Ferderal Business Immigration Programs

Federal Business Immigration Programs

Currently there are three types of immigration program under Federal Business Class:  Self-employed, Start -up Visa and Immigrant Investor  Venture Capital  Pilot Program

Self-Employed

To qualify as a self-employed person, you must have two years of relevant experience and show that you intend to become self-employed in Canada.

Your experience is relevant if you have:

• taken part in cultural activities or athletics at a world-class level,
• been self-employed in cultural activities or athletics, or
• experience in managing a farm.

You must also score at least 35 points on a selection grid designed to determine whether you will be able to make an economic contribution to Canada.  Selection is based on the documents that you provide and an assessment of your score under each of the selection criteria. You must also meet the definition of the program you apply for.

As part of the immigration process, an interview may be required. During the interview, a visa officer will ask you to explain any information that is unclear or inconsistent, or any shortcomings or gaps in the documents that you provide. If there is a difference between your assessment of your qualifications and the visa officer’s assessment, the officer’s assessment will prevail.

Selection criteria	Maximum points
Education	25
Experience	35
Age	10
Ability in English and/or French	24
Adaptability	6
TOTAL	100

Start-up Visa

The 7th set of Ministerial Instructions brought forth the Start-up Visa program on March 30, 2013. The program is designed to attract innovative entrepreneurs with business ideas and the applicant would require a commitment from designated Canadian angel investor or venture capital fund.

To qualify Start-up Visa program, an applicant must:

• have attained at least a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 on approved language exam,
• have completed at least one year of post-secondary education,
• have sufficient resettlement funds as per the LICO,
• have a commitment of support from designated angel investor or business incubator.

Immigrant Investor  Venture Capital  Pilot Program

To qualify as an immigrant investor, you must:

• be able to make a CAD $2 million at-risk (non-guaranteed)^{Footnote *} investment for approximately 15 years;
• have a legally obtained net worth of at least CAD $10 million acquired through lawful business or investment activities;
• meet or exceed CLB 5  in English or Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien 5 in French for all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing); and
• have completed a Canadian post-secondary degree, diploma or certificate of at least one year, or the foreign equivalent as validated by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).