Immigrating to Canada as an Investor

Investors must have business experience, have a substantial minimum net worth and and be able to invest substantial sums of money in Canada.

As an investor, you must make a prescribed investment of CDN $400,000. This investment is placed with the Receiver General of Canada.

Participating provinces then use your investment to create jobs and help their economies grow. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will return your investment to you, without interest, in approximately five years after you become a permanent resident.

You may finance your investment. CIC has agreements with a number of financial institutions, all of which are members of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC), to facilitate the financing of your investment.

To be eligible for immigration as an investor, an applicant must:

1. Make a prescribed investment of $400,000, payable to the Receiver General of Canada. This investment is subsequently allocated to participating provinces and territories in Canada, which use the funds for job creation and economic development. The full amount of the investment (without interest) is repaid to the investor after approximately five years. The return of the investment is fully guaranteed.
2. Have a legally obtained net worth of at least $800,000 and
3. For at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application, have either:
   1. Managed and controlled a percentage of the equity of a qualifying business, or
   2. Managed at least five employees or full-time job equivalents per year in a business.

To establish whether a business is a “qualifying business” during a year for the purposes of selecting investors and entrepreneurs, the business must not have been operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income (such as interest, dividends or capital gains), and the applicant must provide documentary evidence that the business meets at least two of the following criteria:

• The percentage of equity, multiplied by the number of full-time job equivalents, is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year.
• The percentage of equity, multiplied by the total annual sales, is equal to or greater than $500,000.
• The percentage of equity, multiplied by the net income for the year, is equal to or greater than $50,000 or
• The percentage of equity, multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year, is equal to or greater than $125,000.

Requirements For Investors

“Investor” means a foreign national who

1. has business experience,
2. has a legally obtained net worth of at least CDN $800,000, and
3. indicates in writing to an officer that they intend to make or have made an investment.

“Business experience”, in respect of an investor, means

1. the management of a qualifying business and the control of a percentage of equity of the qualifying business for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a determination is made in respect of the application, or
2. the management of at least five full-time job equivalents per year in a business for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a determination is made in respect of the application.

“Full-time job equivalent” means 1,950 hours of paid employment.

“Net assets”, in respect of a qualifying business or a qualifying Canadian business, means the assets of the business, minus the liabilities of the business, plus shareholder loans made to the business by a foreign national and their spouse or common-law partner.

“Net income”, in respect of a qualifying business or a qualifying Canadian business means the after tax profit or loss of the business plus remuneration by the business to a foreign national and their spouse or common-law partner.

“Net worth”, in respect of an investor, means

the fair market value of all of the assets of the investor and their spouse or common-law partner minus the fair market value of all of their liabilities.

“Percentage of equity” means

1. in respect of a sole proprietorship, 100 per cent of the equity of the sole proprietorship controlled by a foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner;
2. in respect of a corporation, the percentage of the issued and outstanding voting shares of the capital stock of the corporation controlled by a foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner; and
3. in respect of a partnership or joint venture, the percentage of the profit or loss of the partnership or joint venture to which the foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner is entitled.

“Qualifying business” means a business — other than a business operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income such as interest, dividends or capital gains — for which, in each of any two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the date a determination is made in respect of the application, there is documentary evidence of any two of the following:

1. that the percentage of equity multiplied by the number of full time job equivalents is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year;
2. that the percentage of equity multiplied by the total annual sales is equal to or greater than CDN $500,000;
3. that the percentage of equity multiplied by the net income in the year is equal to or greater than CDN $50,000; and
4. that the percentage of equity multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than CDN $125,000.

You must pay your investment for the Immigrant Investor Program within 30 days after receiving notification from the Visa Office. Please note that your immigrant visa will not be issued before the payment is made.

The payment of the CDN $400,000 must be made by an electronic funds transfer. This is also called a “wire transfer.”

Your payment should include:

• your name (must be the same as the one on your form);
• your address;
• your immigration file number (B number);
• the location of the visa office that is processing your application; and
• two signed copies of the subscription agreement.

If you are unable to print the Subscription Agreement, you can request one from any Visa Office.

After you have paid your investment, you or your financial institution will receive a copy of the Subscription Agreement and the Promissory Note.

If you decide that you do not want to be an investor but you have already made your payment, you must immediately contact the Visa Office processing your case and CIC headquarters in Ottawa to get your full investment back. Your investment will not be refunded if you have been issued a permanent resident visa.

If your application is not approved, you can request a refund of your investment. You will get your investment back within 90 days of requesting a refund.

Investors now pay their CDN $400,000 investments directly to the Receiver General for Canada. A Non-transferable Zero Interest Promissory Note -- fully guaranteed by participating provinces - will be issued for subsequent repayment, without interest, five years and two months after the end of the month in which payment is received in Ottawa.

Selection Requirements

Investors must:

• have successfully operated, controlled or directed a business,
• have a net worth, accumulated by their own endeavours, of at least $800,000
• make a payment of $400,000 to the Receiver General for Canada

You may finance your investment in the Immigrant Investor Program. It is the investor's responsibility to make these arrangements, but CIC will confirm any loan security arrangements with the lender at its request. The following financial institutions are currently offering financial packages

Investing in Canadian government-guaranteed securities has a decisive advantage for foreigners: no income tax! Moreover, investors looking to immigrate can also enjoy a tax break on their investments for at least 5 years.

For most businessmen this is the easiest way to enter Canada and is fraught with the least red-tape and complications if your source of funds has been accumulated by your own endeavours and you have successfully operated, controlled or directed a business yourself.

An investor does not need to risk his capital into a new business venture. Start up costs in Canada could easily exceed 100,000+ in just mobilization costs. 

Then there is the added risk of operating in a market totally alien to you. Hence the Investor Programme is the best way for a Businessman to ensure that he does not have to risk any money in starting a new business venture. 

Simple and effective and will save you much sorrow and misery! 

Some Businessmen who could not fulfill the requirements of establishing a business, employing one Canadian other than a relative, to the satisfaction of the Immigration Authorities have had to pack up and go back to their country of origin along with their children and spouses a year and a half or two years later! 

This could be a serious consequence most people overlook when applying under the Business Category.

An Investor on the contrary is issued a Permanent Residence Visa to him and his family for life! Just stop and calculate the benefits obtained from Health Care and Free Education that your loved ones can avail off and this alone should get you to immediately write to us to inquire about what the next step should be.

Investor Category Applicants, on the day they land in Canada they are Permanent Residents and enjoy almost all the privileges Canadian Citizens enjoy except the right to vote.

This means, both their spouses and dependent children get free medical care and free education upto the age of 18 plus any of the dependent children who are above 18 are given all the privileges Canadian College kids get plus they are entitled to all the scholarships too.

There are approximately 5000 scholarships going uncollected every year.

Most Investors do not like to put their own money down..... 4,00,000 C$ down for five years with the Canadian Govt and therefore we can arrange to borrow these funds for you, so that you pay a one time, non-refundable fee to secure 4,00,000C$ which will be held in your name for a period of 5 yrs to meet compliance with Investor Category Criteria.

Currently, you pay a one time fee of 1,20,000C$ for eg: in the Quebec System of Immigration and we help get a sum of 4,00,000C$ arranged on your behalf by us thru an approved Immigration Fund Manager for 5 yrs allowing you to invest the 2,80,000C$ in your own home which you could purchase on arrival, this should allow you sufficient capital appreciation during a five year period to offset the 1,20,000C$.

The other advantage is you dont have to put all the money down but can use the balance 280,000C$ to finance your own business ventures etc.

Setting up a Trust

An "Immigration Trust" may be set up in order to take advantage of Canadian tax law provisions allowing a five-year tax holiday for the newly arrived immigrant.

An "immigration trust" is a trust created outside of Canada by an individual prior to, or within sixty (60) months, of becoming a Canadian resident, to which that person transfers income-producing assets.

We are quite sure that the revenue generated by the assets transferred to the trust are legally exempt from Canadian taxation until the immigrant contributor has resided in Canada for a period of up to sixty (60) months.

We can assist you the potential Investor Immigrant establish an immigration trust structure that complies with the various requirements of Canadian taxation law.

Highlights of the Investor Program @6+ great reasons!

You don't transfer any funds until we have proof that you have been issued a CSQ Certificate of Acceptance by SIQ ( The Government of Quebec)

1) The Investor Program is a single, simple process.

2) Your Investment is Government Guaranteed. After Five Years you get your full capital back. 

3) You can choose to live anywhere in Canada. 

4) Virtually every cultural and ethnic community exists within Canada. You will never feel like a stranger in a new land.

5) Canada is the largest trading partner of the United States of America and has excellent trade relationships in the Americas and around the world. Most Canadians speak English and many speak French, making Canada an ideal place to conduct a business local or international.

6) Enjoy the most temperate climate in Vancouver, BC and the Okanogan Valley, a year-round Mecca for nature lovers, adventurers, and recreationalists. 

7) Enjoy free medical care and excellent health care facilities.

8) Low crime. Guns are not allowed in public and strict licensensing requirements are in place for those who want to use them. 

9) Excellent Free Education for your children right up to the age of 18, while many University Courses are heavily subsidized and it is not too hard for Permanent Residents to obtain scholarships right thru to University and beyond.

The uniquely varied landscape and moderate, sunny climate are natural ingredients for first class golfing, water sports, hiking, climbing and of course skiing and snowboarding.  Canada's wealthiest families live in BC.

The Charter of Rights and Freedom

The constitution of Canada contains a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which sets out certain rights that are enjoyed by all residents. These include a wide range of legal rights as well as the freedom of speech, association, and peaceful assembly.

No. 1 Country in the World to live in.

For six years in a row in the nineties, Canada was ranked #1 among 174 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures a country’s well-being.

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