Image Credit: Contributed/City of Vernon

The City of Vernon has been piloting an entrepreneurial immigration program with the province and now wants the provincial program to be permanent.

Since 2019, Vernon has been part of the Entrepreneur Immigration Program which allows the city to welcome international entrepreneurs so they can open their businesses in Vernon. The program allows the community to vet immigration requests alongside business plans in hopes of getting them established in the city.

"This is an immigration program focused on welcoming international entrepreneurs who are looking to come to Canada. It is a pilot program established by the province and one of the benefits of these programs is that as a community we get a chance to assess business plans and see if they're a good fit for our community and issue recommendations to the province," the city's manager of Economic Development and Tourism John Perrott says.

"It's a really positive program for us. We've had about 180 people provide applications over the pilot period with the majority coming in in the last couple of years and we've made 15 recommendations to the province."

The way the program works is that entrepreneurs who do not currently live in Canada can request to immigrate to the country by submitting a business plan that is evaluated by the city and then recommendations are sent to the BC and federal governments.

Council voted on Tuesday, March 11, to ask the province to become a permanent program member.

"There are different goals for us. Number one, we are welcoming international entrepreneurs that can bring skill and expertise into the community and really add to the vibrancy of our community. Two, they're bringing knowledge and skills that maybe we haven't seen in the past or can augment the existing entrepreneur skills in the community. And more broadly, this is part of our ongoing effort to have a really widespread community and business climate," Perrott says.

Since 2019, the program has recommended 15 entrepreneurs and one has already established a business in the community, Satoca Bike.

Vernon will benefit from more international entrepreneurs and newcomers are likely to find Vernon a great place to establish themselves in, according to Perrott.

"Overall, we hear that the community is very welcoming, very open and our partnerships are working collaboratively with some not-for-profits including the Vernon Immigrant Settlement Services which has been very positive in people finding their way and connecting with other immigrant communities," he says.

While this program has only resulted in one business so far, the city could see many new businesses open in the near future and Perrott says that's something to be excited for.

"We have a number of entrepreneurs over the 2022 and 2023 time period that we've recommended and are progressing through the provincial and federal approval process. We're very excited to see those integrate the community over the next six to 18 months and I think people will be pleasantly surprised at some of the businesses that will open and what they're going to see in the community."

To find out more about the Entrepreneur Immigration Program, and other immigration programs the City of Vernon participates in, visit the city's website here. 

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