British Columbia invites entrepreneurs to pursue provincial nomination

On September 22, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) issued no fewer than 10 invitations to apply for provincial nomination through its Entrepreneur Immigration category.

Invitations were issued through both its entrepreneur-focused streams, to foreign nationals intending to establish a new business in the province or purchase and grow an existing one.

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Nomination applicants approved by British Columbia will be issued a work permit support letter, which can then be used to apply to the federal government for a work permit.

Those who meet the terms of their business performance agreement and are nominated may become eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) after submitting their permanent residence (PR) application.

Since June 9, 2026, nominees applying for PR through a base PNP pathway have been able to apply for a BOWP months sooner under a temporary federal measure that removes the need to first receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) for their PR application.

Draw details

Invitations were issued through both the Base Stream and the Regional Stream of the Entrepreneur Immigration category, with the majority issued through the former.

Candidates under both streams needed to have a score of at least 119 to be selected in this round.

Stream	Invitations issued	Minimum score
Base Stream	10	119
Regional Stream	<5	119

With a cutoff of 119, both streams saw their highest threshold in 2026 in several months: since February 10 for the Base Stream and March 10 for the Regional Stream.

This latest round marked the province’s 10th entrepreneur-focused selection round of 2026.

Under its 10 entrepreneur selections rounds, the province has conducted 17 draws—10 targeting Base Stream candidates, and the remaining seven targeting Regional Stream candidates.

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

Date of draw	Stream	Minimum score	Invitations issued
22 Sep	Base	119	10
	Regional	119	<5
25 Aug	Base	116	11
	Regional	116	5
28 Jul	Base	117	10
30 Jun	Base	118	14
	Regional	113	<5
2 Jun	Base	117	15
	Regional	117	<5
5 May	Base	115	8
	Regional	115	<5
14 Apr	Base	115	14
10 Mar	Base	117	7
	Regional	129	<5
10 Feb	Base	121	13
	Regional	105	<5
14 Jan	Base	115	7

As of September 22, the BCPNP has issued no fewer than 114 invitations to apply for provincial nomination through the Entrepreneur Immigration category in 2026.

Factoring in Skills Immigration invitations (>5,300), the BCPNP has issued no fewer than 5,414 invitations over the course of the year.

The Base Stream vs. the Regional Stream

While both pathways are intended for entrepreneurs seeking permanent residence in British Columbia, the Base Stream and Regional Stream each operate under different eligibility 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

*Applicants without a post-secondary credential must have at least three years of active business ownership and management experience within the past five years, during which they held full ownership of the business.

Pathway to permanent residence for entrepreneurs

The process toward permanent residence is broadly similar under both entrepreneur streams, although Regional Stream candidates must complete two additional steps at the outset:

• Select a participating community that fits the proposed business concept (Regional);
• Complete an exploratory visit and secure a community referral (Regional);
• Develop a business proposal;
• Register with the BCPNP and receive a score based on human capital and economic factors;
• Wait for an invitation to apply in a future draw;
• Submit a provincial nomination application within four months of receiving an invitation;
• If approved, apply to the federal government for a work permit;
• Move to British Columbia and establish and operate the proposed business; and
• Receive a provincial nomination after meeting the applicable program requirements.

After receiving a nomination, candidates can submit an application for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

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