Nov 7, 2022 | Canadian Experience Class, Featured, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, New Immigration Programs, Permanent Residency, Working In Canada
Start-up Visa Program For Entrepreneurs
What is the Start-Up Visa Program?
Canada’s Start-up Visa Program targets immigrant entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to build innovative businesses in Canada that can create jobs for Canadians and compete on a global scale.
Want to dive deeper into this program? Find out more here.
Why choose Canada?
There are many reasons why Canada is the best place to build your business as an entrepreneur. Canada’s advantages include:
- A strong economy
- Low taxes and low business costs
- Excellence in research and innovation
- High quality of life
In addition, there are more than 50 Canadian venture capital funds, angel investor groups, and business incubators designated to participate in the program.
Last but not least, entrepreneurs who participated in the program in the first 3 years received over $3.7 million in investment capital from designated entities to help them grow their businesses in Canada.
What are the requirements of this visa for entrepreneurs?
There are four requirements you need to meet to be eligible for a Canadian start-up visa:
- Prove your business is supported by a designated organization
- Meet ownership requirements: You must hold at least 10% of the voting rights attached to all shares of the company. Together with the designated organization, you must hold at least 50% of the voting rights attached to all shares of the company.
- Meet the minimum language requirements (CLB 5 in all areas) in English or French; and
- Show sufficient funds to settle in Canada.
Not sure if you qualify? Don’t know where to start?
If you are still in doubt that whether the Start-Up Visa Program in Canada is for you, take our free online assessment to determine your eligibility. .is super important
Or contact us today! One of your licensed immigration consultants will be happy to help you.
Apr 15, 2021 | Canadian Experience Class, Featured, Immigrate to Canada, In the News, New Immigration Programs, Permanent Residency, Working In Canada
New Immigration Programs Pave Way for Health Care and Essential Workers
Exciting news! The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino on on April 14th, 2021 announced that there will be a focus on new pathways for temporary workers in healthcare, essential workers, and international graduates who are already residing in Canada.
“The pandemic has shone a bright light on the incredible contributions of newcomers. These new policies will help those with a temporary status to plan their future in Canada, play a key role in our economic recovery and help us build back better. Our message to them is simple: your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting—and we want you to stay.” Says Mendicino.
Effective May 6th 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will launch 6 new pathway streams for permanent residency for over 90,000 health care, essential workers and international graduates who have been actively contributing to Canada’s economy. Including the French-speaking temporary residents, these workers and graduates who are already in Canada possesses the skills and experienced needed to fight through the pandemic and to accelerate Canada’s economic recovery. These new streams will pave the way for thousands of new immigrants to receive Canadian permanent residence status.
IRCC will be accepting applications through the following 3 streams:
- 20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care
- 30,000 applications for temporary workers in other select essential occupations
- 40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution
To be eligible for the three new streams announced, temporary workers must have at least one year of Canadian work experience in a health-care profession or in select essential occupations. International students must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary education within the last 4 years, no earlier than January 2017. All workers and graduates will need to meet the language proficiency of at least CLB 4 in English or French and the test results must be no less than two-year-old when application is received.
To promote Canada’s official languages, three additional streams with no application cap for healthcare workers, essential workers and international graduates who are French-speaking or bilingual in English and French. Candidates will need to meet the same requirements for the health-care, essential occupations and graduates in addition to French language proficiency of at least CLB 4 and the evaluation must be no less than two years old when the application is received.
The 6 new streams will remain open until November 5th, 2021, or until they have reached their application cap (not including the French-speaking or bilingual candidate applicants). The announcement of these new streams aims to help achieve Canada’s 2021 immigration Level’s plan, which is expected to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents. The plan will help create jobs and drive long-term growth in Canada. We have already seen the historical federal drawing which invited all 27,332 candidates in the Canadian-Experience Class Express Entry pool. Canada has welcomed over 50,000 new permanent residents thus far.
Need help or want to find out if you qualify?
Call our office today for a Free Consultation.
Apr 23, 2020 | Featured, In the News, Permanent Residency, Temporary Foreign Workers, Tourist Visas, Work Permits
On Wednesday April 22, United States President Donald Trump signed the executive order to suspend immigration into the United States in hopes to prioritize the re-hiring of Americans displaced by the novel Coronavirus. The difference? Canada is still open to immigrants and accepting applications. The new U.S. immigration suspension will last for 60 days and will be reevaluated and extended if deemed necessary.
Foreign nationals who are outside of the United States and are seeking permanent residency (commonly called “green card”) will not be able to apply. It’s important to note that foreign nationals who are already in the United States are exempt from the suspension and will be able to adjust their status or extend their stay.
Children and spouses of U.S. citizens fall into the exemption of the suspension and may continue with their plans to submit their applications for a Green Card. Other foreign nationals such as temporary works in essential positions such as medical personnel, members of the Armed Forces and law enforcement, prospective adoptees are also exempt.
Canada remains wide open and accepting applications of all kinds
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is not immune to the Coronavirus situation. However, they have not stopped accepting applications, despite the skeleton shift and reduced number of visa officers.
Applications can be submitted even if they are incomplete
While the Canadian immigration department has slowed down processing, foreign nationals who are considering applying for permanent residence may still submit their applications. Given that many required services are closed, such as the English testing centres (IELTS, CELPIP), credential evaluation services (WES, and several others), including biometrics centres around the world, Canada will accept incomplete applications. Applicants may submit their applications and will be allowed to submit the missing documentation at a later date.
Extend your status and remain in Canada longer
Individuals who are currently in Canada and wish to apply for an extension of their visitor status, work permit or study permit may do so, and may remain in Canada on “implied status” until a decision is made on the application to extend their stay.
Pause on the processing of non-essential visitor visa applications
To combat processing delays on essential applications such as family reunification, some urgent work permit applications and extensions, Canada has announced that they will not process visitor visa applications for non-essential travel.
Do you need help to stay in Canada? Are you planning to submit your application for permanent residence or family immigration application?
Our skilled and professional team of immigration consultants are here to assist you overcome the hurdle during this uncertain time. Our immigration representatives are up-to-date in all aspects of immigration, including the unprecedented situation surrounding COVID-19 and can help you navigate through the system properly.
We are here for you. Call us today 416-665-3939 or 1-888-808-7338.
Apr 12, 2020 | Featured, Help with Inadmissibility, In the News
The Canada travel ban put in place due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) mid March prevents most foreign nationals from traveling to Canada, with limited exceptions. On Friday April 10, the Canada Immigration announced that it will stop processing most non-essential visitor visa applications, and this includes Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) applications. Canada Immigration will continue to process applications for those individuals who are exempt from the travel ban.
Students who submitted or will be submitting their student permit applications for studies beginning in the Fall will have their applications processed. Students who have obtained a study permit prior to March 18, 2020 are permitted to travel while those who will have approvals will not be able to travel to Canada until the travel ban is lifted.
Applications for permanent residence will continue to be processed, but only those who have received their PR visa approval prior to March 18, 2020 may travel to Canada. Those entering Canada must remember to self-isolate for at least 14 days.
Foreign workers, students, and visitor visa applicants who qualify for an exemption under the current travel ban must submit their applications using www.cic.gc.ca online application system. It is suggested to verify whether your application may be processed, or if you meet an exemption to the travel ban.
Mar 25, 2020 | Blog, Featured, In the News, Where to seek help, Why you need an immigration specialist
You may be asking yourself what are the benefits of hiring an immigration authorized representative? Can’t I just prepare my own application? Why should I pay someone else to do it? These are all valid questions and, of course, you are not required to hire an authorized immigration representative. However, the process of preparing and submitting an immigration application can be time consuming and often complex. Making even what may seem as a minor error on an application or failing to submit a required document could result in delays in the processing of your application or even a refusal.
Many of our clients are those who tried to submit their application themselves and either received a refusal, or had their applications returned for different reasons. A refusal doesn’t just mean more time and money, it could also result in subsequent attempts to apply being more complicated and difficult each time.
With over 80 different immigration programs available, finding the right program or path to accomplish or achieve your goal can be complex and applying to a program for which you don’t meet the requirements will only lead to a refusal. Our team of authorized representatives have prepared hundreds of successful applications and assisted countless individuals and families to immigrate to Canada. We are well versed in immigration law, regulations and policies and can help you determine the best program for which to apply. Our authorized representatives will learn about your specific situation, your goals and We will communicate with you to assess your situation, learn about your work and education history and provide you with professional advice and recommendations. Our representatives stay with you every step of the way to ensure a smooth and timely process from that very first consultation until you successfully land and integrate in Canada.
What is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC)?
As of 2004, Canada requires that all consultants complete an accredited program in immigration law and ongoing education to keep consultants informed on any new developments. Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) are legally authorized representatives in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). Before you hire anyone to work on your application or provide you with immigration related advice, it is very important that you verify that they are members of the ICCRC. Ask your consultant for his/her RCIC number and you can look them up to ensure you’re working with someone who meets the rigorous standards of the ICCRC. You can do this by going to the regulatory website www.iccrc-crcic.ca. You should be aware that there are many people who are not licensed but appear to be. Many scams exist, so be sure that you do not become a victim.
Mar 23, 2020 | Featured, Immigration, In the News, Policies and Problems
The Canadian government has now provided more information on the travel and border restrictions in light of the Coronavirus spread. On March 17, 2020 the Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel with some limited exemptions. To safeguard Canadian businesses and to ensure the proper flow of the supply chain in the country, Canada has made some additional exemptions to the standard immigration rules and regulations. Canada is yet to announce the date on which these specific exemptions take effect. We strongly suggest anyone with questions or concerns to call our offices to speak with our representatives.
WORKERS, STUDENTS & PERMANENT RESIDENTS
- all temporary foreign workers, including caregivers
- international students who hold a valid study permit or had been approved for a study permit when the travel restriction took effect on March 18, 2020. Those approved after this date are not exempt and should not travel to Canada.
- those who applied for permanent residence and who have been approved prior to the travel restrictions announced on March 16, 2020 but who have not yet travelled to Canada.
EXTENSIONS ON SOME WORK PERMITS
Individuals who hold a valid work permit in a low skill position will be able to extend their work permits for an additional (1) year. An application for an extension must be filed using the IRCC online application system.
ONLY 4 CANADIAN AIRPORTS OPEN
On March 18, 2020 the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the closure of all Canadian airports with exception to the following four (4). All air travel, with exception to flights originating from the United States, Mexico, Caribbean, and St-Pierre and Miquelon will be routed to these airports to help with the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Immigration Canada has cancelled all inland landing interviews and will conduct interviews by phone. You will be contacted by IRCC if you had a scheduled landing interview.
- Biometrics offices are closed and are not providing services at this time. If you received a request to complete the step of biometrics, you will automatically be given 90 days to complete this step.
- Flag-polling is not permitted and is not encouraged.
- IELTS and CELPIP in-Canada testing centres are currently closed until further notice.
Our offices will remain open and we will continue to provide updates as necessary. We hope that you and your family stay safe during this difficult and unprecedented time.
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