North Shuswap Kicker March 2022

Chase Enrolled in Entrepreneur Immigration Program

Village of Chase Release

The Village of Chase is very pleased to announce that we have recently enrolled in a regional pilot through the Province of BC called Entrepreneur Immigration Program.

This program is designed to offer an immigration pathway for enterprising individuals from other countries who are looking to start a new business in a small community and make Canada and B.C. their new home.

Council recently appointed a Select Committee of Council for the Economic Development initiative, chaired by Councillor Ali Maki, whose members include Donna Smith-Bradley, Nathan VanKampen, Carolyn Parks Mintz and Steve Smyth representing both business and community sectors. The committee is currently working on identifying and updating the priority sectors in Chase by conducting a survey.

Interested immigration candidates may submit a proposal to the Select Committee who will review applications to determine if there’s a possible match with the Village of Chase’s priorities. The Select Committee will make recommendations to the Deputy Corporate Officer, Lynn Eileen and will conduct in an in-person exploratory visit with the candidate who meets the criteria for the program.

The exploratory visit will also give the candidate first-hand experience to determine if the Village of Chase is a right fit for their business, and they will also be able to assess whether the lifestyle is a fit for their family.

Successful candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be an immigrant wishing to relocate to Canada

• establish an eligible new business aligned with the priorities of the referring community

• show business and/or management experience.

• The investment amount is $100,000 towards a new start-up business

• have a personal net worth of at least CAD$300,000

• make an eligible personal investment of at least CAD$100,000 in the business

• create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

• demonstrate a minimum language proficiency of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4

• have, or be eligible for, legal immigration status in Canada

• have been lawfully admitted in the country where you currently live

“I feel we’ve assembled an accomplished and balanced Committee with varied experience,” says Councillor Maki, “and I look forward to working with them to bring this exciting initiative to fruition”

Chase is one of 27 communities and 7 development regions taking part in the 2nd phase of this program.

To read more about the Regional Pilot - Entrepreneur Immigration Program, please visit https://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate-to-B-C/Entrepreneur-Immigration