At least a dozen people have inquired about setting up new businesses in Burns Lake as part of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) Regional Pilot.
The scheme aims to attract immigrant entrepreneurs to small and regional communities in the province.
LOOK BACK: Village bids to bring in new immigrant entrepreneurs
More than 14 people from countries including China, India and the United States have expressed interest in starting businesses in Burns Lake, Deputy Corporate Officer Val Anderson told a meeting of the village council on March 26.
Of the more than 30 communities across the province picked as host spots under the program, Burns Lake was the only one chosen in the Bulkley-Nechako region. Elsewhere in northern B.C. Terrace, Tumbler Ridge and Prince George were also selected as host communities.
To help draw new people to the village, a set of videos were made in March to promote life in Burns Lake.
READ MORE: Videos showcase Burns Lake for newcomers
The next step in the application process is for prospective entrepreneurs to submit an English proficiency test - which costs them $250 each - along with a certain minimum score and full resume of their businesses experience.
“This program wouldn’t allow someone who had never owned a business before,” Anderson said.
The applicants must then visit the host community to learn more about it and explain the business proposal. Following that visit the applicants can request a referral from the community so they can register under the EI program.
Once the referral is received an online registration has to be sent to the BC PNP, which is scored and the high-scoring registrants are invited to submit full applications to the PNP.
The final stage involves a possible in-person interview in Vancouver and a four-month assessment period and if the application is approved a letter of confirmation and work permit support letter is issued.
Applicants can then apply for a work permit and go to the host community to implement their business plan. Spouses or common-law partners can also apply for work permits.
The EI program requires that the community applying to be a host have a population lower than 75,000, be located more than 30 kilometres from a municipality of more than 75,000 people and be able to demonstrate its “capacity to support foreign entrepreneurs through an established network of settlement and business support agencies,” according to the EI Regional Pilot website.
Entrepreneur applicants must have at least $100,000 in eligible business investments, a personal net worth of at least $300,000, a minimum of 51 per cent ownership of the business and be able to create at least one new job.
Blair McBride
Multimedia reporter
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