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British Columbia Holds Seventh Entrepreneur Draw of 2026, Issuing 14 Base Stream Invitations as Regional Threshold Falls to Yearly Low
Published Date: July 6, 2026

In its June 30 round, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) issued invitations across both of its Entrepreneur Immigration sub-streams, with the number of invitations and the score threshold varying by category and a clear priority given to Base Stream candidates. The Base Stream issued 14 invitations at a minimum score of 118, while the Regional Stream set a minimum of 113 and issued fewer than five invitations.

On timing, the draw was the province's second EI selection of the month, breaking from the roughly once-a-month rhythm British Columbia had maintained through 2026. On scores, and with the exception of the February 10 round, June 30 rewrote two records for the year at once: the Base Stream cut-off was the highest of 2026, while the Regional Stream cut-off was the lowest. Viewed over a longer horizon, the province's entrepreneur thresholds have moved within a narrow band this year: the Base Stream sat at 115 in January, rose to 117 in March, eased back to 115 in May, then climbed to 117 at an early-June round before reaching 118 at month's end; the Regional Stream, meanwhile, has drifted down from a March high of 129 to 113 in this round—underscoring the recent divergence between the two pathways, one rising and the other falling.

For the year as a whole, British Columbia has held 12 EI draws in 2026—seven through the Base Stream and five through the Regional Stream—issuing at least 78 provincial-nomination ITAs in total. By way of comparison, the province issued roughly 132 invitations through entrepreneur draws over the whole of 2025, meaning this year's pace and scale broadly continue British Columbia's steady but selective approach to the entrepreneur categories.

Notably, the province's recent tightening of the draw calendar coincides with a broader federal expansion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Canada's 2026 PNP allocation for the provinces rebounded sharply to 91,500 spaces from roughly 55,000 in 2025—an increase of about 66 per cent—with British Columbia's own share rising to 5,254 from 4,000. Analysts broadly read the restored federal allocation as giving provinces room to re-engage with provincial nomination, including keeping entrepreneur draws on a regular footing.

How the two entrepreneur pathways differ

British Columbia's Entrepreneur Immigration offers two sub-streams, each tied to a different way of establishing a business and a different set of thresholds. The Base Stream allows applicants to launch a new business, or to take over and grow an existing one, anywhere in the province; the Regional Stream requires applicants to launch a new business outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District. Their key differences are as follows:

  • Business experience: the Base Stream requires three years as a business owner-manager within the past 10 years; the Regional Stream requires three years within the past five.
  • Education: both streams require a post-secondary credential; in its absence, an applicant must have spent at least three of the past five years as an active owner-manager with full ownership of the business.
  • Language: both require Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4.
  • Personal net worth: a minimum of CAD 600,000 for the Base Stream and CAD 300,000 for the Regional Stream.
  • Minimum investment: CAD 200,000 for the Base Stream and CAD 100,000 for the Regional Stream.
  • Minimum ownership: 31.33 per cent for the Base Stream and 51 per cent for the Regional Stream.
  • Community referral and exploratory visit: neither is required for the Base Stream; the Regional Stream requires both a referral from a participating community and an exploratory visit.
  • Minimum registration score: 115/200 for the Base Stream and 105/200 for the Regional Stream.
  • Co-applicant: the Base Stream permits registration with a BCPNP co-applicant, while the Regional Stream does not.

The pathway to permanent residence

The route to permanent residence (PR) is broadly the same for both streams, with two extra steps applying only to the Regional Stream. The full sequence is: first find a participating community that suits the business (Regional Stream); conduct an exploratory visit to that community and request a referral (Regional Stream); develop a business proposal; register and receive a score based on human capital and economic factors; wait for an ITA in an upcoming draw; submit the nomination application within four months of receiving the ITA; if successful, apply to the federal government for a work permit; establish and operate the business in British Columbia; and receive a nomination for PR once program conditions are met. Once nominated, candidates may apply directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

Friendly reminder: There are many pathways to immigrate to Canada. We recommend first using UNA AI to generate an objective and neutral immigration plan, so you can gain an initial understanding of the possible immigration pathways and their requirements, and then choose to proceed with one-on-one consultations with a licensed Canadian immigration consultant partnered with UNA.
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