Business Immigration Program

Canada welcomes successful business people who are seeking new opportunities and challenges. The Business Immigration Program is designed to encourage and facilitate the admission of these individuals. Both the federal and provincial/territorial governments welcome business immigrants and offer services to help immigrants start a business and settle in Canada.

Designated Entity
An angel investor group/venture capital fund/business incubator designated by the Minister and eligible to issue commitments under the Start-up Business program.

Qualifying Business
A qualifying business meets the following requirements:

A corporation that is incorporated in and carrying on business in Canada is a qualifying business if, at the time the commitment is made, both of the following are true:

Each applicant holds 10% or more of the voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding at that time
Applicants and the designated entity jointly hold more than 50% of the total voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding at that time

In order to qualify for the Start-up Business Class, a business should be incorporated and carrying on business in Canada at the time the commitment is made. However, consideration will be made for a qualifying business whose incorporation is conditional upon the attainment of permanent residence by the applicant(s).

Commitment
A “commitment” is an agreement between the applicant and the designated entity to establish and incorporate a qualifying business in Canada. The designated entity must be one which appears in the list of designated private sector businesses. Proof and details of this agreement will be submitted in the form of a term sheet/client agreement along with the Commitment Certificate for the purposes of processing.

Qualified Participant
A person who has been issued a permanent residence document based on their application as a member of the Start-up Business class
Or
A designated angel investor group
Or
A designated venture capital fund.

Essential Person
A person who is considered to be essential to the business and who has been identified as essential by the designated angel investor group, venture capital fund or business incubator on the commitment certificate and Letter of Support. If the application for an essential person is refused for any reason, all other applications related to that commitment will also be refused.

Commitment
A term sheet/client agreement (Signed by the designated entity) in combination with a Commitment Certificate completed by an authorized member of the designated entity, binding the applicant to a designated entity. (See angel investor network, venture capital fund or business incubator above).

Commitment Certificate
A commitment sent electronically to IRCC from the designated angel investor group, venture capital fund or business incubator along with the term sheet/client agreement.

Letter of Support
A letter given to the applicant by the designated angel investor group, venture capital fund or business incubator which the applicant must include with their application.

Do you intend to reside in Quebec?
Individuals who intend to reside in Quebec are not eligible to apply under the Start-up Business Class. Under the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration, Quebec establishes its own immigration requirements and selects immigrants who will adapt well to living in Quebec. If you intend to come to Canada as a Quebec-selected permanent resident, you must first contact the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI).

You may also consult the Quebec-selected skilled workers page for more information.

Eligibility Criteria:
For your application to be eligible for processing, you must:

have received a Letter of Support from a designated entity
and
meet the language requirements
and
have sufficient settlement funds (transferable and available funds, free of debts or other obligations and excluding any investment made by a designated entity into their business)

What are the requirements for applicants under the Start-up Business Class?
Your application to come to Canada under the Start-up Business Class will be assessed on a pass/fail basis against three requirements. The three requirements are:

Requirement 1:  Commitment from a Designated Entity
Requirement 2:  Ability in English, in French or both
Requirement 3:  Settlement Funds