The BC PNP Program gives the enterprises the possibility to invest in British Columbia. In particular, the “Regional Entrepreneur” category allows starting, buying or expanding a business outside the metropolitan area of Vancouver and Abbotsford for those entrepreneurs who own at least 530.000 Euros, want to invest a minimum of 130.000 Euros and they commit to create a job position for at least one Canadian citizen or resident.

The High Qualified Workers Federal Program is intended for those professionals who have at least 1 year of working experience (Financial and investment analysts, Engineers, Industrial technicians and mechanics, Computer engineers, Audiologists and speech-language pathologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Medical laboratory technologists, Radiology and Cardiology technologists, among others); or they already found a job offer, or they are international students who attended a PHD in Canada in the past 12 months.

Apart from these 2 programs which give the possibility to obtain the permanent residence to entrepreneurs and high qualified professionals; there is the possibility to develop a temporary business activity in Canada without a previous working permit from the immigration authorities, under the General Agreement on Trade and Services.

The GATS Agreements divide business people in 3 categories: business visitor, intra-company transferee or professional. Different types of documents are required depending on the category. There is a list of services divided into sectors, as well as the university degrees required for the job positions, in which Canada is committed to respect the entrepreneur’s temporary entry. The general admission requirements are the same for the 3 categories, as well as for the countries which are members of GATS (Algeria, Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea- Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Republic of Kuwait, Lesotho, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Emirate Arabs, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States of America, Venezuela, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe).