Business immigration program

Applying - General

• Why does Canada have a business immigration program?
• How does Canada benefit from business immigrants?
• What are the main differences between investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed persons?
• What additional documents must I send with my application?
• What does business experience mean?
• How do I prove that I earned my net worth legally?
• Where do I apply as a business immigrant?
• How long will it take for CIC to process my application?

Entrepreneurs

• Who are entrepreneurs and what do they bring to Canada?
• Where do most entrepreneurs come from?
• Why aren’t you accepting applications under the Federal Entrepreneur Program?
• How long will the pause on entrepreneur applications last?
• Will the pause affect Quebec-selected entrepreneurs?
• What is happening to the Federal Entrepreneur Program applications that are currently in the inventory?

Investors

• How can I qualify as an investor?
• What are the business experience requirements for investors?
• As an investor, how can I prove that I earned my net worth legally?
• What documents will I get after I invest?
• What is a facilitator?
• Where do most immigrant investors come from?
• Why are you no longer accepting new Immigrant Investor Program applications?
• How long do you foresee the federal Immigrant Investor Program pause being in place?
• Are you still processing existing federal Immigrant Investor Program applications?

Self-Employed Persons

• How can I qualify as a self-employed person?
• How do I become a self-employed person?
• What does relevant experience mean for self-employed persons?
• Does my relevant experience as a self-employed person have to be recent?
• What are specified economic activities?
• What does cultural activities mean?
• What is meant by a significant contribution?
• As a self-employed person, do I need to report my activities to anyone once I arrive in Canada?
• Is there a net worth requirement for the self-employed program?
• Do I need a language test to immigrate to Canada?

Start-up visa

• How can I qualify to get a start-up visa?
• What do I need to do to get support from an investor organization?
• How do I show that I have the support of Canadian investors?
• What level of language proficiency do I need to apply for the start-up visa?
• Do I need to have completed studies at a post-secondary institution to apply for a start-up visa?
• How much money will I need to show that I can cover living expenses when I get to Canada?
• What is an essential person?
• Can an entrepreneurial team immigrate to Canada together?
• What is the minimum investment that I would need to apply for a start-up visa?
• Why is there a difference in the minimum investment required from a venture capital fund or an angel investor group?
• Will I have to invest my own money if I want to apply for a start-up visa?
• What happens if I receive investment support from multiple designated venture capital funds or angel investor organizations?
• What happens if my business fails?
• How does this new program affect the moratorium on the Federal Entrepreneur Program?