Investors

Main Immigration Categories

There are two main immigration categories:

Independent Immigrant (Skilled Workers/Professionals)
Business Class Immigration

Business Class Immigration

Investors
Entrepreneurs
Self-Employed

Canada welcomes successful business people seeking new opportunities and challenges. The Business Immigration Program is designed to encourage and facilitate the admission of these individuals. In addition to providing excellent business opportunities. Canada is a multi-cultural country that boasts one of the world's highest standards of living, with excellent health, education, and social systems. The Canadian government welcomes business immigrants and offers services to help immigrants start business and settle in Canada.

Exploratory trip
Both the federal and provincial governments strongly advise Business Immigrants to make an exploratory trip to familiarize themselves with the place and get a more realistic sense of the opportunities and challenges of their business project in the province that they want to start business and settle with their families.

There are three types of Business Immigrants to Canada:

Investors
In order to be eligible as an Investor under the Business class immigration, applicants must have successfully operated, controlled, or directed a business, and accumulated through their own efforts a net worth of at least $800,000 Canadian dollars. The applicant will be required to make an investment of $400,000 Canadian dollars in approved projects in Canada. The provincial governments use the funds for job creation and economic development. The full amount of the investment (without interest) is repaid to the investor after five years. The return of the investment is fully guaranteed by participating provinces and territories. Provinces and territories secure the investment against the loss.

Many potential Business Immigrants, though able to meet the program's net worth requirements, may have difficulty raising the liquid assets required (Can$400,000) in a short period of time or they do not wish to tie up their money for a period of five years while receiving no interest on the transaction. As a result, the Investor has the option to receive a loan from a financial institution in Canada for up to 70% of the investment. So, the Immigrant Investor deposits Can$110,000 - Can$120,000. (Approx. US$82,000), borrows the remaining of the $280,000CAN - $290,000CAN and nothing is paid back at the end of the term. The Investor's deposit of about Can$120,000. (Approx. US$82,000) is used up by the financial Bank to pay the interest charges for the value of about Can$290,000 loan for the five-year term. No monthly payments or interest is required to be paid by the Investor for the loan of aboutCan$290,000. In effect the cost of the program would be about Can$120,000. (Approx. US$82,000) to the investor.

For Business applicants that want to participate on the investor program to obtain their permanent residency in Canada, and do not wish to invest the required amount of Can-$400,000 for any reason, can obtain a loan of up to about Can-$290,000, so the cost of the program will be about Can$120,000. (Approx. US$82,000) to the investor.

The Quebec government manages its own immigration programs providing for Independent Business applicants selection rules. In many respects, the province of Quebec has the most secured investor program, as government regulations are stricter.

Advantage of the Applicant under the Investor program:

Investors are not required to start a business in Canada as in the case of the Entrepreneur program.

Investments are fully guaranteed by provinces and territories that participate in the program.

No immigration "terms and conditions" are imposed upon admission as in the case of the Entrepreneur program.

There is no age limit or language requirement.

The Investor programs is better suited for people who are obliged to constantly travel to and from Canada as soon as permanent residence is established and do not wish to be subjected to reporting immigration requirements as is the case with the Entrepreneur program.