On November 4, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) officially closed its entrepreneur immigration stream, which had been on hold for new applications since December 2023.

Meanwhile, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) conducted candidate selections for entrepreneurs on November 5 and for skilled workers on November 6.

Provincial immigration updates from November 1 to 8 

Ontario 

The OINP has announced the closure of its Entrepreneur stream. The provincial government is in the process of making changes to “wind down and close” the stream.

Applications that have already been submitted will continue to be processed under the updated regulations. Current candidates in the Entrepreneur stream may still qualify for a provincial nomination for permanent residence (PR), based on their commitment to establish businesses in Ontario.

The OINP will reach out to all current applicants and their authorized representatives soon with further details on the next steps for processing their applications.

British Columbia

The BCPNP conducted two draws on November 5 and 6. On November 5, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) held selections under its Base and Regional Entrepreneur streams, issuing a total of at least 11 invitations to apply (ITAs), with varying cut-off scores for each stream:

  • Entrepreneur Base Stream: Cut-off score 115, 10 ITAs issued.
  • Entrepreneur Regional Stream: Cut-off score 130, fewer than 5 ITAs issued.

On November 6, the BCPNP conducted another draw for the Skilled Worker and International Graduate streams, which also included candidates from the federal Express Entry pool (referred to as the Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) option). Candidates in the Express Entry pool are eligible for provincial nominations through enhanced provincial nomination.

The invitations were issued based on candidates’ professional experience in high-demand occupations in British Columbia, with varying cut-off scores and ITAs issued depending on the targeted industries and professions:

Skilled Worker, International Graduate Stream:

  • Childcare: Cut-off score 96, 7 ITAs issued.
  • Construction: Cut-off score 97, 5 ITAs issued.
  • Healthcare: Cut-off score 111, 8 ITAs issued.
  • Tech: Cut-off score 128, 31 ITAs issued.