Business Visas

Business Immigration

Most information you have to know about Business program

  • What is the Canadian Business Class?

The Canadian Business Class is a category of Canadian Immigration under which individuals with business/managerial experience and relatively high net-worth may qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa. There are three sub-categories within the Business Class: Immigrant Investors, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Persons.

In addition to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) application forms, education-related and status documents (passports, birth/marriage certificates, etc.), you must submit documents proving your business and/or managerial experience, as well as documents evidencing your net worth.

After becoming a Canadian permanent resident, you may live, work, and engage in business activities in any Canadian province or territory, regardless of where you initially indicated you intended to reside on your application form. However, entrepreneurs intending to reside in the province of Quebec will be required to manage a commercial enterprise, which you must establish or acquire a portion of, in that province.

NOTE: The Federal Investor Program was terminated on June 19, ۲۰۱۴٫ 

Under the Federal Investor Program, you must have:

  • a net worth of at least CAD$1.6 million, lawfully obtained;
  • the funds to invest CAD$800,000 (financing available) for five years with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which acts as an agent on behalf of provincial and territorial investment funds; and
  • Managed and owned an equity interest in a qualifying business, as defined under IRCC Regulations; or, managed/supervised at least five employees for a period of two years within the last five years.

As an Immigrant Investor planning to reside in the Province of Quebec, you must have:

  • a net worth of at least CAD$1.6 million, lawfully obtained;
  • the funds to invest CAD$800,000 for five years in a government of Quebec guaranteed investment fund; and
  • Managerial experience in a commercial, industrial or agricultural enterprise; or managerial experience in a government, governmental organization, or international organization for a period of two years within the last five years.

NOTE: The Immigrant investor Venture Capital Pilot Program is temporarily closed and is not accepting new applications at this time.

As an Immigrant Investor planning to reside anywhere in Canada, other than in the Province of Quebec, under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Pilot Program, you must have:

  • a net worth of at least CAD $10 million, lawfully obtained;
  • the funds to invest CAD $2 million for 15 years in the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Fund;
  • demonstrate sufficient language proficiency (CLB 5) in either English or French in all four language abilities (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) by providing results from a language competency test taken in the past two years at an approved testing agency; and
  • have a Canadian post-secondary degree, diploma, or certificate of at least one year; or
  • Have a foreign equivalent as validated by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization.

You must demonstrate the origin and accumulation of your wealth through reliable, third-party documentary evidence: tax returns, pay stubs, deeds of purchase/sale, statements from stockbrokers, business/real estate valuations, etc. You must be able to demonstrate that your assets were gained through means, which are considered legal, including gifts or inheritances.

While you are entitled to engage in work and business activities upon arrival in Canada, there is absolutely no obligation to do so.

NOTE: The Federal Immigrant Investor Program was terminated on June 19, 2014.

Under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program, the investment is only made once a candidate’s application is approved. Information about the management of the fund, terms, and conditions, will be provided to immigrant investors in the agreement to be entered into with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly CIC). This agreement will have to be signed before applicants make their CAD $۲ million at-risk (non-guaranteed) investment.

For individuals pursuing immigration through the Quebec Investor Program, you must commit your CAD $۸۰۰,۰۰۰ investment amount before final approval by Quebec immigration officials.

That depends on the particular program.

Under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program, applicants are only required to make an investment if their application is approved. Applicants who are approved under this program are required to make an investment in the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Fund in the amount of CAD $2 million. The investment will be committed for approximately 15 years. This is an at-risk investment, therefore, it is a possibility that applicants will lose some or all of their investment. As with any venture capital investment, however, applicants also have the potential to receive proceeds, either over time or at the end of the investment term. Proceeds are dependent on the performance of the IIVC Fund.

Under the Quebec Investor Program, the investment of CAD $۸۰۰,۰۰۰ is guaranteed by the Quebec government and returned in full after five years.

The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program takes into consideration managerial experience in a government, governmental organization or international organization and therefore may appeal to individuals with a broader spectrum of backgrounds.

In addition, the net worth and investment requirements are more onerous for the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program.

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