Canada Business/Investor Immigration
If you are a business person or manager looking to immigrate to Canada, the Business/Investor Immigration Program may be an important fast-track Canadian immigration option for you.Business Immigration seeks to attract individuals with business and/or managerial experience who will contribute to the development of the Canadian economy.
If you're looking to make an investment in Canada or to start/acquire a business in Canada, there are several avenues for you to choose from. You can either apply under the federal program or, if you know which province/territory in which you plan to reside, you can make your business immigration investment through one of the provincial business immigration programs.
Quebec Business Immigration
The Quebec Business/Investor Immigration program is a category of Canadian immigration that is available to individuals who have acquired entrepreneurial, investor, or self-employed experience.All applicants must show that they are capable of becoming economically established in Canada and have the intention of settling in the Province of Quebec following their acceptance. Upon provincial approval, candidates will receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ - Québec selection certificate), the official document issued by the Gouvernement du Québec, and thereafter a Canadian Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa, once health and security aspects of the application have been completed.
Each of the three business categories (Entrepreneur, Investor and Self Employed) has their own requirements and selection process.
- Quebec Investor Program:To qualify as an investor, an individual must have a net worth of at least CAD$1.6 million, have managerial experience and be willing to make a government-secured investment of CAD$800,000 for a period of 5 years. Financing of this investment is available through Canadian financial institutions.
- Quebec Entrepreneur Program: To qualify as an Entrepreneur, an individual must have a net worth of at least CAD$300,000, have managerial experience in a business that they either owned or controlled, and be willing and able to establish or acquire a business in Quebec which will create at least one incremental job in Quebec.
- Quebec Self-Employed Person Program: To qualify as a Self-Employed person, an individual must have a net worth of at least CAD$100,000, and must have work experience in the profession or trade that they intend to practice in Quebec.
PNP Business Immigration
Certain provinces have their own Business Immigration programs within their Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP).Certain Canadian provinces will nominate applicants for Permanent Residency under their Business Immigration Programs. If you are interested in living in one of these provinces, you may want to make your business investment there.
Use the table below to compare the programs and learn which is best suited to your circumstances.
Provincial Nomination Programs with a Business Immigration (Entrepreneur) Category:
| Province | Minimum personal net worth | Minimum investment required | Business management experience required? | Business plan required? | Government deposit required? | Performance agreement required? | Exploratory visit required? | Additional selection criteria? |
| Manitoba SUSPENDED | $350,000 | $150,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of an eligible business | Yes: Previous business ownership or a minimum of 3 years of senior management experience | Yes | $100,000 refundable deposit | Participate in day-to-day management of business | No, but recommended | Yes |
| Saskatchewan SUSPENDED | $300,000 | $150,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of an eligible business | Yes: minimum of 3 years of business management experience | Yes | $75,000 refundable deposit | Participate in day-to-day management of business & create new jobs for Canadians or permanent residents | No, but recommended | Yes |
| British Columbia: Vancouver & Abbotsford | $800,000 | $400,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of an eligible business | Yes | Yes | Optional Fast Track Option: $125,000 refundable deposit - SUSPENDED | Yes, in order to obtain a work permit create at least 3 new jobs for Canadians or permanent residents | Strongly recommended | Yes |
| British Columbia: outside Vancouver & Abbotsford | $400,000 | $200,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of an eligible business | Yes | Yes | Optional Fast Track Option: $125,000 refundable deposit - SUSPENDED | Yes, in order to obtain a work permit create at least 1 new job for a Canadian or permanent resident | Strongly recommended | Yes |
| New Brunswick SUSPENDED | $300,000 | $125,000 | Yes: previous business ownership or senior management experience | Yes | $75,000 refundable deposit | Participate in day-to-day management of business | Yes, for a minimum of 5 days | Yes - basic proficiency in one of Canada's official languages |
| Quebec | $300,000 | $100,000 - representing at least 25% of capital equity | Yes: minimum of 2 years of business management experience in the last 5 years | Yes | No | Participate in day-to-day management of business | Strongly recommended | Yes |
| Prince Edward Island 100% Ownership | $600,000 | $150,000 | Yes | Yes | $200,000 | Participate in day-to-day management of business | Yes | Yes |
| Prince Edward Island Partial Ownership | $600,000 | $150,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of a business OR make an investment of $1,000,000 | Yes | Yes | $200,000 | Participate in day-to-day management of business | Yes | Yes |
| Ontario | - | $3,000,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of a business OR make an investment of $1,000,000 | Yes | Yes | No | Participate in day-to-day management of business & create at least 5 new jobs for Canadians or permanent residents | No | Yes |
| Northwest Territories | $500,000 (if buying a business in the city of Yellowknife) | $300,000 in a business in the city of Yellowknife | Yes | Yes | $75,000 refundable deposit | Yes, in order to obtain a work permit | Yes | Yes |
| Yukon | $250,000 (including $150,000 in liquid assets) | $150,000 and ownership of at least 1/3 of a business | Yes: minimum of 5 years of business management experience | Yes | $75,000 refundable deposit | Yes, in order to obtain a work permit | Yes | Yes - basic proficiency in one of Canada's official languages |
| **additional deposit of $10,000 if language results are below Canadian Language Benchmark 5 | ||||||||