Permanent Residence

Immigration Categories: Entrepreneurs

The Entrepreneur Program seeks to attract experienced business persons who will own and actively manage businesses in Canada that contribute to the economy and create jobs. Entrepreneurs must:

• show that they have business experience

• have a minimum net worth of C$300,000 that was obtained legally and

• respect the conditions for entrepreneurs after they arrive in Canada.

Who can apply?

To be eligible under the Entrepreneur Program, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have at least two years of business experience.
• Have a net worth of at least C$300,000 that was obtained legally.
• Meet the selection criteria for the Entrepreneur Program.
• Meet medical, security and other requirements.

Business experience

You must have managed a qualifying business and have had control of a percentage of equity of the qualifying business for at least two years in the period that begins five years before you submit your application and ends when a decision is made on your application.

Your business must not be operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income, such as interest, dividends or capital gains.

You can find a definition of a “qualifying business” and other terms that apply to the Entrepreneur Program in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Net worth requirements

You must be able to satisfy a visa officer that the fair market value of all your assets and the assets of your spouse or common-law partner were obtained legally. Your assets must exceed the fair market value of all your liabilities and the liabilities of your spouse or common-law partner by at least C$300,000.

You must be able to prove that no portion of your net worth was obtained through criminal activity. You will be asked to explain any discrepancies between your net income over the years and your present net worth. The visa officer who assesses your net worth may ask you for documents to confirm both your income sources and your net worth.

Selection criteria

You will be assessed based on selection criteria that include your experience, education, age, language abilities and adaptability. You can find out more about the selection criteria in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Medical, security and other requirements

You and your family members must pass a medical examination and security and criminal checks. You can find more information on both of these topics in the I Need To… section on the right-hand side of this page.

Quebec

Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec operates its own business immigration program. If you want to settle in the province of Quebec, contact the nearest Quebec immigration office, or visit the website of the Quebec ministry that handles immigration. You will find more information in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.