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BUSINESS CLASS IMMIGRANTS

Canada welcomes three types of business immigrants for their contributions to Canada's economic and social progress.
There are three types of business immigrants:

• Investors are individuals with a net worth of at least $800,000, and who must make an investment of $400,000 CDN with the Receiver General for five years.
• Entrepreneurs are individuals with a net worth of at least $300,000, and who must create, actively manage a business in Canada for one year, and hire one full-time Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Self-Employed immigrants must demonstrate that they have the relevant experience, intention and ability to become economically established in Canada by creating their own employment and contributing significantly to Canada’s cultural or artistic life, competition in athletics, or through the purchase and management of a farm in Canada.

INVESTORS
The Immigrant Investor Program seeks to attract experienced businesspersons and capital to Canada. In the last five years, 6 878 investors have landed in Canada with over $2.591 billion invested.

Requirements
Investor's must have:

• managed and controlled a business for at least two years in the five years prior to submitting their application for immigration to Canada, and
• legally obtained a net worth of at least $800,000, and
• make an investment of $400,000 CDN with the Receiver General for Canada for five years and two months. The full amount of the investment (without interest) is repaid to the investor after approximately five years. The return of the investment is fully guaranteed by participating provinces and territories, and
• must have either: 1) controlled a portion of the equity of a qualifying business: or 2) been responsible for the management of the equivalent of at least five full-time jobs per year in a business, for at least two years in the five years prior to submitting their application for immigration to Canada.

Qualifying Business To establish whether the business qualifies under the program, the applicant must provide documented proof supporting two of the following criteria:

• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the number of full-time job equivalents, is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year;
• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the total annual sales, is equal to or greater than $500,000;
• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the net income in the year, is equal to or greater than $50,000; or the percentage of equity, multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year, is equal to or greater than $125,000

Management Experience
As an alternative to actual ownership, investors may qualify by providing documentary proof that, over any two of the last five years, they had managed at least 5 full-time employees in a business. Broadening the definition to include individuals who have exercised significant senior managerial control over businesses of a substantial size allows for the selection of senior management in a relatively larger organizations, notwithstanding that such managers may have not have an ownership interest or have assumed entrepreneurial risk directly.

Selection Grid
In addition to the above requirements, Investors will be assessed against the following selection grid: Applicants must obtain a minimum of 35 points.

ENTREPRENEURS
The Entrepreneur Program seeks to attract experienced businesspersons that will own and actively manage business in Canada that will contribute to the economy and create jobs.
In the last five years, 11,110 Entrepreneurs have landed and over 42,000 jobs were created.

Requirements

• Legally obtained a net worth of at least $300,000 CDN, and
• Entrepreneurs must have business experience. They must have managed a qualifying business and controlled a minimum percentage of equity of a qualifying business for at least two years in the five years before the date of application.
• Control over a minimum percentage of equity. An entrepreneur applicant must have controlled a portion of the equity of a qualifying business, the portion must be one-third or greater, and the business must not have been operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income (such as interest, dividends or capital gains).

Qualifying Business
To establish whether the business qualifies under the program, the applicant must provide documented proof supporting two of the following criteria:

• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the number of full-time job equivalents, is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year;
• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the total annual sales, is equal to or greater than $500,000;
• the percentage of equity, multiplied by the net income in the year, is equal to or greater than $50,000; or the percentage of equity, multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year, is equal to or greater than $125,000

Conditions
Entrepreneurs and their dependents are admitted to Canada under specific conditions that are subsequently monitored by Citizenship and Immigration Canada after landing.
At least one incremental, full time equivalent job must be created for someone other than the Entrepreneur and his or her dependents. In addition, the Entrepreneur must have provided active and ongoing participation in the management of the business for at least one year. A minimum of one-third ownership is required.

Selection Grid
In addition to the above requirements, Entrepreneurs will be assessed against the following selection grid. Applicants must obtain a minimum of 35 points.

SELF-EMPLOYED
In the last five years 5,104 Self-Employed persons landed in Canada.

REQUIREMENTS
Self-employed immigrants must demonstrate that they have the relevant experience, intention and ability to become economically established in Canada by creating their own employment and contributing significantly to Canada in one of the following areas:

• Canada's cultural or artistic life, either through performance at a world-class level or self-employment in the discipline, as in the case of dancers or experienced choreographers;
• Canada's ability to compete in athletics, either through performance at the world-class level or self-employment in the discipline, as in the case of figure skaters or coaches; or
• Canada's economy, through the purchase and management of a farm in Canada.

Other business immigrants with more generic business abilities, will be required to meet the other immigration categories.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Applicants must first meet the Self-Employed Business immigration definition, and then they will be evaluated against a selection grid. Applicants must obtain a minimum of 35 points.