Business Immigration to Canada

Search programs by province, status or type; enter your net worth, investment capital and language level to check published minimums. Compare up to four programs side by side, including ownership, experience, job creation and official sources.

Intake is paused. The filing deadline for applicants with a valid 2025 commitment was June 30, 2026; that expired exception is not an open route for new applicants.

New federal Self-Employed Persons applications are paused. This program is separate from Québec’s self-employed category and provincial entrepreneur routes.

Checked September 30, 2026. “Active” means a current registration or selection route exists; it does not guarantee an invitation, available nomination or approval. Recheck the linked official source before applying.

Entrepreneur Immigration: Base, Regional & Strategic Projects

1. 01

   Registration and invitation procedures depend on the stream. Regional applicants need a participating community’s referral; community availability can differ. Strategic Projects has a separate process for foreign companies.

Rural Entrepreneur, Graduate Entrepreneur, Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur & Farm

1. 01

   Alberta lists four entrepreneur streams. The three entrepreneur routes use their own EOI requirements; the Farm Stream has a separate application process. Check the selected route’s community or designated-agency requirements.

Entrepreneur Pathway & Farm Investor Pathway

1. 01

   Business-investor EOI draws are not currently conducted, but Manitoba says submitted EOIs are reviewed individually for an invitation or feedback. This is not a closed intake. The Farm Investor Pathway uses separate forms and procedures.

Former OINP Entrepreneur Stream

1. 01

   The former Entrepreneur Stream is closed to new applicants. Existing-file arrangements do not mean the stream has reopened. Do not use historical investment or points criteria as a current application route.

Entrepreneur, International Graduate Entrepreneur & Farm Owner/Operator

1. 01

   Saskatchewan permanently closed these three business categories on March 27, 2025. They are retained here to identify unavailable routes, not as options accepting new applications.

Entrepreneur Stream, Including International Graduate Entrepreneurs

1. 01

   The Entrepreneur Stream uses an EOI and invitation process. International graduate entrepreneurs have distinct eligibility conditions within the current entrepreneur framework; select the criteria matching your education and business history.

New Brunswick Business Immigration Stream

1. 01

   Submit an EOI and obtain an invitation before applying through this stream. Business approval, work authorization and performance obligations are separate stages; an EOI alone is not a nomination.

International Entrepreneur & International Graduate Entrepreneur

1. 01

   Both official category pages state that EOIs are open. The graduate and general entrepreneur categories have different eligibility and business-operation requirements; an EOI still requires selection.

Business Impact — Work Permit Stream

1. 01

   The Work Permit Stream uses EOI selection. Intake and invitations may be limited by provincial priorities; a period with no business invitations is not itself a formal program closure.

Northwest Territories Nominee Program — Business Stream

1. 01

   The government’s September 2026 update confirms that the Business Stream remains open on a first-come, first-served basis. The employer-driven EOI draw schedule does not govern business-stream intake.

Yukon Business Nominee Program (YBNP)

1. 01

   Eligible initial applications enter a candidate pool for selection. Invitation, assessment and business performance are required before nomination. This business process is separate from worker-stream intake windows.

Investor, Entrepreneur (Innovation, Startup & Takeover) & Self-Employed Worker

1. 01

   Québec uses its own selection system, outside the PNP. Investor, business-startup and self-employed application pages permit submissions at any time. Use the exact category’s rules, including French and financial requirements, before applying.

1. 01

   Choose the correct Québec category: investor, entrepreneur or self-employed worker. Each has different experience, asset, French, deposit, business and location rules.

2. 02

   Submit through the Québec process and obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) before the federal permanent-residence application.

3. 03

   Document every material asset and liability, how the net worth was lawfully accumulated, management experience, ownership and the business project. Gifts and transfers need a complete paper trail.

4. 04

   For the self-employed route, the start-up deposit is generally CAN$25,000 outside the Montréal metropolitan area and CAN$50,000 within it, in addition to financial self-sufficiency and the other program conditions.

5. 05

   Québec selection does not waive federal medical, criminal, security, identity or misrepresentation screening.

1. 01

   Confirm the stream is accepting EOIs or applications. An online profile is not an invitation and a high self-calculated score does not guarantee selection.

2. 02

   Meet the jurisdiction’s minimum net worth, investment, ownership, senior-management or business-owner experience, language, age and community-visit rules.

3. 03

   Prepare a credible business concept tied to the local market, job creation, eligible sector and the applicant’s experience. Some sectors, passive investments and property-rental businesses are excluded.

4. 04

   After invitation, complete third-party net-worth verification where required, interview and sign a performance agreement. The province may issue a work-permit support letter.

5. 05

   Operate the business on the required work permit, live in the province, meet investment/ownership/job and reporting milestones, then request nomination. Apply federally for PR only after nomination and continue meeting the agreement until finalization.

1. 01

   Typical activities include meetings, conferences, trade fairs, training, after-sales service under a qualifying warranty, and taking orders for a foreign business.

2. 02

   The visitor should not enter the Canadian labour market; the primary source of remuneration and place of business should remain outside Canada.

3. 03

   Hands-on production, day-to-day Canadian operations, providing services to Canadian clients or managing a Canadian business from inside Canada may require a work permit even if no Canadian salary is paid.

4. 04

   Carry invitation and itinerary, foreign employment/business evidence, contracts, proof of funds and a clear explanation of activities and departure. A visa or eTA never guarantees entry.

1. 01

   No consultant, incubator, fund, province or employer can guarantee a visa, nomination or permanent residence.

2. 02

   Verify the stream and intake on the government site before paying an agent, buying a business, transferring an investment or signing a lease.

3. 03

   Use independent legal, tax, accounting and commercial due diligence. Immigration eligibility does not prove that an investment is sound or recoverable.

4. 04

   Disclose refusals, ownership, related parties, criminal or regulatory history and the true source of funds. False records can lead to refusal and a five-year misrepresentation ban.