CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Immigration Corner | Do I qualify as an investor? : Dear Ms Powell, I am a 50-year-old businessman and I would like my family to move to Canada. I was wondering how I could qualify as an entrepreneur or investor. I have a brother living in Ontario and I would like to move there. He said he may even be able to help me to get a job offer if I don't qualify as an investor. Please tell me how I could get to live in Ontario with my wife and two children as citizens. - AM Dear AM, If you are interested in implementing a new business idea or buying an existing business in Ontario, you could be eligible under The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Programme's (OINP) entrepreneur stream. Under this programme, qualified individuals now have an opportunity to be nominated by the province of Ontario for permanent residence in Canada, once the business has been successfully established. The application process can be quite challenging and lengthy. However, with the proper guidance a...

Dear Ms Powell, I have been a farmer for the last 10 years and have been seeing a nice Canadian woman for about two years. She visits all the time and stays with me. She said she could help me become a citizen and set up a farm in Canada. However, I don't want any woman to have any control over me, so I want to know if there is a way for me, as a decent farmer man, to go to Canada. My lady is nice but I want to be independent, just in case things don't work out. I have some savings and don't have a chick or child here in Jamaica. I want to explore how I can get to Canada and set up a farm there. What can I do? WN Dear WN, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), formerly known and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), has always encouraged self-employed individuals, such as farm managers, cultural and athletic individuals, with relevant experience and qualifications, to apply for and become permanent residents of Canada. Ther...

Dear Ms Powell, I heard that there are opportunities to move to Canada as an investor. I'm not interested in living in Ontario; I think half of Jamaica is living there! Can you let me know about investment opportunities in other provinces? I have a cousin in Manitoba, and so I wouldn't mind moving there. Can you let me know the requirements and how much money I would need to show to be eligible? - JJ   Dear JJ, I am pleased to see that persons are exploring opportunities outside the province of Ontario, as Canada has ten provinces with various attractive immigration programmes. Since you have a relative in Manitoba, I will advise about the opportunities in Manitoba. The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Programme (MPNP) is a provincial immigration programme made possible through the Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement. There are two immigration streams under the MPNP. One is for skilled workers and the other is for business investors. The MPNP for skilled workers w...

Dear Ms Powell, Can you  tell me how I can qualify for immigration as a businessman? I heard about some venture capital programme, and I have some money that I would like to use to invest in Canada so that I can get permanent residence. What are the requirements? How do I apply? - KO Dear KO, Your question is very relevant at this time as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has recently announced the launch of the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) Pilot Programme. CIC will be accepting a limited number of applications and will take the time to evaluate the effectiveness of this plan to determine whether it should be continued. This is welcoming news since on June 19, 2014, the Federal Immigrant Investor and Entrepreneur Programme was terminated. Requirements The first fundamental requirement is that you need to provide evidence that you have a net worth of CAD$10 million. Your funds must be acquired through lawful private business or investment ...

Facts about the New Express Entry Programme Published in  Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | December 9, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, I  am  very interested in the Express Entry programme and I've searched the Internet and all the information is vague. I'm a professional, and I'm prepared to invest in Canada, and I want to know if the investor-entrepreneur class will reopen. N.N. Dear N.N. There has been much speculation about the Express Entry Programme as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has not unveiled the full details of the programme. However, on December 1, Minister Chris Alexander made an announcement to clarify many uncertainties and I summarise the basic facts below. Who can apply? The Federal Immigrant Investor Class and Federal Entrepreneur class will remain closed until further notice and will not be available under the Express Entry. The Express Entry is open to skilled workers who qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Programme , Feder...

Changes to immigrant investor programmes - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | July 29, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, My husband submitted an application under the Federal Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) three years ago, and we received a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) acknowledging receipt of our documents but have not heard anything else. I heard that CIC announced that all investor programmes would be cancelled and that they are refunding application fees. Why would they cancel the programme when it means more money could be invested in Canada? Will only the fees be returned? What about interest on the money we gave them and the other costs we incurred to deal with this application? Can I ask them to just transfer my application to the Federal Skilled Worker  (FSW) Programme ? What's this new 'express entry'? - WJ Dear WJ, You have asked a number of questions that touch on and concern both the Investor Programme and the Federal Skilled...

Mulling move - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | January 14, 2014 Dear Miss Powell, My wife and I have assessed our lives here in Jamaica and we want better for ourselves and our children. We have relatives in Canada and master's degrees, so we were thinking of the  federal  skilled worker   programme. We, however, heard that there were other programmes that we could explore. We would like to know how we can get Canadian citizenship. We own our own home, vehicles, and have a net worth of over US$1 million. What is the best way to apply to move to Canada? - MM Dear MM, There are several ways that one may immigrate to Canada. The main avenues are via the following programmes: 1.  Federal skilled worker 2. Federal skilled trades 3. Canadian experience class 4. Investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed 5.  Family sponsorship 6. Provincial nominees 7. Live-in caregivers I have  written on each category  before and the p...