Entrepreneurs

Immigrate to Canada as 
An Entrepreneur

Note: CIC has temporarily stopped accepting applications for the federal entrepreneur program. Only applications received before July 1, 2011, will be processed. This suspension will continue until further notice. 

An Entrepreneur is a foreign national individual who conforms to the following set of conditions stated hereunder:

1. Has business experience
2. Has a legally obtained minimum net worth of $300,000 CAD
3. Provides a written statement to an officer that they intend to and will be able to meet the following conditions:

Permanent residence
An entrepreneur who becomes a permanent resident must meet the following conditions:

• the entrepreneur must control a percentage of the equity of a qualifying Canadian business equal to or greater than 33 1/3 per cent;
• the entrepreneur must provide active and on-going management of the qualifying Canadian business; and
• the entrepreneur must create at least one incremental full-time job equivalent in the qualifying Canadian business for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, other than the entrepreneur and their family members.

Conditions
Note: Quebec has its own business immigration program, and has set different conditions that entrepreneurs must meet. The conditions listed above do not apply to entrepreneurs selected by Quebec. For more information on immigrating to Quebec, see the Immigration Quebec website.

Applicable time
The entrepreneur must meet the conditions for a period of at least one year within the period of three years after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident.

Evidence of compliance
An entrepreneur who becomes a permanent resident must provide to an officer evidence of compliance with the conditions within the period of three years after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident.

Report and evidence of efforts to comply
An entrepreneur must provide to an officer:

1. not later than six months after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident, their residential address and telephone number; and
2. during the period beginning 18 months after and ending 24 months after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident, evidence of their efforts to comply with the conditions.

Family members
The family members of an entrepreneur are subject to the condition that the entrepreneur meets the conditions set out in this section.