BC PNP Issues New Invitations Under Entrepreneur Immigration Categories as 2025 Nomination Quota Rebounds to Over 6,000
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has released the results of its December 16, 2025, draw, focusing on foreign entrepreneurs looking to establish or acquire businesses within the province. The selection targeted candidates in both the Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Stream and the Regional Stream.
Detailed Draw Results
The majority of invitations in this round were issued through the Base stream, consistent with the trend observed throughout 2025 during joint-stream draws. A total of no more than 21 invitations were extended, with minimum scores distributed as follows:
- EI Base Stream: 17 invitations issued with a minimum score of 115.
- EI Regional Stream: Fewer than 5 invitations issued with a minimum score of 107.
This draw stands as the province’s second-largest selection round for Entrepreneur Immigration in 2025 and represents the second-highest volume of invitations for the Base stream specifically this year.
Program Overview and Eligibility
The BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration category is designed for experienced business owners and managers who intend to settle in British Columbia. The program is divided into two distinct pathways:
- Base Stream: Geared toward entrepreneurs planning to start or purchase a business anywhere in the province. Candidates typically need to meet specific net worth and investment thresholds; the minimum score for this round was 115.
- Regional Stream: Designed for those establishing new businesses in smaller, participating rural communities. This stream features lower investment requirements to encourage regional economic development; the minimum score for this round was 107.
Under both streams, successful applicants are required to create at least one full-time equivalent (FTE) job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
2025 Year-to-Date Statistical Review
Throughout 2025, the BC PNP has conducted a total of 19 provincial draws across two main categories: Skills Immigration and Entrepreneur Immigration.
While the frequency of draws was higher for the Entrepreneur category, the vast majority of total nominations were allocated to the Skills Immigration stream. The year-to-date breakdown is as follows:
- Skills Immigration: 978 invitations issued across 3 draws.
- Entrepreneur Immigration: No more than 132 invitations issued across 16 draws (up to 97 for the Base Stream and up to 35 for the Regional Stream).
Quota Recovery and Provincial Advocacy
British Columbia began 2025 with a significantly reduced allocation of 4,000 nomination spaces—a 50% decrease from 2024 levels due to federal government policy changes.
However, following a series of negotiations and successful lobbying efforts by the provincial government, B.C. received two separate quota increases. These additions have allowed the province to recover approximately 77% of its 2024 capacity.
- First Increase: Announced on October 2, adding 1,254 spaces.
- Second Increase: Announced on December 15, adding 960 spaces.
With the total annual allocation now standing at 6,214, British Columbia intends to issue all remaining nominations before the close of the calendar year to meet local economic needs.
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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