British Columbia invites entrepreneurs to apply for provincial nomination

On August 25, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) conducted a draw through its Entrepreneur Immigration category, issuing 16 invitations to apply.

Invitations were extended to entrepreneurs who wish to establish a new business in the province or acquire and expand an existing enterprise.

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The latest round of selections was the BCPNP’s 21st of the year, and its ninth focused exclusively on entrepreneurs.

Invited candidates have the opportunity to apply for provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

Draw details

The two streams differed in the number of invitations issued, while sharing the same cutoff score.

Of the invitations issued in this round, the majority went to Base Stream candidates:

Stream	Minimum score	Invitations issued
Base	116	11
Regional	116	5

This draw recorded the highest invitation count of any Regional Stream draw held in 2026.

The table below shows how this round compares to previous Entrepreneur Immigration selections held over the course of 2026:

Date of draw	Stream	Invitations issued	Minimum score
August 25, 2026	Base	11	116
	Regional	5	116
July 28, 2026	Base	10	117
June 30, 2026	Base	14	118
	Regional	<5	113
June 2, 2026	Base	15	117
	Regional	<5	117
May 5, 2026	Base	8	115
	Regional	<5	115
April 14, 2026	Base	14	115
March 10, 2026	Base	7	117
	Regional	<5	129
February 10, 2026	Base	13	121
	Regional	<5	105
January 13, 2026	Base	7	115

This year’s nine entrepreneur selection rounds have produced 15 draws in total: nine under the Base Stream and six for the Regional Stream.

The BCPNP has invited no fewer than 104 entrepreneurs through its 2026 draws, contributing to a year-to-date total of no fewer than 4,942 invitations across its entrepreneur and skilled worker streams.

How the BCPNP’s entrepreneur streams differ

While both the Base Stream and Regional Stream provide pathways for entrepreneurs to pursue permanent residence in British Columbia, they each have varying rules and requirements:

Criteria	Base Stream	Regional Stream
Business type	Launch a new business or take over + grow existing one	Launch a new business outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District
Business experience	3 years as a business owner-manager in the last 10 years	3 years as a business owner-manager in the last 5 years
*Education	Post-secondary credential	Post-secondary credential
Minimum language proficiency	CLB 4	CLB 4
Minimum personal net worth	$600,000	$300,000
Minimum investment	$200,000	$100,000
Minimum ownership	33.33%	51%
Community referral required?	No	Yes
Exploratory visit required?	No	Yes
Minimum registration score	115/200	105/200
Registration with BCPNP co-applicant permitted?	Yes	No

* Those without a post-secondary credential must demonstrate at least three years of active business ownership and management experience within the past five years, with full ownership of the business.

Pursuing permanent residence through the BCPNP's entrepreneur streams

The route to permanent residence is largely the same under both entrepreneur streams, with Regional Stream candidates subject to two additional steps:

• Identify a participating community that aligns with your proposed business (Regional Stream);
• Complete an exploratory visit and obtain a community referral (Regional Stream);
• Prepare a business proposal;
• Register with the BCPNP and receive a score based on human capital and economic factors;
• Wait to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) in a future draw;
• Submit a nomination application within four months of receiving an ITA;
• If approved, apply to the federal government for a work permit;
• Establish and operate the proposed business in British Columbia while on the work permit; and
• Receive a provincial nomination if program requirements are met.

Once nominated, candidates can apply directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams