Who can apply

Who can apply to immigrate to Canada as a business person?

To be eligible under the Canadian Business immigrant Program, you must:

1. Prove you have the necessary business experience
2. Have a net worth of at least C$800,000 that was legally obtained
3. Be willing and able to make an investment of C$400,000
4. Prove that you have enough money to provide for your family
5. Obtain a minimum of 35 points in the selection grid
6. Meet medical and security requirements.

Business experience

To be eligible for the Canadian residency under the business immigration program, you must have:

• managed a qualifying business and controlled a percentage of equity of the qualifying business for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application for the permanent residence as investor.
  OR
• managed the equivalent of at least five full-time employees per year in a business for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application for the permanent residency as business person .
  OR
• a combination of one year of experience described in the first point and one year of experience described in the second point above.

*

Net worth

· In order to immigrate to Canada under the business category, 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$800,000.

· As a business immigrant to Canada, 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 Canadian visa officer who assesses your net worth may ask you for documents to confirm both your income sources and your net worth.

Investment requirements

· If you meet the criteria for the Business Immigration Program, you will be asked in writing to make  an              investment of C$400,000.

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You must be able to use this money to support the costs of living for your family.

You will need to provide proof of your funds to the Canadian visa office in your home country when you submit your application for immigration.

The amount of money you need to support your family is determined by the size of your family. These amounts are updated every year.

Number of Family Members	Funds Required (in Canadian dollars)
1	$10,601
2	$13,198
3	$16,225
4	$19,700
5	$22,343
6	$25,199
7 or more	$28,055

You do not have to show that you have these funds if you have arranged employment in Canada.

Grid of points for business immigration program

To qualify for the business immigration program to Canada, you must first meet the definition of an investor.

You will then be assessed against five selection criteria and a point system. You must obtain a minimum of 35 points if you want to immigrate to Canada.

Selection Criteria	Maximum Points	Your Score
Education	25
Business experience	35
Age	10
Ability in English and/or French	24
Adaptability	6
TOTAL	100

Your Score

The maximum possible score for business immigrants is 100. The pass mark is currently 35 points. However, the pass mark may change, so make sure you visit this site regularly if you are considering immigrating to Canada as an immigrant investor.

Selection is based on the documents you provide and an assessment of your score under each of the selection criteria.

An interview may be required. During the interview, a Canadian visa officer will ask you to explain any information that is unclear, or inconsistent in the documents you provide. If there is a difference between your assessment of your qualifications, and the visa officer’s assessment, the officer’s assessment will prevail.

Quebec Immigrant Business Immigration Program

Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec operates its own immigrant investor program. All investors in the program must be selected by Quebec and must plan to settle in Quebec.