Hi.
Firstly I would urge you to ignore some people saying you are too old and do not come to Canada.
At 51 you still have (hopefully!) many years of life left and still a sizeable number of years of your working life in which you can contribute to Canada's economy.
Currently I believe the investor program is on hold, and in any case I do not believe you'd have enough funds to invest in Canada's economy to qualify. So Federal Skilled Worker would seem to be your best bet.
Around January 2013, but almost certainly at least some time in the first quarter of 2013, the Federal Skilled Worker program will be open again, albeit for a limited number of applications. Unlike the previous few years where you have needed to have a least 1 year's work experience in a list of in-demand occupations, it seems likely that this time round there will be no list. The first X applications through the door which have enough points will be accepted.
This is a stop-gap system, we believe the eventual intention is for CIC to introduce an EOI (expression of interest) system where employers can choose from a pool of applications. But that's going to take a few years to implement.
Therefore it certainly seems a possibility that you could apply as a Federal Skilled Worker in the early part of next year.
With no in-demand list competition for these places is expected to be fierce and the cap is likely to fill very quickly.
In order to apply you are going to need supporting documentation - which will include a language certificate (IELTS is the most common) to prove your language skills, work experience letters, University Transcripts in sealed envelopes from the University.
One area where your age will count against you will be calculating how many points you'll score on the points matrix. Points are awarded for various things including work experience, language etc, and age. It is likely the new system will favour younger applicants and at 51 I do not believe you would score any points for age. This does not mean you can't still accumulate enough points to qualify, but it will be harder.
My advice is to start getting supporting documentation together and keep a very sharp ear open towards the end of this year for an announcement on the re-opening of the FSW class.
Best of luck,
Wayne.