Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program: (PROGRAM CLOSED)
Canada welcomes successful business people and international investors with the skills and abilities needed to contribute to the Canadian economy and integrate into the Canadian society. Investors seeking new opportunities and challenges may be eligible to apply for permanent residence in Canada under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Pilot Program. This program is designed to encourage and facilitate the admission of such people to Canada.
Who can qualify?
Applicants need to fulfil the following conditions in order to qualify under this program.
Personal net worth
Investors must have a personal net worth of CD$10 million or more. The net worth must have been acquired through lawful, private sector business or investment activities. For example, these could include:
- income or capital gains acquired through the ownership or management of commercial, for-profit entities
- funds acquired through private sector activities, such as public equity investments or private equity placements
Note that personal net worth acquired through inheritance or in the value of applicant’s primary residence does not count, as these are not considered “business or investment activities” for the purpose of this program.
Proof of personal net worth – Citizenship and Immigration Canada requires applicants whose applications can be considered for the second stage review to obtain a due diligence report at their expense from one of the following designated service providers:
- BDO USA, LLP
- Deloitte Forensic Inc.
- EY
- KPMG LLP
- PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP
- Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Consulting Inc.
The due diligence report is an independent examination and validation of the applicant’s past business or investment experience, source of funds and personal net worth.
- Non-guaranteed investment in a venture capital fund
The applicant must be willing and able to make an at-risk investment (non-guaranteed) of CD$2 million in the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Fund. The applicant is required to enter into an agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) committing a sum of CD$2 million to the IIVC Fund for approximately 15 years.
As with any venture capital investment, the applicant could receive proceeds over time or at the end of the investment term. Proceeds will depend on the fund’s performance and will be based on its gains or losses, including expenses and fees incurred to manage it.
Language skills
The applicant must prove his/her proficiency in English or French in all four language abilities (speaking, reading, listening and writing) and must take a language test approved by CIC. The applicant must include the original language test result when applying under this program.
Education
The applicant must have completed a Canadian post-secondary degree, diploma or certificate of at least one year OR a foreign equivalent, as validated by an original Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a CIC-designated organization. The ECA report must indicate that the applicant’s completed foreign education credential is equal to a completed Canadian post-secondary education credential of at least one year. (PROGRAM CLOSED)