British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program

If you are thinking about immigration to Vancouver, Victoria or any other city in British Columbia (BC), consider the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Successful applicants will receive a British Columbia Provincial Nomination Certificate, which will speed-up the Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa application process.
Under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), you may qualify under one of two streams:

British Columbia PNP Strategic Occupations Stream

To qualify you must have a job offer from an employer in British Columbia that cannot be filled by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and be either:

  • A skilled worker, specifically in the aerospace, post secondary education, information and high technology industries, although workers in other industries may also qualify;

  • A health care professional, specifically doctors, nurses, and midwives, although other health care professionals may also qualify; or

  • An international graduate of a recognized British Columbia post-secondary institution, having completed the required portion of your degree/diploma in BC.

  • A semi-skilled worker in select Tourism/Hospitality occupations, Long-Haul Trucking occupations, and Food Processing occupations.  This Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled category is currently a pilot project.

British Columbia PNP Business Immigrants Stream

Applications to establish or purchase and expand a business in BC must meet the following eligibility criteria and meet the requirements of one of the three categories of the Business Immigrants Stream (Business Skills, Regional Business, Strategic Projects):

  1. The primary purpose of the business is to earn profits from active income from the supply of products/services;
  2. The business' sustained commercial viability must be probable;
  3. The business must provide economic benefit to BC by contributing to one of the following:
  • increasing the exports of goods/services;
  • increasing value-added manufacturing,  processing, or primary resource activity;
  • increasing BC tourism;
  • increasing research and development and technology commercialization;
  • creating innovative approaches to traditional businesses;
  • servicing an unserved regional market;
  • transferring skills, technology, and know-how to BC.

Applicants in the Business Skills Category must have:

  1. A minimum net worth of CDN $800,000;
  2. A minimum investment of CDN $400,000 to establish the eligible business;
  3. A minimum ownership of 1/3 of the equity of the business;
  4. A business plan to create a minimum of 3 new jobs for Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents;
  5. The skills and experience necessary, successful business experience, and an active on-going management role in the business.


Applicants in the Regional Business Category must have:

  1. A business project located outside the Vancouver and the Abbotsford Metropolitan Areas;
  2. A minimum net worth of CDN $400,000;
  3. A minimum investment of CDN $200,000 to establish the eligible business;
  4. A minimum ownership of 1/3 of the equity of the business;
  5. A business plan to create a minimum of 1 new job for a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident;
  6. The skills and experience necessary, successful business experience, and an active on-going management role in the business.


The Strategic Projects Category allows foreign companies establishing a presence in BC to bring in key foreign professional, managerial, or technical staff (up to 5) who intend to become Canadian Permanent Residents. Companies in this category must:

  1. Make a minimum equity investment of CDN $500,000;
  2. Create a minimum of 3 new jobs for Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents for every nominee applicant put forward by the company;
  3. Demonstrate that the nominee applicants are essential to the proposed business;
  4. Demonstrate that they have a record of good business practices.


Note: Business Skills and Regional Business applicants can seek fast-track nomination by posting a $125,000 performance deposit and signing a Deposit Agreement with the Province of British Columbia.