Business Immigration to Canada

All countries rely on businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs, stimulate the economy and bring money to the country. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and business ability, you may be able to immigrate to Canada if your abilities and business can make a contribution.

There are two main ways you can immigrate to Canada as a business person:

• As a self-employed person
• Through a start-up visa

The Self-Employed Person

For the purposes of immigration, you are self-employed if you have at least two years of experience in your business and intend to remain self-employed in Canada in a way which contributes to Canada’s economy. Your self-employment work and experience must be in the cultural or arts sector, athletics, or other approved categories. You must also be able to pass a police background check and security check as well as a medical exam to come to Canada.

If you are self-employed and qualify, you can apply to immigrate to Canada if you get at least 35 points on the selection factors grid. If you qualify, you can apply using the Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008). You must show that you have made a significant contribution in your area of expertise and that you have enough money to live in Canada and support yourself with your work.

Start-Up Visa

The start-up visa program allows you to immigrate to Canada and start your business in this country. In order to qualify, you must have a Letter of Support from a designated organization, such as a venture capital fund, angel investor organization, or business incubator. In addition, you must provide language proficiency in English or French by securing scores of five in four categories of the CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark). You must also have enough money to live in Canada before your business takes off and you must qualify to enter Canada.

In addition to these requirements, you must also meet the ownership requirements. This means you must have a minimum of 10% or more of the voting rights in the company and you as well as the designated organization must have more than half of the voting rights in the company. You cannot seek a start-up visa, in other words, if you own only a small portion of a company.

Do You Have Questions?

Since every business and a self-employed individual is different, each application is considered individually. You need to ensure you fill out the forms correctly and provide the right documents to prove you are eligible. If you need assistance, Immigration Direct has a free blog and resources to help you apply for the visa of your choice. Check us out to get clear, up-to-date answers to your immigration questions.