Business Visa but wishing to stay

[Mr L]

Hello,
   
 I have a business visa for a conference that ended few weeks ago and have been to Canada  few times but now I am thinking about starting a small business with about $15000 in Canada. My question is, can I change my status to permanent resident with this venture I am trying to embark on and secondly is there some organizations out there in canada that can guide small business people like me to succeed. 

[scylla]

No - unfortunately this isn't enough capital to qualify for permanent residency through the federal immigration program. You need to be willing to make an investment of $800,000 and have a net worth of $1,600,000. This program is also not accepting new applications at this time. See the following page on the CIC for additional details:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/investors/index.asp

You could also take a look at the provincial investor programs. However I don't think the investment you plan to make is sufficient for these programs either.

[Mr L]

I Have done the business analysis of starting a group home. I arrived at about $14,500 at least for house rental,supplies for few months before the business could start making money. I have a passion for care giving that is why I want to invest in it. Doesn't this account for something as a starting point while applying for permenent resident?  will they reject my application under this basis? or what are my chances?

[scylla]

Unfortunately a $15K investment is not enough to qualify you for the federal investment program. As I mentioned earlier, this program is not accepting new applications at this time. However even if it was, your application would be rejected since the minimum investment is $800K.

I believe the provincial investor programs all have minimums that are above $15K as well. However please take a look at the requirements - maybe you'll find something that fits what you're looking for. Here's the link to the provincial program information:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/provincial/apply-who.asp

[Mr L]

The provincial program that you mentioned was very helpful thank you!!. It sounds more like what I may explore, I read on it and  don't quite understand how it works through the province of ontario. I am working on business incorporation and license. I want to know if it will be a part of my documentations during filing? do  I need to show funds and assets from my country?

can you please give me more insites or elaborate ?
   

[scylla]

Are you looking at the Ontario Investors program or are you looking at a different program? The Ontario Investors program requires an investment of at least $3 million.

Can you clarify which specific program in Ontario you're looking at?

[Mr L]

Yes! you are right, I never realised you must invest at least 3mill, till I read through it ouch!!. Well! if you know of any other specific program.... Please do let me know.


Thanks alot...

[AAL1984]

You could apply for the skilled worker program, see if you qualify in any of the 29 categories. Another thing you could do is apply for a student visa, but you'd have to apply for a student visa from outside of Canada.

[Mr L]

I was talking to the people in some of the private institutions, they mentioned I could apply for student visa, all I could do is show I have the money for room and board which will not be a problem. They said, I could apply for student Visa inside Canada,  without having to leave. Is this correct?

[scylla]

I was talking to the people in some of the private institutions, they mentioned I could apply for student visa, all I could do is show I have the money for room and board which will not be a problem. They said, I could apply for student Visa inside Canada,  without having to leave. Is this correct?

No - that's not quite correct.

To qualify for a student visa, you must first apply and be accepted to an educational institution. The course must be more than six months in length. When you apply for a student visa, you must show a bank balance with sufficient funds to cover first year tuition + $10K (living expenses). You must also demonstrate that you have strong ties to your home country to prove you will return home once your studies are complete. In addition, the course you plan on taking must make sense given your education to date and career direction (otherwise you may be refused due to course mismatch). Also, note that you cannot apply within Canada - meaning that you must send your application to your local visa office for processing.

Be careful if you're applying to a private educational institution. Usually students can apply for a part time work permit once they have completed six months of study. However many private institutions (e.g. LSBF) do not qualify for the work permit (i.e. you can't work as a student in Canada) and also don't qualify for the post graduate work permit. If you decide to go the study visa route - chose your school wisely.

Keep in mind that the private institutions are in the business of making money and they will often make the process sound far easier than it really is.

If you visit the International Students section of this forum - you will see the process is not so easy and there are many rejections for various reasons.