The Government of Canada developed the Canadian Business Immigration Program to facilitate the arrival of experienced business people to Canada . This program is specifically designed to attract people experienced in business to invest, insert, or start a business in Canada. The eligibility of Business immigrants to Canada are selected based on their ability to become economically established in Canada.

There are three types of business immigrants:

• Investor Program
• Entrepreneur Program
• Self-Employed Persons Program
  

Investor Program
Investor program applicants invest in the Canadian government. Investors must:

• Have a net worth of at least CAD $800,000.
• Make an investment of CAD $400,000 to the Canadian Government. The full amount of the investment is repaid to the investor after five years without interest.
• To meet the business experience requirements, in the period beginning five years before the date of application, the investor must have either

managed and controlled a qualifying business of sufficient size; or
managed at least five full-time equivalents per year in a business
Features of the Investor Program

-Investors do not have to start a business in Canada
-Investors are fully guaranteed by the Canadian Government
-No immigration conditions are imposed upon arrival in Canada

Entrepreneur Program
The entrepreneur program is designed for applicants who wish to open or control a percentage of a Canadian business. Entrepreneur applicants must have a net worth of at least CAD $300,000. In addition, they must have previously managed and controlled a percentage of equity of a qualifying business for at least two years within the five years before the date of the business immigration application. Furthermore, once in Canada, entrepreneur immigrants must own and actively manage a business in Canada that will contribute to the Canadian economy and job market.

Features of the Entrepreneur Program

There are immigration conditions imposed upon admission to Canada. Within three years of becoming a permanent resident, the entrepreneur must have:

-Controlled and actively managed a qualifying Canadian business for a period of at least one year.
-Created employment opportunities through their Canadian business for others.
-The conditions are removed once they have been satisfied by the entrepreneur.

Self-Employed Persons Program
Applicants to the Self-employed Persons Program must intend and be able to generate their own employment while simultaneously making a significant contribution to the cultural, artistic, athletic, and/or agricultural life of Canada . Applicants must have a significant amount of experience (2+ years) in an area relevant to their application in the five years before they apply.

Self-Employed applicants are only eligible for this program if they have been self-employed in cultural activities and/or athletics, or have participated at a world class level in cultural activities or in athletics or have farm management experience.