Ontario is Canada’s most multicultural and populous province. About half of the country’s population lives in Ontario. Moreover, here is the capital of Canada – Ottawa and the largest Canadian city – Toronto. We can safely say that Ontario is the centre of the economic and political life of Canada.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) helps promising candidates whose professional skills and work experience are of the greatest value to the Ontario economy to obtain a provincial nomination. Provincial nomination does not guarantee permanent residence in Canada, but it significantly increases the chances of obtaining one.

The Ontario Entrepreneur Stream

The Ontario Entrepreneur Stream (OES) – is an immigration path that was created for entrepreneurs and businessmen who want to open a new business in Ontario or buy an existing business in the province. Successful applicants will be allowed to come to Ontario on a temporary work permit to start their own business. If all investment and job conditions are met, the applicant may be nominated by the province for permanent residency in Canada.

International mobility program – FTA opportunities for businessmen

In order to create the most favourable conditions for international competition for Canadian companies, Canada has concluded bilateral and multilateral agreements on foreign trade (FTA). Most of the free trade agreements that Canada has signed contain provisions to facilitate the mobility of temporary businesspeople in Canada.

In most cases, foreign workers wishing to obtain a work permit in Canada under one of the FTAs, are exempt from obtaining a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which simplifies and facilitates the process of obtaining a work permit.

The International Mobility Program (IMP) allows foreign nationals to obtain work permit without an LMIA. Work permits issued under the IMP can be open or closed, depending on the specific program and agreement. Such work permits can be issued to several categories of entrepreneurs or self-employed persons, intra-company transferees, investors and some other categories.

Owner and Operator

The Owner-Operator is a pathway that will help you immigrate to Canada, even if you do not score enough points in the economic immigration programs. If you are an entrepreneur and have the funds to start your own business in Canada, there are several different opportunities for you to immigrate to Canada.

Owner and Operator is suitable for those who:

• Cannot immigrate directly through the Express Entry or any provincial program.
• Does not meet the requirements of the Start-Up Visa program.

The Owner-Operator program is not a formal immigration program, but a work permit, which is issued under the federal program for temporary foreign workers. A work permit under the Owner-Operator Program is for businessmen who want to acquire an existing or start a new business in Canada and want to work in this business in a management position. The foreign businessman will have to become an employee, i.e. Director of his/her Canadian company, which in turn means that the company must meet most of the requirements for Canadian employers wishing to hire a foreign worker.

Start-Up Visa Program

Canada has always been an attractive destination for immigration. A steadily growing economy, the ability to run your own business, low inflation and high living standards attract the most active people from all over the world here. The Federal Government of Canada offers a unique immigration program called the Start-up Visa Program to attract active and motivated people that have an innovative idea for a business. Interest in this program is growing as it allows you to get permanent residence in short terms.

Do you have an innovative business idea that you would like to implement in Canada? The Government of Canada has developed a great immigration program aimed at people like you! The Mansouri Immigration Firm is a well-known group of experts in start-up immigration to Canada with dozens of partners among Canadian investors and business incubators to help start-up entrepreneurs to move to Canada.

Self-employed Persons Program

The Self-Employed Persons Program (SEPP) is the second federal business immigration program. This immigration program was created for professionals in the fields of sports and culture who have the opportunity to provide themselves with employment in Canada and make a certain contribution to the development of their professional direction in their new homeland. Earlier, Canada also managed a separate stream for self-employed farmers, but unfortunately, the stream was closed due to unsuccessful results.

Who is considered self-employed for the SEPP?

Self-Employed refers to a person who works for himself/herself. This category includes candidates who are professional athletes or coaches, artists or painters, writers or journalists, directors or actors, etc. In this case, a creative activity must be the one that makes a profit and your main source for living. At the same time, the candidate must be actively engaged in his own sport or cultural business.

The experts at Mansouri Canadian Immigration Services (or Mansouri Firm) are here for you. We are dedicated and attentive. Our aim is to help you understand your options and to guide you along the complex application process ahead. Every case is unique, so we make sure that we understand your personal situation. We have experience with a great number of immigration programs for Canada, and we will do our best to find the right pathway for you.