are three: the Base stream, the Regional stream, and Strategic Projects for foreign companies establishing or buying a BC operation. All of them are work-first, not investment-first — the applicant registers, is invited, applies, signs a performance agreement, moves to BC on a work permit, actually builds the business, and only then is nominated. Start to landing runs roughly 50 months. This guide sets out what each stream requires and where files fail.
Key Takeaways
- The Base stream requires net worth of $600,000, minimum investment of $200,000, and at least one third ownership; the Regional stream requires $300,000 net worth, $100,000 investment, and at least 51 percent ownership.
- Registration is scored and self-declared. The minimum to be competitive is 40 points on Business Concept plus 115 total for Base, or 105 total for Regional.
- Nomination comes only after you have operated the business — at least 18 months for Base, at least 12 months for Regional — and filed a final report.
- Base applicants must live within 100 km of the business and be physically present in BC for at least 75 percent of their work permit period.
- The full sequence from registration to landing is approximately 50 months. Fees, thresholds and stream design change — verify the current BC PNP program guide before committing.
Unlike the Skills Immigration streams, which were cut back sharply after the October 2024 federal levels reductions, the Entrepreneur streams were largely unaffected — mainly because they were already small. BC’s 2026 nomination allocation is 5,254, up from 4,000 in 2025 but well below the 8,000 available in 2024. Entrepreneurs compete for a modest share of that.
The three streams
Base stream
The Base stream is the general entrepreneur route. It requires net worth of $600,000 and a minimum personal investment of $200,000 into the business, with ownership of at least one third.
Business experience must fall within the last ten years and satisfy one of three patterns: three or more years as an active business owner-manager, four or more years as a senior manager, or one or more years as an owner-manager combined with two or more years as a senior manager. Education must be post-secondary, or alternatively at least three years as an active business owner-manager during three of the five years before registration. Language sits at CLB 4, but for Base it only needs to be met by the final report rather than at registration.
The business can be a new venture or the purchase of an existing one, and it must create at least one full-time equivalent job. Partnership with a local business or person is permitted, and a co-registrant is possible. The former “key staff” concept no longer applies to this stream.
Regional stream
The Regional stream lowers the financial bar substantially — $300,000 net worth and $100,000 minimum investment — but tightens everything else. Ownership must be at least 51 percent, the business must be new (no purchases of existing businesses), an exploratory visit is mandatory and must come with community support or referral, and CLB 4 must be met at registration rather than deferred. Experience and education requirements mirror the Base stream. One full-time equivalent job is still required. A local partner is allowed, but co-registrants are not.
Strategic Projects
Strategic Projects is designed for foreign companies establishing a new BC operation or purchasing an eligible existing one. The minimum investment is $500,000. Up to five key staff can be brought in, each of whom must be employed full-time in the BC operation, and the company must create at least three full-time jobs for each key staff member. Companies interested in this route are expected to contact the BC PNP directly rather than simply registering online.
What the business cannot be
BC publishes an exclusion list, and it is enforced. Ineligible business types include passive investments and immigration-linked investment schemes, goods trading without a value-add component, real estate development, real estate, insurance and business brokerages, scrap metal recycling, DVD rental, tanning salons, pawnbrokers, payday lending, cheque cashing, money changing and cash machine businesses, coin-operated laundries, and automated car washes. Highly regulated industries are not automatically excluded, but a file without a clear compliance plan will not survive.
If your plan is to place capital rather than run an operation, this is not the program. See our investor and business immigration overview for how the active and passive routes differ in 2026.
Registration and scoring
Registration costs $300 and produces a score in roughly six weeks. Scoring is self-declared at this stage, which means the assessment against evidence comes later — and inconsistencies between what was declared and what the application shows are a common cause of trouble.
Two components are scored. The first covers ownership and experience (owner-managers are preferred over senior managers), net worth, total personal investment, proposed jobs, adaptability, and location — development region for Base, BC’s regions plus community population for Regional. Adaptability itself weighs age, education, language and Canadian experience, with exploratory visits counting for Base and family in the community counting for Regional.
The second component is the Business Concept, scored on commercial viability, transferability of skills assessed through NAICS codes, and economic benefits. Commercial viability looks at the business model, markets and products or services, eligible personal investments and their assessment, ownership percentage, and — for Base — risk factors. Economic benefits weigh the key sector and significant economic benefit, a jobs assessment keyed to the type and scale of the business, and, for Base, creation of high-skilled NOC TEER 0 or 1 jobs.
The thresholds to know: at least 40 points on Business Concept, and 115 total for Base or 105 total for Regional.
Application, work permit and performance agreement
After an invitation, you have four months to apply. The application fee is $3,500, net worth verification is required, and processing runs roughly four months.
A positive decision produces a performance agreement and a work permit support letter rather than a nomination. Entrepreneurs enter Canada on a C60 work permit at this stage, moving to a T13 work permit only after nomination; an accompanying spouse is eligible for an open work permit. The work permit must be obtained within twelve months of the letter of confirmation. Our guide to LMIA-exempt work permits explains where these sit in the wider system.
Then the obligations begin. An arrival report is due within 60 days of arriving in BC. A post-arrival progress check-in follows at twelve months for Base and six to eight months for Regional. Base applicants must reside within 100 km of the business and be physically present in BC for at least 75 percent of their work permit period; Regional applicants must reside in the supporting community, with the same presence requirement.
Final report, nomination and permanent residence
Base applicants must operate the business for at least 18 months before submitting the final report, and no later than 20 months. Regional applicants must operate for at least one year, also with a 20-month outside limit.
Nomination follows a successful final report and is valid for six months. You must continue operating the business after nomination, and a work permit extension is possible while the permanent residence application is processed — that stage takes roughly 20 months on its own. Post-nomination, you must notify the BC PNP of changes to business operations, business location, residential address, marital status or dependants, immigration status, and any work permit or temporary resident visa refusal.
Added up, registration through landing is roughly 50 months. Anyone who cannot commit to that horizon, and to living in BC and running the business throughout, should look at a different pathway.
If you are refused
A BC PNP refusal can be met with a request for review, which costs $500 and must be filed within 30 days if you are in Canada or 60 days if you are outside. Judicial review of a BC PNP decision goes to the BC Supreme Court, and you must have requested the internal review first. An IRCC refusal at the permanent residence stage is a different track: a request for reconsideration, or an application for leave and judicial review in the Federal Court.
FAQ
How much money do I need for BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration?
The Base stream requires $600,000 net worth and $200,000 minimum investment. The Regional stream requires $300,000 net worth and $100,000 minimum investment. Strategic Projects requires a minimum $500,000 investment by the foreign company. Confirm current figures on the BC PNP program guide before relying on them.
Can I buy an existing business instead of starting one?
Under the Base stream, yes — the business proposal can be either a new business or the purchase of an existing one. The Regional stream accepts new businesses only.
Do I have to visit BC before applying?
For the Regional stream an exploratory visit is required, and it must come with community support or a referral. For the Base stream it is not required, though it is useful and contributes to the adaptability score.
How long does the whole process take?
Roughly 50 months from registration to landing: about 60 days for a registration score, around four months to prepare the application, about four months of processing, then the performance agreement and final report period of roughly 20 months, and finally nomination and permanent residence processing of about another 20 months.
What happens if the business does not perform as promised?
The performance agreement is enforceable. If the commitments in it are not met, nomination will not follow. Separately, failing to report required changes can lead to cancellation, and in the skills context a cancelled nomination can carry a two-year bar on reapplying to the BC PNP. See our FAQs for related questions.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration law and IRCC/ESDC policy change frequently, and every case turns on its own facts. Reading this article does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Obtain advice tailored to your situation before you act.
Talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer. BridgePoint Law advises individuals and businesses across Canada — and on Canada–US–China cross-border matters — on provincial nominee entrepreneur immigration. Book a consultation with our team in Toronto and Kingston. We work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
