Business
immigration to Canada

Invest, Work and Live in Canada

Canadian federal and provincial governments invite experienced and innovative entrepreneurs who are ready to invest and actively manage businesses in Canada to become permanent residents. At CWR Immigration Consulting we specialize in representing high net worth individuals and foreign companies that are ready to invest legally obtained funds into new or existing businesses in Canada.

Your business immigration options for Canadian immigration are determined by the factors of your personal profile such as your personal net worth, education, business ownership and/or senior management experience, age, knowledge of English and/or French languages, the amount of your investment funds, ties to Canada, your goals and your personal situation. We will evaluate your profile to determine the most suitable business immigration category for you:

Provincial Entrepreneur

Your business immigration options for Canadian immigration are determined by the factors of your personal profile such as your personal net worth, education, business ownership and/or senior management experience, age, knowledge of English and/or French languages, the amount of your investment funds, ties to Canada, your goals and your personal situation. We will evaluate your profile to determine the most suitable business immigration category for you:

General Provincial Nominee Program Entrepreneur Requirements:

(individual provincial requirements vary from province to province)

  • Minimum personal net worth (amounts vary from province to province from $250,000 CAD to $1,500,000 CAD) – legally obtained and verifiable by a Canadian auditor;
  • Minimum investment into a provincial business (amounts vary from province to province from $100,000 CAD to $1,000,000 CAD);
  • Experience as a business owner and/or as a senior manager (from 1 to 3 years minimum);
  • Exploratory visit to the province of interest (can be mandatory, depending on the province);
  • Some knowledge of English and/or French (usually at level 4 out of 12 levels of the Canadian Language Benchmark);
  • A viable business proposal (business plan) that includes creation of new jobs in the province (1 or more new jobs);
  • Other minimum requirement such as education, age, refundable deposit and other may be imposed by a province.

Summary of the Provincial Entrepreneur process:

  • Step One:  You will have to obtain a Temporary Resident Visa (Business Visitor Visa), if one is required, and come to Canada for an exploratory visit to a Canadian province where you will be establishing your business.
  • Step Two: You will have to submit an Expression of Interest application with the province.  Most provinces will assess your factors such as your education, your age, business ownership and management experience, the amount of your personal net worth (assets), the amount of your Canadian investment and other factors.   You will be assigned points based on these factors and the highest ranking candidates will be invited to apply for a provincial nomination.
  • Step Three: After receiving an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination:
    • You will have to submit a complete application for a nomination including supporting documentation that shows your prior experience as a business owner/manager and proves ownership of your personal assets and sources of income.
    • Important! A Canadian auditor designated by the province will perform an audit of your and your spouse’s personal net worth to verify the ownership of your assets and sources of your income.
    • You will have to prepare and submit a comprehensive business plan for your proposed Canadian business.
  • Step Four: After your application is accepted by the province, you will be asked to sign a performance agreement that outlines the requirements your business will have to achieve over the next 1 or 2 years.
    • The provinces will issue a support letter for a work permit;
    • You will apply for a work permit for yourself and for your spouse (children can study) to the federal government;
    • You will come to Canada on a work permit and start establishing and managing your business.
  • Step Five: After meeting the requirements of the performance agreement, the province will issue a Provincial Nomination for Permanent Residence and you and your family will apply for Permanent Residence to the Federal government of Canada.  You and your family can continue to live and work in Canada until your Permanent Residence application if finalized.

Owner/Operator Work Permit and Path to Permanent Residence

Foreign Owners-Operators of existing Canadian businesses (start-up business proposals do not qualify for this program) can obtain a work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Qualified candidates can leverage the Owner-Operator Work permit in combination with Canadian work experience to obtain additional points under the Federal Express Entry immigration system for economic immigration and to successfully apply for Permanent Residence of Canada. Alternatively, spouses of the Owner-Operators, who will be eligible for an Open Work Permit, can apply for permanent residence through one of the economic immigration programs.

Owner-Operator Work Permit Requirements and Process:

  • Prior to purchasing a business, candidates usually come to Canada for an exploratory visit.
  • Qualified Canadian Business:
    • Existing business that has been operating (providing a product or a service) for at least a full fiscal year;
    • The company has no previous compliance issues with any provincial and/or federal laws, rules and regulations;
    • The business can fulfill the terms of the job offer to a temporary foreign worker (including Owner/Operator);
    • The company is offering employment that is consistent with the needs to the business.
  • Owners-Operators have to purchase the majority of (at least 51%) of the company shares and take an active management position within the company that they cannot be dismissed from.
  • Owners-Operators have to submit an application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
  • ESDC will assess the benefit of the applicant’s investment to Canada and their ability to manage this business (they will look at the prior business ownership and management experience) and make a positive or a negative decision on the LMIA application.
  • If the LMIA application is approved by ESDC, the applicant will apply for an Owner/Operator work permit to the federal government of Canada.

International Mobility Work Permits for Entrepreneurs, Senior Managers, and Specialists – Path to Permanent Residence

Related International Mobility Work Permit Categories:

  • Entrepreneurs seeking to operate a business in Canada:
    This work permit category is for experienced entrepreneurs/business owners that are looking to establish a new business in Canada by investing their capital funds and knowledge into a Canadian enterprise. The proposed business must generate significant economic benefits to Canada by creating new jobs, stimulating important Canadian industries, and generating tax revenues.
  • International Agreements:
    Canada has a number of active international agreements with other countries, international unions, and organizations, including the United States of America, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Korea, the European Union, Panama, the World Trade Organization, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam). These international agreements facilitate temporary entry of Business Visitors, Investors, Traders, Intra-Company Transferees, Professional and Technicians. Qualified candidates can obtain an LMIA – exempt work permit valid for up to 3 years.
  • Significant Benefits:
    The applicant’s employment will result in significant economic, social or cultural benefits to Canada. This work permit category is for applicants who have a job offer from a Canadian employer and can provide evidence of their substantial achievements in their occupational fields that will bring significant benefits to the Canadian employer.
  • Intra-company transferees:
    This work permit category includes senior/executive managers or employees with specialized knowledge that are being transferred by a foreign company into a Canadian branch, subsidiary of an affiliate.

Start-Up Visa Business Class Permanent
Residence Program

The Star-Up Visa is a federal program that is designed to attract innovative entrepreneurs that can create new jobs in Canada and increase Canadian competitiveness on the global economic arena. The Start-Up Visa program does not have a minimum investment requirement and allows for up to 5 candidates (and their families) to apply for permanent residence through one Start-Up project.

Start-Up Visa Program (high-level) Requirements:

  • Establish (incorporate) a new qualifying business in Canada;
  • Get a support letter from one of the designated organization. A designated organization is a business group that has been approved by the government of Canada to invest in or support possible start-ups, including venture capital funds, angel investor groups, and business incubators.
    These organization will assess the start-up business proposal and determine if the proposal is worthy of their investment and/or support;
  • Meet the minimum English and/or French language requirements, which is level 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (Scale – 12 levels);
  • Have minimum settlement funds for you and your family to start a new life in Canada for the first six months.

Quebec Investor Program

Quebec Investor Program is the only passive immigration program in Canada (meaning that an applicant does not have to actively manage a Canadian business after the investment). The province of Quebec will issue a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CSQ) to qualified candidates who invest $1,200,000 CAD to the government of Quebec for the period of five years. The investment is guaranteed – it will be returned to you at the end of the investment period. Also, the applicants do not have to invest cash and can finance the investment through the authorized financial institutions in Quebec.

Quebec Investor Process Summary:

  • Step One: A Canadian auditor designated by the province of Quebec will perform an audit of the applicant’s and their spouse’s personal net worth to verify the ownership of claimed assets and sources of income.  This is an important step in the Quebec Investor application process and it is often the most difficult o to get through as it is challenging in some countries to verify all of the sources of the applicant’s income.
  • Step Two: If the audit is successfully passed, the applicant will submit an application for a CSQ to the province of Quebec.
  • Step Three: If Quebec government accepts the application, the applicant will be asked to make the investment:
    • $1,200,000 CAD paid at once;
    • Alternatively, the applicant can pay a one-time financing fee to a designated financial institution in Quebec and fully finance the required investment.
  • Step Four: The applicant receives the CSQ and applies for permanent residence to the federal government of Canada:
    • The government of Quebec will issue a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ);
    • The applicant and their family (spouse and dependent children under 22 years old) will apply for permanent residence to the federal government of Canada;
    • When the federal application is approved, the applicant and their family can come to Canada and become permanent residents.

Want to learn more what immigration programs is the best fit for you?