Canada support services in 2024
Canada is a popular destination for foreign workers worldwide due to its diversity and high living standards. Healy Consultants will be happy to assist our Clients to apply for work permits or to immigrate to Canada. Our services include the preparation and filling of quality immigration application. Below are the types of visa and immigration programs available in Canada:
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Work permit
- Clients holding an employment contract with a Canadian registered company must apply for a work permit before starting their employment in the country;
- All companies that wish to hire foreign employees must get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before applying for a work permit. This document attests that there is a need for a foreign employee to fill a specific job, as there is no Canadian worker available;
- After the LMIA is approved, the applicant must submit the i) job offer letter ii) employment contract iii) copy of the LMIA iv) LMIA number. Application can be done online or by mail;
- Work permit holders can apply for dependent passes for their spouses and kids.
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Entrepreneur start-up visa
- Our Clients looking to establish a company in Canada may apply for an Entrepreneur Start-up Visa if they i) obtained a letter of support from a government-approved funding organization ii) meet the required language abilities in French or English iii) hold at least 1 year of post-secondary school educational qualifications iv) they possess enough funds to ensure their upkeep and v) they pass the Canadian medical and security clearances;
- For a successful application, our Clients are required obtain a stipulated minimum funding of at least i) CA$200,000 if funded by a designated Canadian venture capital fund or ii) CA$75,000 if funded by an angel investor group. Clients are not required to invest their own capital in the startup;
- The Canadian government only allows up to five individuals to apply for an Entrepreneur Start-up Visa under the same business venture. Any applicants above that cap will automatically be rejected;
- Quebec is the only Canadian province not to admit applicants under this visa program. Our Clients using this scheme must therefore live and conduct their business in another province such as Ontario, New Brunswick or British Columbia.
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Immigration programs
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Express entry visa
- The Canadian government selects skilled migrants to qualify for the express entry visa based on the applicant’s ability to settle in the country and in building the economy;
- Express Entry has two main tracks that are restricted to lists of job functions in short supply: i) skilled professionals (Federal Skilled Workers) and ii) skilled tradesmen (Federal Skilled Trades);
- The Federal Skilled Worker track requires that the applicant’s qualifications and job role fall into bands 0, A or B on Canada’s list of occupational classifications;
- The Federal Skilled Trades program is more restrictive, being limited to a subset of occupational classifications in band B. In addition, visa applicants under the Federal Skilled Trades program may not live or work in Quebec. Our Clients who would otherwise be eligible for this visa type but wish to live in the province, for example in Montreal, must use a Quebecois scheme to do so;
- After application, the applicants are selected and placed in an Express Entry pool where they are awarded ranking points. The highest scorers in the pool will be invited to apply for the permanent residency permit;
- Healy Consultants assists Clients who wish to gain permanent residency though this program to create an online Express Entry profile to determine the Client’s eligibility for the visa. Where our Clients does not have a ready job offer, Healy Consultants will assist our Clients to register with the Canadian Job Bank.
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Self-employed immigration visa
- This program is only open to individuals who have had a prior self-employment experience in a capacity such as i) an international athlete ii) a professional farmer or iii) an experienced artisan;
- Clients looking to obtain residency through this program must i) have at least 2 years’ experience in their fields and ii) prove that they possess relevant expertise and experience in farm management, athletics or arts that can guarantee them self-employment and significant contribution to Canada’s sporting, agricultural or cultural environment;
- As with the other visa applications, applicants through this program will also be evaluated based on their language skills, level of education, age and relevant experience. Clients can view the list of approved professional, skilled and technical occupations.
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Immigrant investor venture capital program (IIVC)
- This immigration program is only open to international investors involved in specific ventures including i) management or ownership of commercial institutions ii) private or public equity investments and placements;
- In order for an investor to qualify for this program they should fulfill the following requirements: i) having an individual net worth of CAD10million, ii) being prepared to invest at least CAD2million into the IIVC program for 15 years, iii) possessing an academic qualification equivalent to Canadian post-secondary school degree and iv) exhibit satisfactory proficiency either in English or French.
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Provinces immigration programs
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Quebec business/investor program
This program is only available to those investors looking to become permanent residents in the province of Quebec. There are three sub-programs under this heading, including:
- Investor program: Under this program, the investor must i) have an individual net worth of CAD1.6million ii) be prepared to make a government investment of CAD800,000 for a 5-year period iii) possess business management skills;
- Entrepreneur program: To be eligible under this program, the entrepreneur must i) possess an individual net worth of CAD300,000 ii) be able to set up a business in Quebec in which they will invest CAD100,000 iii) create through the new business at least one job opportunity in the province for at least one of the first three years of operation and iv) possess managerial experience from a previously-owned business;
- Self-employed person program: Eligible applicants under this program must have an individual net worth of at least CAD100,000 and possess relevant experience and expertise in their intended venture in Quebec.
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Provincial nomination program (PNP)
Under this program, different provinces within Canada nominate individual applicants depending on their business and required qualifications. Below are the programs for some of Canada’s popular provinces:
- Manitoba: To qualify for permanent residency in Manitoba, the applicant must have i) a minimum net worth of CAD350,000 ii) invest CAD$150,000 and own at least 75% shares of an eligible business iii) a 3 years of business ownership or management experience iv) deposit at least CAD100,000 with the government fund;
- British Colombia: To qualify in this province, the entrepreneur must i) have a personal net worth of CAD600,000 and ii) be willing to invest at least CAD200,000. Successful applicants under the British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration Scheme must create at least one new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- Ontario: Investors can only be eligible for business immigration in Ontario if i) they are looking to invest CAD3million and own at least a third of the company shares and ii) create at least five skilled job opportunities for Canadians and permanent residents in the province;
- Yukon: For investors to qualify for the Yukon business nominee program, they must i) have a personal net worth of CAD250,000 with CAD150,000 in liquid assets ii) invest at least CAD150,000 and own at least one third of the company’s shares iii) possess 2 years of business management experience.
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Temporary visas
- Clients that wish to travel for up to six months to Canada for i) tourism ii) business iii) visit relatives must apply for temporary resident visa/visit visas;
- It is possible to apply for i) single-entry or ii) multiple-entry visa. Single-entry visas allow visitors to enter once during the validity of the visa, usually of one month; the multi-entry visa allows visitors to enter Canada multiple times during a period of 10 years or of one month before the expiry date of the travel document;
- Certain nationalities and nationals holding certain documents are exempt from visa application.