Owner operator Business Immigration Program - Program closed
Find your eligibility
A perfect alternative to Express Entry Immigration.
For Owner/Operator LMIAs, no advertising or recruitment is required. The key requirement is that the foreign national owns a business in Canada in which he or she owns a controlling interest of more than 50% (Therefore you should have at least 51% ownership or higher). Other requirements include:
- A business plan that shows how the owner/operator will fund the business and create or maintain employment, and contains at least a rudimentary financial plan and timeline of events;
- Active management of the business (i.e. it cannot be a passive investment) in a position that accords with the foreign national’s qualifications and experience with a wage equal to or greater than the median wage requirements for the position; and
- Employing at least one Canadian or permanent resident (ideally in the first year as described in the business plan).
- The applicant must have bachelor degree and 6 band each in IELTS score.
This option is available anywhere in Canada except province of Quebec.
Once an owner/operator receives a positive LMIA, he or she can obtain a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada equal to the validity of the LMIA (usually up to 2 years). Once a work permit is obtained, the owner/operator will, in most cases, be in a position to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry program.
It is worth noting that the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”) has been modified and since November 19, 2016, CRS points awarded for job offers (including those based on Owner/Operator LMIAs) have been reduced from 600 points to either 200 points for senior managerial positions, or to 50 points.
This increases very high possibility of getting immigration to Canada under Express Entry program.