Tim Tomlins

There are three basic categories of immigration and many variations within each category. For all of them, you will receive a visa which allows you to live in Canada indefinitely as long as you meet the residency requirements.

1. Skilled Worker Category. The skilled worker category assigns points to various factors which are intended to show that you are able to get a job in Canada. However, if you qualify under this category there is no requirement that you work for an employer. The most relevant factors are work experience, education, language skills and age. This is the category that most people immigrate under so there is a substantial processing delay at present in this category unless you have an arranged job to come to in Canada.

2. Investor Category. This category is quite fast to get the visa. There are three requirements.

• The first requirement is that you have at least 2 years of management experience within the past 5 years or 3 years of management experience within the past 10 years. This experience need not have been in the private sector nor do you have to have owned any part of the enterprise to qualify.
• The second requirement is that you and your spouse/partner must have a net worth (total assets less debts) of C$800,000. These assets do not have to be liquid. They may all be tied up in real estate or financial assets. None of these assets needs to be sold for the purposes of immigrating.
• Only after you have satisfied the authorities that you have met those two requirements do you have to make your payment to immigrate. In other words, you don't pay them anything up front. The payment is an interest free loan of C$400,000 which is guaranteed by the government to be returned to you after 5 years without any interest. You may borrow some or all of the C$400,000 to give to the government. None of it need come from your own assets. There is no investment in a private company or fund. There are many Canadian financial institutions who are familiar with this program and are willing to loan all of the funds due to the government guarantee.

3. Entrepreneur Category. This category requires business management experience and that you plan and actively manage a business in Canada after you immigrate. In order to keep your status, you are required to hit certain financial targets with your business after you immigrate. The processing time is not fast for most types of entrepreneur applications.

In addition to the federal immigration categories, there are also Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) in every province. The eligibility criteria are different in each province. The applicant and their family members must intend to reside in the province that nominates them for immigration. Generally speaking, applicants who are nominated by a province will receive their immigration visas much faster than normal immigration applicants because their applications receive priority processing at the visa office. In British Columbia, there is a PNP program for skilled workers in strategic occupations. There are also two business categories for immigrants wishing to come to B.C. to start a business and create jobs for Canadians.

Immigration Lawyers: