20/2017

M31/2017

January 31, 2017

February 1, 2017

Provincial Immigration Programs Act

Provincial Immigration Programs Regulation

[Last amended January 22, 2026 by B.C. Reg. 4/2026]

20_2017_pit

Definitions

In this regulation:

Act means the Provincial Immigration Programs Act ;

business approval means an approval of an application in which the applicant indicates an intention to invest in and actively manage a business in British Columbia;

eligible business means a business in British Columbia with respect to which a person has applied for a business approval;

immigration-linked investment scheme has the same meaning as in

section 87 (9) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Canada), SOR 2002-227;

invitation approval means an approval of an application in which the applicant requests an invitation to apply for an approval within a class of approvals for which the director has issued invitations under

section 3 (2) of the Act;

key staff approval means an approval of an application in which the applicant indicates an intention to act as a key staff person for an eligible business;

key staff person , in relation to a business, means a senior employee whose expertise is essential to the success of the business;

skills approval means an approval, other than a business approval or a key staff approval, of an application in which the applicant indicates an intention to enter the labour market in British Columbia.

Agreement

The agreement prescribed for the purposes of the definition of "provincial immigration program" in

section 1 of the Act is the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement, which came into force on April 7, 2015.

Fees

The following fees are prescribed:

for the purposes of

section 3 (1) (

c) of the Act,

$3 500 for an application for a business approval,

$1 000 for an application for a key staff approval,

iii

$1 750 for an application for a skills approval, and

$300 for an application for an invitation approval respecting a business approval;

for the purposes of

section 7 (3) (

d) of the Act, $500.

[am. B.C. Regs. 203/2020; 199/2023; 4/2026.]

Representatives

The requirement prescribed for the purposes of

section 3 (3) (

b) of the Act is that the representative is in compliance with

section 91 (2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).

Application requirements

The following requirements are prescribed for the purposes of

section 3 (3) (

d) of the Act:

the director has not, during the 2 year period immediately before the date of the application, determined that the applicant

made a misrepresentation in relation to a previous application under the Act or otherwise failed to comply with the Act or regulations, and

knew or ought to have known of the misrepresentation or other failure;

for an application for a skills approval where the applicant has a supporting employer, the director has not, during the 2 year period immediately before the date of the application, determined that the supporting employer

made a misrepresentation in relation to a previous application under the Act, or

failed to comply with a requirement made under

section 11 (2) (

d) of the Act, and

iii

knew or ought to have known of the misrepresentation or failure;

the applicant does not have another active application;

if the applicant is applying in reply to an invitation under

section 3 (2) of the Act, the application is submitted within the period set out in the invitation for submitting applications.

Approvals

The following matters are prescribed for the purposes of

section 4 (1) of the Act:

whether entry of the applicant will be of benefit to the economic development of British Columbia;

the applicant's ability and intention to permanently settle and become economically established in British Columbia;

the applicant's language skills;

whether the applicant's entry will adversely affect

the settlement of a labour dispute or the employment of a person involved in a labour dispute, or

employment or training opportunities for British Columbians;

whether the applicant has entered into or intends to enter into an immigration-linked investment scheme;

whether the information provided in relation to the application is accurate, complete and reliable;

with respect to an application for a business approval, whether the applicant will provide active and ongoing management of the eligible business from within British Columbia.

Obligations of approved person

The requirements prescribed for the purposes of

section 5 (2) (

b) of the Act are the same as those prescribed by

section 4 of this regulation.

Purpose for information-sharing agreement

For the purposes of

section 9 (2) of the Act, administering and enforcing the Property Transfer Tax Act is a prescribed purpose.

[en. B.C. Reg. 128/2017.]

[Provisions relevant to the enactment of this regulation:

Provincial Immigration Programs Act , S.B.C. 2015, c. 37, s. 16.]