3 Government Programs for Investors When Immigrating to Canada – What to Know

As an investor, there are many opportunities for you to immigrate to Canada because of how welcoming this country is. Canada continues to open its arms to investors who are willing to contribute to its robust economy. At the same time, it remains committed to providing its people with plenty of opportunities, which is what makes Canada a great place to live in and settle down!

If you plan to move to Canada as an investor, be sure to seek Canadian immigration services, whether in Toronto or other parts of the country. You’ll learn that they do offer a handful of programs for investors that will make it easier for you to move to Canada.

In this article, we will share with you three programs you may want to consider as an investor:

1. Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

The QIIP allows investors to have a Canadian permanent residence. However, the requirement is to invest CAD 1.2 million by financing said investment or having an approved financial intermediary.

Investors availing this program are evaluated based on six factors under the Quebec Economic Class selection grid for the program. These factors include education level or areas of training, experience in management, age, language proficiency in French or English, family in Quebec, and the Investment Agreement.

If you want to pass, you should earn a minimum passing score of 40 points. There are also mandatory cut-off scores of 10 points for management experience and 25 points for financial investment, respectively. 

2. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

The PNP allows the Canadian provinces and territories to nominate individuals interested to settle in a particular province in Canada. 

Know that each Canadian province and territory has its own unique PNP, except for Nunavut and Quebec. Each PNP has at least one immigration stream aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system. Known as “enhanced nominations,” provincial nominations award Express Entry candidates an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. 

If you’re an investor who is willing to invest and contribute much to a particular province, then you have a greater chance of being approved. You may check the Canada PNP Finder designed to help you discover the right immigration pathway to Canadian permanent residence.

3. Quebec Entrepreneur Program

This program allows foreign nationals to immigrate to Quebec as business owners or entrepreneurs. This is specifically intended for experienced entrepreneurs who want to create or invest in a business in Quebec. When awarded, you can live in Quebec as a Canadian permanent resident while doing business in the country.

As far as the application is concerned, know that Quebec business immigration selects individuals for participation in the program. They will issue successful applicants with a “Quebec Selection Certificate,” which then will be submitted to the Government of Canada for permanent residency. Once approved, you can immediately move to Quebec!

Four years after being granted Canada PR status, you can then apply for Canadian citizenship as long as you meet all the requirements of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program.

Canadian Visa Application
Immigrating to Canada

Conclusion

Apart from the three programs outlined above, there are other ways you can immigrate to Canada as an investor. These include Section 205 Work Visa and Inter-corporate Transferee Work Visa, among several others. As you can see, there are options at your disposal and routes you can take in moving to Canada as an investor. 

We are immigration consultants in Canada. If you are an investor looking to immigrate to Canada and need professional assistance, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

Possible Questions at a Spousal Sponsorship Interview – What to Know

The process of spousal sponsorship involves an interview stage with the Canadian Immigration. After you’ve submitted all your paperwork, you and your spouse or common-law partner will have to undergo an interview with a visa officer. It is where they’ll decide whether or not your application will continue, so you have to be well-prepared and ready to answer any question they may throw at you.

As with any interview, part of preparation is listing down questions that they may ask, along with the appropriate responses. Doing so will help you rehearse for the interview and boost your confidence at your actual appointment. Below are some sample questions that the officer may ask you, as well as a brief explanation of how the interview process works.

Breaking down the sponsorship interview process

One of the most challenging stages of the spousal sponsorship application is the lengthy interview that you and your spouse must go through. The main purpose of this interview is to verify whether your marriage is fraudulent or not and to confirm the details of your relationship that you’ve indicated on the paperwork.

The visa officer will match your interview questions with the responses you’ve previously provided during the documentation portion of the application. Before going into the interview, keep in mind the following factors:

  1. If the officer finds out that you’ve lied on your application or submitted fraudulent paperwork, it’s almost guaranteed that you will be considered inadmissible for your current application and maybe even in subsequent visa applications. Even if the false information was put there by mistake, being rendered inadmissible is still highly possible.
  2. It’s impossible to predict any of the questions the visa officer might ask. While it’s important to be prepared with responses to possible questions, the officer may still probe into further detail to uncover any likely falsehoods. If an officer deems your answers insufficient, they may ask additional questions to confirm the necessary details.
  3. Considering that this is a spousal sponsorship application, you can expect that the questions will revolve around your relationship with your partner, so the visa officer can determine whether your relationship is genuine.

Possible interview questions

  • When, where, and how did you meet your spouse?
  • Who initiated the contact?
  • How did your relationship develop?
  • Who proposed?
  • Did you have a wedding ceremony?
  • Did your family members attend?
  • Which family members attended from your spouse’s side?
  • Describe the ceremony.
  • Do you have any pictures of the ceremony?
  • Did you do a honeymoon?
  • Where did you go?
  • What does your spouse do for a living?
  • How long have they been in their current job?
  • What is their salary?
  • Where does your spouse live?
  • Describe the home.
  • What side of the bed do you sleep on?
  • What are your spouse’s hobbies?
  • What kind of books does your partner read?
  • What type of music does your partner enjoy?

These are just some of the questions that may be asked during the spousal sponsorship interview. If you need assistance from an immigration agency in Toronto to help you prepare for the interview, get in touch with our immigration lawyers and experts.