This program is for foreigners who can self-establish by investing in or starting a business in Canada and want to be permanent residents of Canada. The federal, provincial and territorial governments provide services to business immigrants to help them invest in or start a business and settle in Canada.  

There are two streams under the business class:

Start-Up-Business (SUB) program is one of two Canada  business class categories. The first step in this process is to meet 4 eligibility criteria:

• Have a qualifying business – a qualifying business must meet these conditions;
  • Each applicant holds a minimum of 10% of voting right attached to all outstanding shares at the time of the application (up to 5 owners can apply).
  • Applicants and the designated organisation (a business group with approval to invest in or support possible start-ups business) jointly holds more than 50% of voting right attached to all outstanding shares at the time of the application.
• At the time of granting permanent residence, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
  • Business is incorporated in Canada
  • Essential part of the business take place in Canada
  • Active and continuous management of the business is done within Canada
• Get a letter of support from a designated organization , there are quite a number of them. To get a letter of support;
  • Contact the designated organisation directly to inquiry how to get support
  • Convince the organisation of the potential of your business to gain their support (the process to pitch your business to these designated organisations and their requirements varies from organisation to organisation. Some may require your physical presence, while other may just request your business plan).
  • Language Test –  (has to be in English or French, must be approved test, minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks – CLB 5 in speaking, listening, reading and writing).  
  • Have enough settlement fund – (as at June 2020, this amount ranges from $12, 960 for one individual to $34, 299 for a family of 7).

The process described above is overly simplified for easy understanding for those who want a quick synopsis of the process. The actual process is a little complex than as described above, which is where we come in to give you a hand.