Start-Up Visa Program

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. 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. Canada’s Start-up Visa Program targets immigrant entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to build businesses in Canada that are innovative, can create jobs for Canadians and can compete on a global scale. To be eligible for the Start-Up Visa Program, you must have a qualifying business, get a letter of support from a designated organization, meet the language requirements and bring enough money to settle.

A qualifying business means you created a business that meets the following conditions: each applicant holds 10% or more of the voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding at that time (up to 5 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. At the time you receive your permanent residence you must provide active and ongoing management of this business from within Canada, an essential part of the operations of the business happens in Canada and the business is incorporated in Canada. Applicants must get a letter of support from a designated organization (a business group that has been approved to invest in or support possible start-ups).

In order to do so individuals must contact the designated organization to find out how to get its support, convince the organization that you have a business idea that is worth supporting and get a letter of support from the designated organization. Applicants must take a language test from an approved agency and include the results with your application, or we won’t process it. You must meet the minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in either English or French in all of these four areas speaking, reading, listening, and writing. This will help your business succeed. The Government of Canada does not give financial support to new start-up visa immigrants. When you apply, you’ll need to give proof that you have the money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You can’t borrow this money from another person.

To find adequate and knowledgeable services to help with any of your immigration needs, please contact my office at https://ialaw.ca/contact/.