New Communities added to British Columbia’s Entrepreneur Immigration Pilot Program
Recently, the Canadian province of British Columbia has added new eight communities to the list of its Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot program. The primary goal of BC EI Regional Pilot program is to support foreign entrepreneurs who wish to set up a new business in rural British Columbia. So if you are interested in immigrating to Canada, then this province is an amazing Canadian province to live, study and work with globally ranked universities and employment facilities. Every year, hundreds and thousands of immigrants across the world apply to its British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).
BC EI Regional Pilot program was introduced in March and involved the participation of communities with a population size less than 75,000 people and a distance of more than 30 km from an urban centre. All participating communities must be able to offer a network of settlement, and business agencies to eligible entrepreneurs and their representatives need to attend immigration and pilot-specific training to learn how to host exploratory visits for interested entrepreneurs.
After the addition of new communities, the total number of communities taking part in the Regional Pilot Program has reached 66. The following is the list of new communities added to EI Regional Pilot Program:
- Akisqnuk First Nation
- Canal Flats
- Invermere
- Parksville
- Peachland
- Radium Hot Springs
- Regional District of East Kootenay (Area F, Area G)
- Shuswap Indian Band
Who can apply in EI regional pilot program?
All interested candidates who have qualified the following list of eligibility can apply to EI Regional Pilot Program
- An applicant must have a minimum investment of worth $100,000 in eligible business
- He/she must have a minimum personal net worth of $300,000;
- He/she must have more than three years of experience as an active business owner-manager or more than four years of experience as a senior manager within the last five years;
- He/she must have a minimum of 51 per cent ownership;
- He/she can create a minimum of one new job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
- He/she must scored a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 in English or French
How to apply for EI Regional Pilot Program?
- Check the eligibility
- Exploratory visit:
Candidates must have an exploratory visit to the community where they want to establish their business.
- Present business proposal:
Candidates need to present their business proposal to the representative of the community where they wish to establish their business and receive a referral to register under the EI Regional Pilot Program.
- Complete registration:
At the time of registration, candidates need to submit information on their work or business experience, education, language ability, net worth, and more. Based on the responses, they get a score.
- Wait for the invitation:
Higher scoring candidates receive invitations to submit a full application to the BC PNP
- Get ready for interview:
After submitting the application, it takes around four months to evaluate applications and selected candidates are called for interviews in Vancouver to discuss the details of their application.
- Sign a performance agreement:
On getting approval, candidates need to sign a performance agreement with British Columbia PNP. The agreement outlines the requirements or criteria needed for provincial nomination for Canadian PR.
- Get work permit support letter:
After signing the agreement, selected candidates receive a work permit support letter from the province. The work permit support letter is an important document required at the time of application of two-year temporary work permit in Canada. If the candidate fulfills all terms and conditions of the performance agreement, then he/she becomes eligible for Canada PR.
For further information, contact experts of countrywide visas. Countrywide visas is the fastest growing Immigration consultancy with a large, devoted team of Immigration experts offers hassle-free and professional services to its clients for filing their applications for various immigration programs.
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