Individuals wishing to get their feet wet with the realities of living and operating a business in PEI may take advantage of the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nomination Program (PEI PNP) Work Permit Stream.

Successful applicants will be issued a temporary work permit from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) so that they may begin their Canadian entrepreneurial journey prior to being granted provincial nomination, and, subsequently, Canadian permanent residence.

Program Requirements

Language Proficiency

To be eligible for the PEI Work Permit stream, candidates must provide official language test results demonstrating language proficiency in English or French consistent with Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4.  

Level of Education

Candidates must have completed at least secondary school education.  

Work Experience

Since the Work Permit stream is a Business Impact immigration program, candidates must have work experience that demonstrates management skills and business ownership experience.  

Investment Requirement

Candidates for the Work Permit stream must have a personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD. They must come to Canada on a work permit and operate a business for at least one year before they will receive a provincial nomination for permanent residence. Candidates must sign a performance agreement with the province.

PEI will issue a provincial nomination to the candidate if the following conditions are met:

• Invest at least $150,000 CAD in the business;
• Maintain a residence and actively manage the business from within PEI;
• Operate the business for at least 12 consecutive months, and;
• Provide financial statements that detail at least $75,000 CAD in eligible operating expenses.

Age

Candidates must be between 21 and 59 years old to be eligible to apply to this stream.  

Intention to Reside

Candidates must demonstrate an intention to reside in PEI.

Application Procedure

The PEI Work Permit stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria must submit a profile to PEI’s pool of candidates. All of the candidates in the pool will then be ranked against each other based on the PEI Business Impact Category Ranking System. The highest-ranking candidates will be invited to submit an application to the stream in one of the category’s periodic draws.

If they are selected in one of these draws, the candidate has 90 days to prepare and submit a complete application, including a business plan. The application fee for PEI Business Impact Category streams is $10,000 CAD. If this application is approved, the candidate will be invited to attend an interview with PEI’s Office of Immigration to discuss their background, work experience, education, proposed business, and settlement plan. If the business plan and application are approved, the candidate must submit a legal opinion letter from a Canadian lawyer stating that the application meets the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

Once the legal opinion letter is received, the candidate will be issued a letter of support for a work permit. After receiving a letter of support, the candidate must apply for a temporary work permit from IRCC. If this application is successful, the candidate will be issued a work permit authorizing them to enter and work temporarily in Canada. Candidates are required to meet with a Settlement Officer within 30 days of landing in Canada as a temporary foreign worker to remain in compliance with their performance agreement and be nominated for permanent residence.

Once all of the conditions of the performance agreement have been met, the candidate will be issued a provincial nomination from PEI. After receiving a provincial nomination, the 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.

Business Impact Ranking System

If a candidate meets all of the eligibility requirements outlined by PEI PNP, they will be able to create a profile in the Expression of Interest (EOI) system. An applicant’s profile will be awarded up to 200 assessment points based on their age, language, education, business ownership or management experience, community endorsement, and adaptability.

Overview of Factors