Quesnel is taking part in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot.
The program provides a pathway for potential immigrants (who are also or would like to become entrepreneurs) to move to rural communities.
To participate in the program, the potential immigrant must have a personal net worth of $300,000,and be able to make a $100,000 investment in a new business which creates at least one full-time job in the community.
In a press release about the new program, Bruce Ralston, the Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, said that an aging workforce and a preference for city living can cause many challenges for the economies of small towns in the province.
“This pilot will attract new businesses that create jobs and spread investment around the province so more British Columbians can benefit from shared prosperity.”
To be eligible for the program, the potential immigrant’s business must also fall under the umbrella of one of the community’s three priority sectors. In Quesnel, those are food manufacturing; professional, scientific and technical services; and food services and drinking places.
Amy Reid, Quesnel’s Economic Development Officer, says those priority sectors were a good fit with the City’s economic development transition strategy.
“They were sectors where we’ve seen immigrants be successful in the past,” she says. “So, especially with restaurants, many of our restaurants were started by immigrants, so we thought that was a good one to include.”
Another PNP Entrepreneur Immigration program already exists in B.C., and it is not limited by location. Participants in this program must abide by the same parameters, but must have more than $600,000 in personal net worth and be able to invest $200,000 in their business.
The regional pilot program will last for two years, and it is only eligible for communities with a population fewer than 75,000, and located at least 30 kilometers away from the nearest city of more than 75,000 people.
Participating communities must apply to take part in the program. Reid says Quesnel applied because it provides a way to attract more small businesses to the community, and to create more jobs.
“We’ll be featured as one of the communities on the Province’s website, so it’s just another place for us to get our information out there and [show] that we’re a great place to live, work and do business.”
Interested immigrants will register with the Province and then approach the community of their choice. From there, the community asks for more information to make sure they are legitimate, and then they come to visit and tour the community, and ask the community for a referral. When they receive the referral, they go through the registration process with the Province.
The Province reviews their business plan, their language skills and all the other information they need to provide, and then they’re given an invitation from the Province to come. The applicant must also provide a business plan to the community to which they wish to immigrate, to verify that it fits with the priority sectors.
If someone were very keen to come and start a business outside of the priority sector, they still could; however, it would have to be through the original program and not the regional pilot.
Although the pilot program only opened on March 14, Reid says there has already been a lot of interest in Quesnel.
“I’ve had a number of inquiries already; even before the program was launched, we were getting inquiries, because I think the buzz was out there with immigration consultants that the program was coming. So, we’ve had a lot of inquiries, and the Province is ready to process applicants as they come in.”
Heather Norman
Community Reporter
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