To initiate your procedure of business migration to Canada, the province offers below mentioned categories for immigrants –

International Entrepreneur category – The International Entrepreneur Category under the Business Immigration Stream of the NLPNP (Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program) is designed for the experience business owners or senior business managers who seek permanent residence in Newfoundland and Labrador. They are required to start or acquire a business in the province and also actively participate in the day-to-day management and direction of a business.

International Graduate Entrepreneur category – This category is meant for the graduates of Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic who either have started a business or bought a local business in the province and maintained day-to-day operations for at least one year in continuation.

In order to receive nomination for permanent residence under both the categories, the applicant must fulfil certain criteria outlined by the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM).

• Prospective applicants must indicate their interest in applying for the International Entrepreneur Category by submitting an online EOI. There is no fees to submit an EOI.
• If the EOI is selected, the applicant will receive an ITA letter from OIM. The letter will provide you with an ITA number.
• You are then expected to submit an complete application with all the supporting documents, a Business Establishment Plan and Net Worth Verification Report
• After this, OIM will conduct a complete assessment of your application
• Once the assessment is done, you will be contacted to participate in an in-person interview with OIM staff. For this, you need to travel to the Newfoundland and Labrador
• After the interview is conducted successfully, you will be sent a Business Performance Agreement which has to submitted online duly accepted and signed by the applicant
• On receiving the signed and dated Business Performance Agreement, OIM will issue you with an International Entrepreneur Approval Letter and instructions on how to apply to IRCC for a work permit. A work permit allows you to settle in Newfoundland and Labrador and operate and actively manage your business

• Age limit is between 21 to 59
• A valid and convincing business plan with supporting financial documentation verified by a recognized third-party professional
• Educational qualification with a minimum of Canadian high school diploma or equivalent foreign credential verified by an Education Credential Assessment (ECA)
• At least CAD 600,000 in unencumbered net business and personal assets that can readily be transferred to Canada
• Ability to invest at least CAD 200,000 of your own money to establish a business in the Newfoundland and Labrador with a minimum ownership of 33.3 per cent, or CAD 1 million in equity investment
• Capability to create at least one full-time equivalent job for local population (Permanent resident or Canadian citizens)
• The business must be a for-profit entity with the primary purpose of earning profits through the sale of goods and/or services
• You should have at least two years’ experience actively managing and owning a business (25 per cent minimum ownership) in the last five years OR 5 or more years’ experience in a senior business management role in the last ten years
• Score of at least 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in all the components either in English or French
• A complete online EOI duly submitted
• An Invitation to Apply received from the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism

• Application Form
• Business Establishment Plan
• Net Worth Verification Report
• Travel Documents, Passports and Visas
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Children’s Information (Birth certificate identifying both parents, adoption papers, custody document), if applicable
• Education certifications received, Transcripts for successfully completed secondary or postsecondary studies
• Language Documents (Test results of IELTS, CELPIP, TEF)
• Supporting Documents – Applicants with Senior Management Experience (Resume, Reference letters from all employers for the past 10 years where Senior Management experience is being claimed, Copies of employment contracts with Senior Management experience, Pay stubs or payroll records for a period of the most recent 12 months from the principal applicant’s current employer)
• Supporting Documents – Applicants with Business Ownership Experience (Business registration license of each enterprise owned, Registration with taxation authorities for each enterprise owned, Proof of shareholding enterprise, A notarized reference letter, Enterprise’s last year’s financial statement, highlighting where the salaries and/or dividends paid to principal applicant were recorded, Income certificate prepared by a member or affiliate of the principal applicant’s current enterprise, Business items of principal applicant’s current business/employer such as product brochures, photographs of business establishment, etc., Any other documents that will support business ownership)
• Adaptability – Previous work in Newfoundland and Labrador or relatives in Newfoundland and Labrador (if applicable)