Business Visa Programs

It’s no longer news that Canada provides international immigrants with limitless business-thriving opportunities than most countries. These facts can easily be put to test as Canada continually records more thousands of newly-approved foreign businesses every year. This result isn’t far-fetched as international businesses can now thrive easily with access to a skilled labor force and dependable government policies.
If you intend to migrate your business of any scale to Canada, there are a few Investor and Entrepreneur Visa options to explore. Difficult to believe but true; Canada continues to update its policies and laws to accommodate more foreign startups every year. The Start-up Visa Program is your one-time ticket to actualizing your business’s ideas and dream into Canada. If all goes as plan, you could invite your family members as a bonus.

Why Business Immigration Visa?

Like every immigration process into the country, Canada’s business immigration visa offers foreign startups with reliable entrepreneurial skills and impeccable ideas a chance to do business. The business immigration visa allows your business to become a part of the government’s plan of partnering with foreign investors to develop its economy. So you see, the government needs your ideas and innovations just as much as you need that migration.

Self-employed immigration program

The self-employed immigration program is one of two Canada’s business immigration visa application options for international businesses. To get into the program, submissions must show proven records of relevant artistic skills and convincing athletic capabilities from applicants. Applicants have an edge over the majority when they showcase intermediate or expert skills and outstanding results in their respected fields.

In this program, candidates with a minimum of two years of practicing experience are seen as the experts the country needs for developing a diversified economy. However, there’s a clause that highlights that the two-year active experience must fall between 5 years before applying. Self-employed immigrants with proven artistic and athletic capabilities within the last 3-5 years also get additional points while processing their business visas.

To get started, self-employed immigrants must have:

For cultural services

I. Two one-year periods as self-employed professionals offering local cultural services

II. Two different one-year periods rendering cultural services globally in their respected expertise or,

III. Both requirements in (I) and (II)

For athletics

I. Two one-year periods as professional self-employed/ freelance athletes

II. Two one-year periods as participants in globally recognized athletic events or,

III. Both requirements in (I) and (II)

Self-employed immigration program criteria

Businesses and individuals applying into the self-employed immigration program must:

NB: The 35 points average is only a minimum requirement to qualify for the program. Candidates can score as high as 100 points to better increase their chances of standing out among the crowd.

Start-up Immigration Visa Program

Canada’s start-up immigration visa program coordinates the process of business visa acquisition by international start-up investors migrating into the country. To qualify for the program, interested parties must be eligible to meet the requirements of the CIC. Primarily, all start-up businesses and ideas must provide jobs to Canadian citizens and residents, present globally competitive solutions, and also seem innovative.

Cliick Immigration Tip: While awaiting a response on the approval of your start-up immigration, try applying for a temporary work permit. Starting the work permit application process early enough would help you actualize your business’s predicted time frame for launch in Canada.

In a nutshell, the program is highly favorable to foreign immigrants with start-up business ideas, skills, and expertise to manage businesses that:

Help create jobs for its citizens and residents

Are innovative

Present global-scale solutions

Start-up visa eligibility criteria

Running a qualifying business

As the start-up immigration visa program gets thousands of applicants yearly, businesses must meet the following criteria to be considered for the start-up visa approval:

I. Immigrant entrepreneurs must be linked to a designated organization

Proof of being paired with a designated organization requires that the foreign start-up attains at least 10% voting rights in shares of the corporation. The CIC allows a maximum of five businesses to be linked to one designated organization making them "co-owners" and legal beneficiaries
Together, both the start-up businesses and their respected designated organizations must have a minimum of 50% combined voting power before applying

II. Immigrant entrepreneurs must be permanent residents of Canada

Acquire a letter of support

The visa criteria do not end with an acclaimed pairing with a designated organization, foreign start-ups need letters of support to prove these claims. With the letter of support, the program can verify that a business is being vouched for by a recognized organization in Canada. Since the program can’t screen for legitimacy or provide support to all applicants, it splits the tasks among designated organizations.

Immigrant entrepreneurs can take the following steps to get their letters of support:

All immigrant entrepreneurs’ applications must come with an attached copy of the letter of support. Without this, the applications would most certainly be left unattended. Again, the letter of support is proof that foreign start-up businesses have the investment backing of a designated organization.

Please note that all applicants’ designated organizations must forward a signed commitment certificate to CIC. The commitment certificates and letters of support are essential documents in the processing of immigrant entrepreneurs’ start-up visas.

Meet the language requirements

Start-up visa candidates must meet the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements of being fluent in English or French languages. Immigrant entrepreneurs must attain fluency in the following areas:

Travel with enough cash

The government of Canada would never assume the financial responsibilities of individuals or businesses of immigrant entrepreneurs. When applying, the CIC requires that all applicants present proof of financial sustainability to get their start-up visas.
Please note that borrowing funds to qualify for the CIC’s financial sustainability requirements is illegal and not acceptable. Also, always stay updated as the minimum amount expected for each start-up business before migrating into Canada is likely to change every year.

When to Expect Positive Results

Always watch out for invitations from the CIC for an interview or request document updates. Usually, the CIC requests that all start-up visa applicants submit their travel documents (mainly passports) to their visa offices to process permanent resident visas.