How to Qualify for Canadian Permanent Residence – Self-Employed (Business Class)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) selects business immigrants based on their ability to become economically established in Canada.
To qualify as Self-Employed: Applicants must have the ability to create their own employment and contribute to the cultural, artistic or athletic life of Canada, or, to create their own employment by purchasing and managing a farm in Canada.
Introduction
Business class immigration allows self-employed persons that have the intention and ability to create their own employment and make a significant contribution to the cultural, artistic or athletic life of Canada to immigrate to Canada. Self-employed persons with a Canada immigration visa also have the option to purchase and manage a farm in Canada.
Only immigrants who have been self-employed in cultural activities or in athletics, or have participated at a world class level in cultural activities or in athletics or have farm management experience are eligible within the class. Other business immigrants with more generic business abilities will be required either to meet the Entrepreneur or Investor definitions, to qualify as skilled workers, or to be selected as provincial nominees.
Canada welcomes thousands of immigrants to its shores each year and there are targets set by Parliament for each category.
| Immigration Levels Plan 2007 | Ranges | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | Upper | |
| Skilled workers | 90,000 | 100,500 |
| Quebec Selected Skilled Workers | 26,000 | 27,500 |
| Federal/Quebec Business | 9,000 | 11,000 |
| Live-in Caregiver | 3,000 | 5,000 |
| Provincial Nominees | 13,000 | 14,000 |
| Total Economic | 141,000 | 158,000 |
| Spouses, Partners and Children | 49,000 | 50,000 |
| Parents and Grandparents | 18,000 | 19,000 |
| Total Family | 67,000 | 69,000 |
| Government-Assisted Refugees | 7,300 | 7,500 |
| Privately Sponsored Refugees | 3,000 | 4,500 |
| Protected Persons in Canada | 10,600 | 12,000 |
| Dependants Abroad | 5,000 | 6,800 |
| Total Protected Persons | 25,900 | 30,800 |
| Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds/Public Policy | 6,000 | 7,000 |
| Permit Holders | 100 | 200 |
| Total Others | 6,100 | 7,200 |
| TOTAL | 240,000 | 265,000 |
| Visa Post Targets and Inventories for Economic Cases | ||
| Immigration Processing Post | Targets for 2005 All Economic Cases | Inventory Backlogs as of the end of December 2004 |
|---|---|---|
| Abidjian | 350 | 309 |
| Accra | 520 | 2,594 |
| Ankara | 760 | 2,212 |
| Beijing | 7,400 | 15,407 |
| Berlin | 2,800 | 1,200 |
| Bogota | 1,200 | 994 |
| Bucharest | 6,200 | 3,037 |
| Buenos Aires | 1,200 | 491 |
| Buffalo | 23,800 | 31,259 |
| Cairo | 1,100 | 2,156 |
| Caracas | 850 | 378 |
| Colombo | 900 | 2,130 |
| Damascus | 5,500 | 11,981 |
| Guatemala | 250 | 101 |
| Havana | 150 | 238 |
| Hong Kong | 15,500 | 17, 282 |
| Islamabad | 3,600 | 12,358 |
| Kingston | 550 | 388 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 200 | 200 |
| Kyiv | 900 | 1,088 |
| Lima | 600 | 265 |
| London | 12,600 | 18,317 |
| Manila | 7,300 | 17,322 |
| Mexico City | 850 | 455 |
| Moscow | 2,800 | 5,037 |
| Nairobi | 1,550 | 1,506 |
| New Delhi | 11,350 | 38,483 |
| Paris | 10,200 | 7,343 |
| Port-au-Prince | 700 | 313 |
| Port-of-Spain | 780 | 1,010 |
| Pretoria | 760 | 926 |
| Rabat | 1,500 | Included in Paris |
| Rome | 1,200 | 1,472 |
| Santiago | 200 | 103 |
| Sao Paulo | 490 | 161 |
| Seoul | 4,500 | 3,351 |
| Singapore | 2,300 | 7,022 |
| Sydney | 750 | 857 |
| Taipei | 600 | 1,041 |
| Tel Aviv | 1,600 | 1,530 |
| Vienna | 1,300 | 648 |
| Warsaw | 840 | 2,199 |
| TOTAL: | 138,500 | 98,250 |