To qualify for the Entrepreneur Program, applicants must:
- Establish, purchase or make a substantial investment in a business in Canada within two years of landing in Canada, which will result in a significant contribution to the economy.
- Engage in active and ongoing participation in the management of the business.
- Employ at least one Canadian citizen or permanent resident other than the entrepreneur and his dependents.
- To ensure that these conditions are met, entrepreneurs are required to report to immigration officials their progress, on a regular basis within this two year period.
Self-employed farmers, international, professional athletes, or individuals in the arts and culture industry who can prove that they have the potential to be gainfully self-employed in Canada are eligible for a business immigration visa. Professional athletes and individuals in the arts and culture industry must either provide proof of either -
- Two years of being self-employed within their industry, or
- Two years of participating at a world-class level within their domain, or
- A combination of one year of each of the above.
Exploratory Visa is a mandatory requirement in some provinces.
The time frame takes a minimum of 12 to 18 months from the date of initial application submitted and decisions time varies from province to province.
To know more about requirements for each countries, please refer to these websites:
1. USA: https://www.cic.gc.ca
2. Canada: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
3. Australia: https://www.uscis.gov
4. UK: https://www.gov.uk