Business Travel to Canada: Navigating the Requirements for a Business Visa

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Vijay Leave a Comment

Do you wish to fly to Canada for business purposes or establish a business in Canada? You’re in the perfect place! You can make it possible by applying for a Canadian business visa. But first, read on to know more about it!

What is a Canadian business visa?

A Canadian Business Visa is a temporary visa that allows business people to visit Canada for business-related activities. The purpose of this business visa for Canada is to facilitate temporary business visits for individuals seeking to explore business opportunities in Canada.

It also includes investing in a business, expanding business ties, offering or receiving training, and engaging in international business ventures without being employed in Canada.

Canadian Business Visa Programs

Canada currently offers multiple provincial business visa programs in addition to the three federal programs mentioned below.

Intra-Company Transfer Visa

The Intra-Company Transfer Visa is an immigration program that provides overseas business entrepreneurs with the opportunity to transfer to Canada and set up their business there. It also offers permanent residency for overseas entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals.

Start-Up Visa

Entrepreneurs can immigrate to Canada under the Start-Up Visa Program (SUV) and establish a new business. This program aims to pull in business owners from all over the world who can innovate, compete worldwide, employ Canadians, and contribute to Canada’s economy.

Entrepreneur (C11) Visa

Through the C11 Entrepreneur Work Permit program, foreign investors and entrepreneurs are allowed to operate as independent contractors in Canada. The program was launched under the International Mobility Program (IMP).

Provincial Nominee Programs

The federal and provincial governments of Canada run the Provincial Nominee Program for Canadian Immigration. There are over 17 business immigration streams available to choose from. This program aims to bring in foreign workers with professional skills that are in demand in Canada. However, PNP is not suitable for business immigrants. By using one of the previously mentioned federal programs, you might be able to obtain a business visa more quickly and easily.

Benefits of a Canadian Business Visa

Some of the benefits of a Canadian business visa are mentioned below for you.

Your spouse can work in Canada.
Your children can pursue free education.
You will enjoy the privilege of living a high-quality life.
You get to engage in business activities such as attending meetings, conferences, and workshops.
You can grow your business by expanding your company in different areas.
You will get access to social benefits such as health care coverage, social care benefits, and free education.
In Canada, well-established business people can open new locations or purchase existing ones.
You can become a Canadian citizen by investing or fulfilling residency requirements.

Operations in a business

When visiting on business, you engage in the following activities:

Buying Canadian goods or services for a foreign business or government
Accepting requests for products or services
Attending trade fairs, conventions, meetings, and conferences
Providing post-purchase assistance through a sales contract or guarantee
Working for an organization outside of Canada and receiving training from a Canadian parent company.
Providing instruction to staff members of a foreign company’s Canadian branch.
Receiving instructions from a Canadian company that has supplied you with tools or services.

Eligibility Criteria for Canadian business visa

To obtain a business visitation visa, you need to fulfil a few eligibility requirements, which are listed below:

You must have a passport with a minimum validity of 6 months or more.
You should have no criminal record or commit any immigration-related offenses.
Illustrate to the immigration officer that you have ties to your home country.
State your intentions of leaving Canada once the purpose of your visit is over to the immigration officer.
You should be financially sufficient during your stay in Canada.
The purpose of your visit, the length of your stay, whether you will be staying in a hotel or with friends or family, and other factors will all affect how much money you will need.

How do I apply?

You can begin the application process for a Canada Business Visa as soon as you meet the eligibility requirements listed above. There are a few steps that you need to follow:

Verify your eligibility for a Canadian business visa.
Gather the application forms and required supporting documents.
Submit your application for a business visa.
Wait for processing and respond to further information requests.
Forward your passport to be stamped.

You can move forward with your application and pay the visa application fees after you have submitted all the necessary documents.

Wrap-Up

The Canadian business visa can take 1 to 8 months to be approved, depending on your business immigration program. While provincial programs typically take eight months, some federal programs can take as long as three months on average. Please be aware that this processing time relates to the time it takes to process your work permit so you can work for your Canadian employer.

To ensure your move to Canada goes smoothly, it is best to work with a reputable immigration consultant. Don’t hesitate to reach out to one for assistance. CanApprove ensures to assist you right from filling out your application until you become a permanent resident of Canada. If you’d like to know more, talk to our experts at CanApprove; we’d love to hear from you!

FAQs

1.How much money is required for a business visa in Canada?

If the funding comes from a reputable Canadian venture capital fund, you must secure a minimum investment of $200,000. If the investment comes from a designated Canadian angel investor group, you must secure a minimum investment of $75,000. It is not necessary to obtain funding from a business incubator.

2.Can I start a business in Canada without PR?

To register your business in Canada, you do not need to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada. But if you do not have a valid work permit, you cannot work for your business.

3.How long can you stay in Canada with a business visa?

The maximum validity period for the temporary Canada Business Visa is six months. Even if your stay is shorter than six months, it is still advised that you stay for the duration you indicated in your application.

Migrating to Canada as an Entrepreneur: Startup Visa Program

Posted on November 17, 2023March 11, 2024 by Vijay Leave a Comment

Migrating to Canada might be an everlasting aspiration for someone like you! There are many pathways for migrating to Canada. One of such ways is the Start-up Visa Program. Others include:

Express Entry
PNP
Work Permit
Open-Work Permit
Family Sponsorship

and many other programs!

While these are some common immigration pathways, there are other ways too for migrating to Canada, if you are a business aspirant. Entrepreneurs and wannabe entrepreneurs (like you) have start-up visa program which will help you establish your business in Canada and also obtain a Canada PR.

Hop on! Let’s see what this start-up visa program is all about!!

Start-Up visa Program

Do you have a well-established business or a business idea? You can migrate to Canada and get permanent residency. You heard it right!

Start-Up visa program enables you to establish your business in Canada and also gets you a permanent residency.

Starting a business in Canada is made easier for entrepreneurs with the new Start-Up Visa Program. This is in line with the nation’s strategy to welcome capable business owners who boost the Canadian economy by giving citizens job opportunities. Canada, for its part, banks the businesses of immigrants.

To start this, you need to

Create an innovative idea (or) pick up an idea that is creative!
Prove that the idea proposed can create jobs for Canadians!
Also prove that the idea can compete on a global scale…

How to Apply for a Canadian PR through Start-Up visa Program?

Firstly, you need to come up with a business proposal which will prove that promising employment opportunities will be given to the Canadian communities. With that business plan, there are certain eligibility criteria set by the Canadian government, that should be met by the applicant.

Those criteria include,

Investment
Evidence of Commitment
Language Requirement
Support and Syndication
Peer Review
Security and Medical Clearances

Breaking them down!

Investment for Start-up visa Program

In order to establish a business in Canada, having sufficient funds and capitalization is an important requirement. You can rely on the investment funds to bank your business in Canada.

There are 3 types of investments in Canada to fund your business they are,

Canadian Venture Capital Fund
Angel Investor Group
Business Incubator

To get funding from VC and angel investor group, the following amount must be secured as a minimum validated fund.

Source	Investment
Canadian Venture Capital Fund	CAD 200,000
Angel Investor Group	CAD 75,000

On the other hand, if business incubator program accepts your proposal, you must spend 0 CAD as your investment. You read it right.

Evidence of Commitment

To demonstrate that the application has received funding from a venture capital fund, angel investor group, or business incubator, the investor organization must submit a completed Commitment Certificate to the IRCC. This document contains a detailed description of the agreement between the applicant and the investment organization. Its objective is to summarize the key details of the investment organization’s and applicant’s agreement.

The applicant will also receive a letter of support from the investment organization, which they must submit with their application for permanent residence. If the same business venture involves two or more applicants, the investment organization may condition its commitment on one or more “essential persons” obtaining permanent residence. An essential person is someone who the investment organization has formally designated as being vital to the company. If the application of a crucial person is rejected for any reason, the applications of all other applicants listed in the Commitment Certificate will also be rejected.

Language Requirement

The ability to communicate in French or English is the primary requirement for living in Canada. In Canada, starting a business requires the owner to be able to work and communicate in either French, English, or both. Taking a language test administered by an authorized testing organization and achieving the CLB 5 minimum Canadian language benchmark in either English or French for all modules, including Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.

Support and Syndication2

Applicants may be eligible for syndication, or sponsorship that multiple organizations approves. This process requires identification of each participant. All the designated organizations will provide one Commitment Certificate to the IRCC, and the applicant(s) will receive one Letter of Support.

A designated venture capital firm invests a minimum of $200,000 in a business, regardless of whether a certified angel group has already made investments in the same enterprise.

If the company receives support from at least one authorized angel group but if the venture capital groups do not approve, then a company should have a minimum of $75,000 overall.

Peer Review

To protect this program from fraud, a peer review process has been added. Its objective is to guarantee the validity of the contracts made between foreign business owners and investment firms. An immigration officer may ask for an independent evaluation of a commitment by a peer review panel. An industry group forms these panels that reflects the type of investing organization making the commitment. In the case of an angel investor organization, for example, the National Angel Capital Organization would be in charge of establishing the peer review panel.

If the entity offering the guarantee was a venture capital fund, on the other hand, the jurisdiction would lie with Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. If the immigration officer thinks peer reviews would be useful in their conclusion, they may be started at random or requested. The immigration officer is not considered to be legally bound by the decision made by the peer review panel. It will only vouch for the accomplishment of the required examinations and research in compliance with industry standards. It won’t provide an opinion on the wisdom or viability of the proposed plan.

Security and Medical Clearances

You and your family members must undergo a medical examination and obtain a security clearance in order to determine whether you:

Pose a threat to national security.
Have a serious illness that would put a burden on Canada’s healthcare system.

Wrapping up!

Are you planning to set up your business in Canada? Then this is the perfect time for you. Use the Canadian start up visa to establish your business in Canada. CanApprove will help you in every step throughout the process.

Thanks for reading!

Tag: Entrepreneur Visa