Business PNP Update: Ontario Closed Its Entrepreneur Stream. BC's Score Just Swung 24 Points. NEW Immigration Assessment Tool

On June 26, 2026, Ontario closed its Entrepreneur Stream. Four days later, British Columbia held its seventh entrepreneur draw of the year — and the minimum score for one of its two streams had swung by 24 points since February. Same country, same month, two completely different pictures of what "business immigration to Canada" currently means. If you're planning around a provincial entrepreneur stream, the details below are worth five minutes.

Ontario: Eight streams gone, no entrepreneur pathway to replace them

On June 26, 2026, Ontario enacted regulatory amendments that closed eight of its Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) streams outright, including the Entrepreneur Stream. The province's Expression of Interest system is now closed to new registrations under any of those former streams, and no further invitations will be issued through them. In their place, Ontario launched a single new pathway — the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream — built around job offers for skilled and essential workers, with no entrepreneur or business-ownership component at all.

Ontario has said a redesigned Entrepreneur Stream is planned for a second phase later this year, potentially with a focus on purchasing and operating existing Ontario businesses. But as of today, no eligibility criteria, application process, or launch date have been confirmed. For context on why this reset happened: Ontario's federal Provincial Nominee Program allocation was cut by 50% in 2025, and the province still issued 10,750 nominations across all its (now-closed) streams that year. With a shrinking allocation, Ontario is narrowing sharply toward what it considers its highest priorities — and for now, entrepreneurs are not one of them.

The bottom line: if you were planning your Canadian business immigration strategy around Ontario, that door is currently closed, with no confirmed date for when — or how — it reopens.

British Columbia: Still open, but the bar keeps moving

BC's Entrepreneur Immigration program tells a very different story. It has run seven separate invitation draws so far in 2026 across its two streams — Base (any location in BC) and Regional (smaller, participating communities) — and it's still going.

The Regional stream's cutoff increased from 105 points in February to a high of 129 points in March, then eased back down to 113 by the end of June — a 24-point range in five months, on a stream that's supposed to be the "easier" of the two.

The Base stream has been steadier, holding between 115 and 121, but every single draw this year has issued fewer than 20 invitations combined across both streams. BC's entrepreneur pathway isn't closed — but it's small, competitive, and its cutoff is not something you can predict from the last draw alone.

What this means if you're evaluating a business immigration pathway right now

Put plainly: the two provinces most commonly discussed for entrepreneur immigration are currently moving in opposite directions. One has zero open entrepreneur pathway and an undated promise of something new. The other is open, but running small draws with a cutoff that has moved in every direction over the past six months. Neither situation is one where "I'll figure out the requirements when I get there" is a safe plan — the requirements are the whole game, and they're changing while you read this.

See where your profile stands today

We built a free Business PNP Self-Assessment Tool specifically to help you cut through this kind of movement. It walks through your personal, language, education, business, financial, and Canada-connection details, then compares your profile against the current requirements of active provincial entrepreneur streams — automatically excluding programs that are closed or paused, like Ontario's Entrepreneur Stream in its current state.

A few important things to know before you use it:

1. The tool provides general estimates based on publicly available program information current as of the time you use it. It does not constitute legal immigration advice, and it is not a substitute for a full assessment by a licensed consultant.

2. Provincial programs — including minimum score cutoffs, investment thresholds, and eligibility criteria — can and do change without notice, as the BC data above makes clear. A result from the tool reflects program rules at the time of your assessment, not a guarantee of future eligibility.

3. To view your results, you'll be asked for your name and email address. This information is used to share your assessment and, if you choose to opt in separately, occasional updates from our firm — this is never required to see your results.

4. Your results are a starting point for a conversation, not a final word on your eligibility. Confirming documentation, verifying net worth and investment sources, and building a defensible business case are things a licensed RCIC needs to review with you in detail.

   
   

Ready for a personalized assessment?

Given how differently these two provinces are moving right now, a current, complete picture of where you stand matters more than usual. Try the free self-assessment at dc-immigration.ca/pnp-assessment, then book a consultation with our team. As a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC R708399), we can confirm which streams are genuinely open to you today and help you build a strategy around where the programs are actually headed — not just where they used to be.

Disclaimer:
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration policies change frequently. Consult a regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.