INVESTORS PROGRAM

The Canadian Immigrant Investor Program was created by the federal government to encourage the entry of business people and their families into the country. Under this program, potential investors who meet certain requirements can obtain permanent resident status in Canada.

The Program allows investors and their families to obtain an unconditional Canadian permanent resident visa.

• Investors will obtain permanent resident status upon arrival in Canada;
• Investors will be able to live, work, study and do business in Canada;
• Investors will be able to enter and leave Canada freely;
• Investors will be able to apply for Canadian citizenship three years after arrival in Canada.

Admissibility Criteria

The program is meant for investors who want to settle anywhere in Canada, except in the province of Quebec. To qualify, an applicant must:

• have net personal assets of C$800,000 obtained legally;
• have operated or directed a Qualifying Business, as defined, or have managed at least five (5) full-time employees for at least two (2) years within the previous five (5) year period;
• invest C$400,000 in the Canadian economy (with the Receiver General of Canada) for a period of five years;
• meet the prescribed health and security conditions.

FEDERAL INVESTOR VISA

Fresh business ideas and capital are integral to the Canadian economy, and Canada provides a business environment where your ideas can thrive. The Federal Investor Program provides an opportunity for foreign investors to invest their capital in Canada.

Canada welcomes foreign investment into its economy, and is offers many advantages for families of foreign investors seeking to establish a new home.

The Federal Investor Program is designed to attract successful senior executives and business owners who have the ability to invest in Canada for at least five (5) years. Potential investors who meet the minimum requirements are encouraged to apply.

QUEBEC PROGRAM

The Quebec program is virtually the same as the Federal program with the following important distinctions: the investment is guaranteed by the Province of Quebec; professionals such as doctors, dentists, accountants and lawyers do not qualify as management experience; one must state an intention to settle in Quebec; the investment proceeds are allocated to the Province of Quebec rather than the English speaking provinces and the five year investment period begins following Quebec approval, even before the investor comes to Canada. If the investor is refused by the Federal authorities for a medical or security inadmissibility, the investment is refunded.

Quebec's Immigrant Investor Program for Assistance to Business was created by the Quebec government in 1986 in order to favour the entry of business people and their families into Quebec as permanent residents on an unconditional basis.

The Program serves to provide subsidies to Quebec businesses in the process of realizing admissible projects. Under this program, potential investors who agree to respect certain requirements can obtain permanent resident status in Quebec, Canada.

The Quebec investor program is much faster compared to the Federal investor program. As a means of promoting economic development across the country, the Quebec Provincial government has developed the Immigrant Investor Program to facilitate the immigration process for business people and investors. Immigrants who qualify under this category benefit from expeditious processing towards their Permanent Resident Visa, without the restrictions found within other categories. Through their Immigrant Investor Program, Quebec welcomes thousands of experienced business people and managers every year, leading to Canadian Immigrant Visas and eventually citizenship for themselves and their family members.

The Program allows investors and their families to obtain an unconditional Canadian permanent resident visa.

Admissibility Criteria

To qualify for the Program, an applicant must:
be at least 18 years of age;
have net personal assets of C$800,000 obtained legally;
have at least three years of management experience:
- in a profitable and lawful agricultural, commercial or industrial business;
- for a government, or one of its departments or agencies;
- for an international organization;
invest C$400,000 with Investissement Québec or one of its subsidiaries for a period of five years;
meet the prescribed health and security conditions.


Top 10 Reasons to Invest in Canada

• Doing business in Canada costs less. A 1996 comparison of location-sensitive business costs in
Canada and the United States found Canadian costs, on average, 15.7 percent lower. The overall after-tax advantage is 6.7 percent.

• Canada is a gateway to the North American market. Through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), companies based in Canada have preferred access to a North American market of 386 million people, with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly US$11 trillion.

• You won’t find a higher quality of life anywhere else. According to the United Nations’ Human
Development Index, an aggregate measure based on three composite indexes that rate life expectancy, education and income, Canada ranked number one in the world in 1995. (Canada Business Facts).

• Foreign direct investment is hassle-free. Investment protection agreements and bilateral treaties on double taxation allow easy foreign direct investment. The accumulated stock of foreign direct investment in Canada reached C$168 billion in 1995, nearly double the 1985 value. (Canada Business Facts).

• Canada is the world’s leading location for research and development (R&D). Canada’s research and development (R&D) tax incentive system is one of the most generous among industrialized countries. This, combined with the country’s highly developed infrastructure and leading-edge researchers, led a 1995 (KPMG) study to rank Canada first among 23 industrialized nations as the best place for any company to conduct R&D.

• Canada is a globally integrated trading partner. In 1994, Canada led the G7 countries in terms of
total trade as a share of gross domestic product (GDP). Exports and imports taken together were worth the equivalent of 66 percent of Canada’s
GDP. Canada is the seventh largest exporter and the eighth largest importer in the world.

• Economic growth potential abounds. Canada ranks fourth in the World Economic Forum’s 1997 study of economic competitiveness. Openness to investment, a high level of infrastructure, the availability of technology and management expertise and a well-functioning system of public safety and legal institutions were cited as Canada’s strengths. (Globe and Mail).

• The Canadian market is rich and developed. With an ethnically diverse population of over 30 million and an average family income of C$54,200 in 1995, Canada offers a valuable consumer market. Canadians spend over C$500 billion annually on consumer products, more than half of which goes to buying services.

• Education is a priority. Canada ranks first among G7 countries in per capita post-secondary education enrollment with about 1.4 million students enrolled on a full or part-time basis. Almost 50 percent of the Canadian labour force has a post-secondary degree, diploma or certificate.

• Exciting possibilities exist in some of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. In addition to its traditional strengths in forestry, mining, fisheries and other natural resource sectors, Canada has proven expertise and growth in some of the most promising technological areas of opportunity — information technology, medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, Agri-food and semiconductors.