The Business Immigration program is a program under Citizenship and Immigration Canada which gives individuals the opportunity to immigrate to Canada and become an integral part of the nation’s economy. One of the categories for immigration is the Self-Employed Persons Program, which is geared towards individuals with experience in either farming or cultural and athletic activities at the world class level. Canada has identified these two fields as opportunities for economic growth and welcomes individuals knowledgeable in the fields to impart their wisdom. The farming stream is for those who have managed a farm in the past and are looking to own and operate their own farm in Canada whereas the cultural and athletic stream seeks out participants who’ve been self-employed or competed at a world-class level in the field and want to contribute to the cultural and athletic profile of Canada.
“Ontario is working to attract foreign corporations and entrepreneur – and their new business ideas, talent and investment – to the province.” The Entrepreneur Stream, as well as the Corporate Stream, of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has replaced the Investor Component of the program as a means to target the needs of the Ontario economy more effectively through better avenues. The changes to the structure represent not only a paradigm shift in what the needs of the Ontario economy are but additionally, more stringent requirements on who is qualified to meet these needs. These two new business immigration programs are now open to accept applications.
The Entrepreneur Stream is “designed to support individuals from countries outside of Canada who are looking to implement a new business idea or buy an existing business in the [the] province.” This program is a significant change from the previous Investor Component as it invites individuals who are looking to establish rather than expand in Canada. However, due to the lack of accountability that falls with the establishment of a new business, the requirements to qualify are much more extensive than before and no guarantee of a nomination.
The main departures from the previous style of application to nomination are in the requirements, much more demanding for those applying to the entrepreneur stream than the corporate stream as well as the time it will take to receive a nomination, if at all, from the initial date of application.
The Entrepreneur Stream introduces a new component for both the province as well as the applicant themselves to determine the viability of their request for nomination. Prior to the application itself, which is only requested of individuals if Ontario extends an invitation, applicants must submit an Expression of Interest. An Expression of Interest is “a self-declared points based system” through which an individual may calculate their score and then submit to the program for consideration. The selection process is straightforward with the highest scores being invited to apply.
The organization and submission of documents is difficult for any business application, especially when applying outside of Canada. It is for that reason that many applicants have turned to Susan Liu and her immigration team at SorbaraLaw for help with the matter. Susan has the experience and knowledge to manage the complexity of the application and serves as a reliable contact point for preparation in Canada if applying out of country. Furthermore, Susan has experience wide success in a multitude of immigration categories and is excited to share her expertise in the field.