Investing in Canada to Gain Canadian Citizenship

Foreign investors are attracted to investing in Canada for many reasons including its large economy that offers plenty of opportunity and the fact that America is its neighbour which can create expansion for businesses across the border. Canada has the top six safest banks in North America, which also ranks in the Global Top 50 of the world's safest banks.

As a foreign business owner or investor in Canada, you can expect low taxes and business costs and a country rich in natural resources. Learn how to invest in Canada to gain Canadian citizenship.

How to Invest in Canada

Canada has several business immigration visas that aim to create new opportunities in the local market as well as help promote and develop Canada’s economy.

 

Start-Up Visa Program

The Start Start-Up Visa Program allows foreign nationals to start a business anywhere in Canada as well as to immigrate as permanent residents. Applicants who apply for this visa need to ensure their business is innovative, it creates jobs for the Canadian locals and is able to compete on an international scale.

To be eligible for the start-up program, applicants must:

1. Have a qualifying business

At the time the applicant gets a commitment from a designated organization:

• each applicant holds 10% or more of the voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding at that time, up to five people can apply as owners; and
• applicants and the designated organization jointly hold more than 50% of the total voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding at that time.

2. Get a letter of support from a designated organization

Applicants need to get a letter of support from a designated organization. Applicants will need to:

• contact the designated organization to find out how to get its support;
• convince the organization that they have a business idea that is worth supporting; and
• get a letter of support.

Each organization has different pitches for the business idea, some organizations may ask applicants to pitch the business idea in person while others may ask for a detailed business plan.

The letter of support is important as an applicant’s application can be denied if they do not have it.

3. Meet the language requirements

This is important because the ability to communicate in English or French in Canada will help the applicant’s business succeed in Canada. Applicants will need to take an approved language test. They will need to meet the minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in either English or French in all of these four areas:

• reading;
• writing;
• speaking; and
• listening.

4. Bring enough money to settle

The Canadian government does not give financial support for start-up visa immigrants. The amount an applicant needs will depend on the number of people immigrating to Canada with them. The amount is as follows:

Funds to Settle in Canada
Number of Family Members	Required Funds CAD
1	$13,213
2	$16,449
3	$20,222
4	$24,553
5	$27,847
6	$31,407
7	$34,967
For each additional family member	$3,650

The great advantage of the Start-up Visa Program is that applicants can apply for a temporary work permit to move to Canada and start working and building on the business while waiting for their application to be processed.

Applicants who would like to invest in Canada to gain Canadian citizenship can do so through the Start-Up Visa Program. Successful candidates will receive permanent residency and after five years they can apply for citizenship.

Provincial Nominee Program Entrepreneur Visa Streams

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is an agreement between local provinces and the Canadian government, which allows the provinces and territories to nominate foreign nationals according to their economic needs. Almost all of the PNPs have at least one entrepreneur or investor visa stream where foreign nationals can receive Canadian permanent residency.

In this article, we will highlight the:

• British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration; and
• Saskatchewan Entrepreneur Category.

British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration
Personal Requirements	Business Requirements
have a minimum net worth of $600,000 show their business or management experience; and meet the legal requirements for immigration to Canada.	start a new qualifying business or purchase and improve a business that already exists; invest a minimum of $200,000 CAD in the business; and start a business that creates at least one full-time job for a permanent resident or citizen of Canada.

Saskatchewan Entrepreneur Category
Minimum Entry Criteria	Business Establishment Plan Requirements
have a minimum net worth of $500,000 have at least three years of business management or entrepreneurial experience gained within the past 10 years; and have the intention to invest at least $300,000 CAD if your business is located in Regina or Saskatoon. If it is located anywhere else, you only need to make a $200,000 investment.	your plan to start a business in Saskatchewan; your ownership of minimum one-third of the business unless you invest at least $1,000,000 CAD in the business; your commitment to play an active and ongoing role in the daily management of the business; and the creation of two jobs for permanent residents or citizens of Canada in Saskatchewan if your new business is in Regina or Saskatoon.

Why Invest in Canada?

Canada has six cities among the world’s top 100 best cities, it’s voted number one for quality of life and Canada has the most educated workforce in the world. If that’s not enough reason Canada also has 13 international airports, 17 seaports and 117 border crossings to the USA.

Most importantly foreign nationals can invest in Canada to gain Canadian citizenship.

Get in touch with us today, to see if you qualify for one of the over 100 immigration visas!

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