Business immigration to Canada: Overview of Canada Investor Visas

 

Canada investor visa is the easiest option for business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, and business managers to settle in Canada and start businesses in Canada.

The country offers different types of business and investment visas to help people move to Canada easily and apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offers tremendous opportunities to foreign business owners and investors who wish to start business activities in Canadian provinces. Every year thousands of people move to Canada to establish their businesses. 

Canada’s investor visas came into reality to boost investments and workforces in Canada through the migration of people who can run and invest in various types of businesses.

Why immigrate to Canada as an investor

• Earn in dollars!
• Ensure your children access to free education;
• Avail the best healthcare facilities;
• Get a Canadian passport (One of the most powerful passports in the world, travel over 140 countries without visas)
• Raise your children in the safest country in the world where the crime rate is significantly lower
• Set up your business and get clients from both Canada and the US!
• Immigration to Canada by investment solved financial problems of many entrepreneurs and business owners.

How to immigrate to Canada through investment

If you are interested in immigrating to Canada through investment, you must be eligible for one of the following Canada investment immigration programs:

1. Entrepreneur Streams
2. Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)
3. Start-Up Visa (SUV)
4. Federal Business Immigration
5. Self-Employed Visa Program

1. Entrepreneur Streams

The Entrepreneur streams come first if you plan to immigrate to Canada by investment. You must have a high net worth and should be willing to establish, invest or acquire an existing business in Canada. 

The easy options for business owners would be to submit applications under the British Columbia (BC) Entrepreneur Base Program, Ontario Entrepreneur Program, Nova Scotia Entrepreneur Program, or the Saskatchewan Entrepreneur Program. 

Canada’s entrepreneur program is similar to business migration to Australia. In both cases, applicants must get an invitation to apply. Here, Canada’s provinces will choose applicants and allow them to come to Canada and invest in a Canadian business.

The following Canada investor visa programs are well known and popular:

• Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program — Entrepreneur Stream.
• British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program — Entrepreneur Immigration Stream.
• Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
• New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program — Entrepreneurial Stream.
• Nova Scotia Nominee Program — Entrepreneur Stream.
• Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program — Work Permit Stream.
• Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program — Entrepreneur Category.

Requirements for Entrepreneur Streams?

Each province has its own set of requirements. Click the + button to see the basic requirements:

2. Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

The government of Quebec offers investment options to business owners and entrepreneurs who have a high net worth. Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) is one of the popular Canada Investor visa programs that offer permanent residency (PR) to successful candidates. 

Requirements for Quebec Investor Program:

• Legally acquired net assets of at least C$2,000,000;
• Have management experience for at least two years in the five years;
• Intend to settle in Québec;
• Sign an investment agreement with a financial intermediary; and
• Make a five-year term investment of C$1,200,000

 

3. Start-Up Visa (SUV)

When planning to immigrate to Canada through the help of Canadian incubators or angel investors, the best option available is to apply for the Canada Start-up Visa (SUV). The Start-up Visa is one of the major investor visa programs that creates an easy pathway to Canadian permanent residency.

This program is extremely complicated if not processed by an expert. In most cases, the application process gets stuck when seeking support from incubators or Canadian angel investors.

There are certain requirements for your visa application to be successful by being innovative, creating employment opportunities for Canadians, and being able to take on challenges and business targets.

Canada’s Start-Up visa also requires you to contribute to Canada by making investments in Canada.

Requirements for the Start-Up Visa:

• Have a qualifying business
• Demonstrate your English language skill (CBL5 is the minimum requirement)
• Get a letter of support from a designated organization in Canada (get a minimum funding commitment of $200,000 CDN from a designated Venture Capital Organization, $75,000 from an approved Angel Investor, or Business Incubator)
• Demonstrate enough assets to settle down in Canada with family

4. Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit

The Intra-Company Transferee (C12) Program is the “fastest” way to relocate to Canada. This program does not specify any fixed investment requirement! 

The program will issue Canadian business work permits to business owners or senior managers who wish to expand their local businesses to Canada and create an easy pathway to getting Canadian permanent residency. 

The program requires business expansion to Canada. So, the local businesses must demonstrate higher financial capacity to afford a Canadian company establishment.

Requirements for the Federal Business Immigration:

• Age: No age limits
• Education: No Education Requirement
• Business or managerial experience: At least 3 years
• Annual turnover: CAD$500,000+
• Net worth: Fixed asset CAD$800,000+
• Investment in Canada: No specific investment requirements.
• Job creation: At least 1 Canadian PR / Citizen

5. Self-Employed Visa Program

Move to Canada by proving your skills! This program is for individuals who are capable of creating their own employment and contributing to the economy or the cultural or artistic life of Canada. 

People who can demonstrate sufficient skills from any of the following fields can apply to this program.

• Authors and writers,
• Creative and performing artists,
• Musicians,
• Painters,
• Sculptors and other visual artists,
• Technical support and other jobs in motion pictures,
• Creative designers, and craftspeople.

Requirements for Self-Employed Program:

• Have relevant work experience (at least 2 years experience in the last 5 years)
• Be prepared to be self-employed in Canada
• Meet the program’s selection criteria (minimum 35 points) and
• Meet health, security, and other conditions

Selection criteria are based on the following things: 

• Experience
• Education
• Age
• Language abilities, and
• Adaptability

Is it easy to start a business by investing in Canada?

Canada has a combination of attractive advantages which are not available everywhere else.

• Low Corporate tax rates and open-for-business policies
• Highly skilled workers
• Extensive access to the US, Mexico, Asian and European markets
• Active economy with a market of over 30 million consumers
• Superior infrastructure and a modern transportation network
• Very low start-up and functioning costs for companies
• One of the strongest and most secure globally recognized banking system

In 2021, Canada imports goods from many countries. According to an online source, Canada imports from China ($68.62B), India ($4.77B), and Bangladesh ($1.50B).

What are you waiting for?

Immigration to Canada by investment will definitely unlock doors of opportunity and success!

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

 

How much money do I need to invest to immigrate to Canada?

To immigrate to Canada by investment, you need to invest at least CAD$200,000 in a Canadian business. Programs like Canada Entrepreneur Streams allow candidates to settle in Canada and make investments. Also, there are a few visa programs for business owners that do not have any specific investment requirements.

Can I buy a property in Canada and immigrate?

The answer is no! Canada does not offer permanent residency if you just buy property in Canada. The business and investment immigration programs require you to invest in the businesses, and run a business for a certain period of time to get the PR.

Can I get Canadian PR through Canada investor visa?

Canada will first issue you business work permit which will turn to permanent residence after you meet some of the requirements in Canada

Why should I hire an immigration lawyer?

Canada business immigration can be complex. Hiring an experienced lawyer can make the process easy and trouble-free. We are working with top-notch immigration lawyers and registered consultants. Contact us to retain a lawyer.

What is the easiest and fastest way to come to Canada?

If you are a business owner, if your business is successful, and if you can demonstrate a high net worth, you might be eligible for Federal Business Immigration. The processing time can take approximately 6 months!