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Entrepreneurial Stream
The New Brunswick Entrepreneurial stream is one of the streams of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), operated by the province of New Brunswick. This stream is designed to target experienced business owners or senior business managers who want to live in New Brunswick.
Successful applicants must start a new business or buy an existing business in which they participate in the day-to-day management duties. The province of New Brunswick regularly organizes events overseas for foreign nationals who wish to immigrate to Canada. Please refer to our schedule of upcoming New Brunswick information sessions and job fairs. Those who are successful through these information sessions will be eligible to immigrate to Canada through the New Brunswick PNP or the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program.
Program Requirements
| Requirements | Â |
|---|---|
| Express Entry Profile | No |
| Connection to Province | Yes |
| Job Offer | No |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 5 |
| Level of Education | Post-secondary |
| Work Experience | Business ownership and management 3 years |
| Investment Requirement | Investment: 250,000 CAD Personal Net Worth: 600,000 CAD |
Connection to New Brunswick
Only candidates who have an eligible connection to New Brunswick may submit an Expression of Interest to the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial stream. Candidates must have either visited New Brunswick for at least five business days within the last 24 months, or have participated in an Entrepreneurial Stream information session within the last 24 months to be eligible. Â
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Language Proficiency
To be eligible for the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial Stream, all candidates must demonstrate language proficiency in English or French consistent with Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5. Â
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Level of Education
Candidates must have completed either an academic degree from a college or university that required at least three years of full-time study, or a diploma in a specific trade that required at least two years of full-time study. Â
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Work Experience
Candidates must have sufficient work experience to demonstrate that they can successfully establish and run a business in New Brunswick. They must own at least one third (33.3%) of a business that they actively managed for at least three out of the last five years. The candidate must have been responsible for supervising at least two employees. Â
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Investment Requirement
Candidates need to demonstrate that they have a minimum personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD. At least $300,000 CAD of their net worth must be readily available and unencumbered. To succeed through this stream, the candidate will have to invest at least $250,000 CAD in the business that they establish and actively manage in New Brunswick. Â
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Age
Candidates must be between 22 and 55 years old on the day their application is received. Â
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Points Assessment Grid
Candidates must score at least 65 points on the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial Stream Assessment Grid. Â
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Business Requirements
Applicants to the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial Stream must establish a new business or purchase an existing business in New Brunswick. In either case, the candidate must own at least one third (33.3%) of the business and be actively involved in the management of the business. The business must be of economic benefit to the province of New Brunswick. It must be a private-sector, for-profit business. The business must also create at least two full-time jobs for Canadian permanent residents or citizens.
Application Procedure
The New Brunswick Entrepreneurial stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Eligible candidates must submit an EOI and a business concept to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). The NBPNP also sometimes pauses intake of new EOIs. Unlike most other provinces, New Brunswick does not publish when they will open to accept new EOIs. While each candidate must score at least 65 points on the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial Stream Assessment Grid to be eligible for the stream, only the highest ranking candidates whose business concepts will have an economic benefit for the province are issued an invitation to apply.
Applicants who receive an invitation to apply from the NBPNP must submit a complete application for provincial nomination. The stream charges a $2,000 CAD processing fee. If the application is successful, the applicant must submit a $100,000 CAD deposit and sign a business performance agreement with the NBPNP. If the applicant meets all of the conditions of the business performance agreement, they will be eligible to apply for a refund of the deposit after one year. Once the NBPNP receives the deposit and signed business performance agreement, it will issue the applicant a provincial nomination.
After receiving a provincial nomination, an applicant has six months to submit a federal application for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants in this program must complete and submit a paper-based application for permanent residence and submit it by mail to the appropriate application centre. Paper-based PNP applications for permanent residence are generally processed within 18 months.
New Brunswick Entrepreneurial Stream Assessment Grid
Candidates must score at least 65 points on the assessment grid to be eligible to submit an Expression of Interest the New Brunswick Entrepreneurial stream. The stream also uses the assessment grid to rank candidates. Only those candidates with the most competitive scores will be invited to apply to the program.
Overview of Factors
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Age | 10 |
| Language | 25 |
| Education | 25 |
| Business Ownership / Management | 20 |
| Business Concept | 15 |
| Adaptability | 5 |
| Maximum | 100 |
Discover your Canadian immigration options by completing our free online assessment tool. In one simple form, we will evaluate you for the dozens of immigration programs available and let you know which one is best for you.
Economic and Business Immigration Options
Economic and business immigration options are for professionals who have skills that support the Canadian economy. Each program differs greatly in the qualifications required so no one-size-fits-all description is possible.Â
Economic and business immigration categories include:
- Provincial Nominee Programs
- Express Entry
- Quebec ImmigrationÂ
- Investor Programs
- Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Programs
- Other federal classes of immigration like the Caregivers Program, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and the Agri-Food Pilot are also options under the umbrella of economic immigration to Canada.Â
Family Sponsorship
Family sponsorship is a category of immigration available to the family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.Â
Family members eligible to sponsor include:
- Spouse or common-law/conjugal partner
- Dependent child (adopted or biological)Â
- Parents and grandparentsÂ
In some circumstances, you may be eligible to sponsor other family members outside the above-mentioned categories. If you have no other eligible relatives to sponsor you may sponsor the following family members:
- Orphaned brother or sister
- Orphaned nephew or niece
- Orphaned grandchild
Humanitarian and Refugee Immigration
Canada has an international reputation as a leader in accepting new refugees and other immigrants for humanitarian and compassionate reasons. A significant portion of Canada’s annual immigration target is dedicated to admitting refugees.
How Much Money do You Need to Immigrate to Canada?
The cost of immigrating to Canada through Express Entry is generally about $2,300 CAD for a single applicant, or about $4,500 CAD for a couple. This amount does not include the settlement funds that many candidates must show to be eligible for Canadian immigration; this amount will vary by family size, starting at around $13,000 CAD for a single applicant. If a candidate is applying through a provincial program, additional fees may apply. Proof of settlement funds are not required for those with a Canadian job offer or who are applying under the Canadian Experience Class.
All forms of business immigration require significant investment in Canada. It might require the applicant to have invested in a Canadian company or require an applicant to make an interest free loan to the federal or provincial government.
In most cases, you do not provide financial information to sponsor a spouse or dependent child. If you are sponsoring other family members like a parent or grandparent, there is a financial requirement that will need to be met in order to be eligible to apply.
If you are applying under humanitarian and compassionate grounds applications, no financial requirements exist. The only time financial information is required under this category of immigration is if the refugee is a privately sponsored applicant. In that case, the Canadian group sponsoring the refugee must demonstrate that they have raised sufficient funds to sponsor the resettlement of the refugee candidate.
What are the Requirements to Immigrate to Canada?
Each immigration program has its own minimum eligibility requirements. It is important to verify your eligibility prior to applying.
When submitting an application, the Canadian government will request various documents to verify your work experience, education, identity, and criminal and medical background. The types of required documents depend on the program to which you are applying.
In order to determine the documents, you will require, first you have to determine which immigration program is best for you!
